When
Monster hit the stores is 1994 everybody was shocked. Following the slow, dreary
Automatic for the People Monster showcased a completely different side of R.E.M.. The album is probably the bands most controversial release as some die hard fans can’t stand it and others regard it as their favorite R.E.M. album. I’m one of those people that really enjoy
Monster,it’s not one of the bands stronger 90's efforts but it sure is one hell of a rock album.
After the first listen
Monster is without a doubt the hardest rocking R.E.M. album to date. Instead of playing downbeat folk tunes (Everybody Hurts) or whimsical pop songs (Shiny Happy People) the band decided to take a more hard-rocking and grunge influenced route. At first the loud guitar distortion is difficult to adjust to but after a while you’ll be singing a long with Michael Stipes muffled and uncontrolled voice. Songs such as
What’s the Frequency Kenneth? and
Star 69 feature the band at its finest as they crank up the distortion and bust out three-chord riffs. A good portion of these tracks are played at a fairly slow tempo, the overall sound is extremely sludgy and sloppy. However
Monster isn’t a complete sludgefest as Stipe manages to fit in a couple of subdued and downbeat tracks.
Tongue is a very relaxing tune as it features a soft, soothing piano part without any guitar or bass. The strange electronic glitches in
I Don’t Sleep, I Dream give the album a bit of variety as the song is a mix of subtle piano chords and western guitar riffs. These two tracks provide the listener with a casual break from the noise and they are also some of the strongest tracks featured on the album.
If
Monster has one flaw it’s that the album gets way to repetitive and distortion-heavy. Once you get deeper into the album all of this becomes tedious and you’ll begin wondering why Stipe wouldn’t just turn down the distortion just at little bit. The boisterous riffs of
Circus Eny and
I Took You In sound like re-hashed b-sides as the band begins to retreat to the same old riffs that started off the album. Another minor downside is the lack of the strong song-writing. This is why many people dislike the album and although I personally think that
Monster would have been a more complete album if there were more songs focusing on the lyrics rather than distortion it doesn’t really bother me since
Monster is so fun to rock out to.
While
Monster may not contain the strong songwriting of
Automatic For the People or the upbeat pop tunes featured on
Green it’s still a great listen.
Monster is often regarded as the bands low point but I strongly disagree. I think that people take the album a bit too seriously, Peter Bucks guitar work may not be revolutionary but it’s fun to listen to a fairly conservative band rock out. If one thing hasn’t changed it’s Michael Stipes voice, you still can’t tell what the hell the guy is shouting in his shrill, lazy, and dreamy voice. I must admit that
Monster does have a few dud tracks but in the end the loud, grimy guitar distortion will force you to turn up the volume and rock.
