R.E.M.? Who are they? Well, this Slate article got me thinking about the band again for the first time in forever. I grew up in the 90s, so I do actually remember R.E.M. at the tail end of their "good" years, but let's be honest... it's been a while since they really mattered.

It's been said that you're either a U2 person or an R.E.M. person. Well, the boys from Dublin are obviously my favorite band, but I don't really have anything against R.E.M., per se. They made a lot of great music over the years, and come on, no could ever really replicate the oddly intriguing personality of Michael Stipe. Guys like him just don't come around that often. Is R.E.M. one of my favorites? No, not really. But I can admit that they're a great band; I never really understood this pseudo-rivalry between R.E.M. and U2.

Of course, I don't think it's a stretch to say that R.E.M. fans have a certain disdain for U2's latter-day resurgence. I can understand them feeling nostalgic for the days when R.E.M. was just as big as U2, but come on, that was a long time ago. It's fair to say that both bands had rough patches during the 90s and released a handful of "blah" albums, but the difference to me is that U2 eventually realized they were slipping into irrelevance. Before making "All That You Can't Leave Behind" in 2000, they made a conscious decision to get back to their roots, and start making the kind of music that made them so popular in the first place. R.E.M. never really had a moment like that. As a result, U2 is bigger than ever, and their only real competition for the title of "biggest band in the world" is also the oldest, The Rolling Stones.

So what about R.E.M.? Well, they're releasing a collection of songs from 1982 to 1987. Like their fans, R.E.M. seems nostalgic for the days when they were still making important music, instead of actually making... important music. That's the difference. That's why R.E.M. will never be as big as they were in the 80s again. And like it or not, that's why U2 is still the biggest band in the world.