Three albums later, they finally decided to embark on another tour. Apparently, their choice to brave cramped buses and exhausting schedules actually helped them make Monster, their most recent release on Warner Bros. Records. We wanted to be able to do this stuff on stage. We wanted to get a little of that feel across on this record. And while R.E.M.'s reign on the throne of alternative music has spanned over 14 years, the guys don't hesitate to admit that there was always room for improvement.
Monster is a step toward perfection.
There's too much going on right now. What remains consistent is the songwriting. That, and the fun of making loud noise. I can't think of anything more boring than playing all that music from the last three years, although I'm sure we'll do some of it. We've got big plans.