Review by LarryG
4 stars out of 4
At the time, they said they were looking for songs that would sound good
on their first tour in a while but it also seems clear that REM made
Monster to show they weren't just the kings of jangly folk rock but could
also rock hard. Peter Buck's easy mastery of power chords made it clear
that he's one of the best and most inventive guitarists of our time.
What's the Frequency, Kenneth? has to be one of the best rock songs of
the 90's. Using the line spoken to Dan Rather during a bizarre assault
as a starting point, the lyrics are a typical disjointed Stipe narrative
of dissatisfaction but the music packs a wallop. Star 69 is breathless,
exhilarating rock with fast playing and fun ooh-ooh-oohs. Let Me In,
mainly Stipe's voice and a rawly strummed electric guitar, is a suitably
stark and moving tribute to Kurt Cobain. Even seeming throwaway rockers
like Circus Envy work. There's also more traditional REM fare. Strange
Currencies, bares an unmistakable musical resemblence to Everybody Hurts
but the power chords and Stipe's singing still resonate. Tongue is a sweet
keyboard based ballad. REM's best works are still their mellower mid-80's
records, like Murmur and Life's Rich Pagent, which influenced dozens of
college radio bands. They made strong albums in the 90's, Out Of Time
and especially the mostly subdued Automatic for the People. But Monster
is probably their best of the 90's, a great band showing they know how
to rock.
Here's what others reviewers have to say:
"...this is its most implacable --and convincing--music since
MURMUR....Even as MONSTER flirts with unreason and breaks down old taboos,
it observes the strict protocols of the forms it plays havoc with..."
Highly Recommended Spin 11/94, p.91
"...the band hasn't really changed at all: the songs still stress
melody over meaning, the playing still emphasizes the unit over the
individuals, and the sound remains as fresh as it was a dozen years
ago..." Musician 11/94, p.91
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