Originally Posted by harvey

pretty sure you don't have any idea about this band, you could like their music or not (I liked some songs, mainly old stuff, and disliked other), but there's something nobody with a clue could ever deny about R.E.M.: they always were consistent with their beliefs

as for the break up, I thought they were already disbanded, only that without any kind of official announcement. Maybe they just waited for 30th anniversary to tell their fans "OK, don't hold your breath anymore, it's over!"