内容(「CDジャーナル」データベースより)
80年代のロック界の収穫として,真っ先にU2とこのREMを想いつくぼくなんかからすれば,この新作は,90年代という現代に向けての力強い意思表示でもある。ギター・サウンドは奥行き深い表現力を称えながら,ラディカルな姿勢も新たに担っての傑作。
From Amazon.co.uk
R.E.M. pushed the jangle out of the picture with
Monster, replacing it with reverberating snaps, crackles, and pops. An album that wraps itself to 1970s glam finery while reaching out to the flannel-clad post-Nirvana throngs, it largely succeeds at demonstrating that these Georgians still know how to rock. The MTV fave "What's the Frequency, Kenneth?" kicks things off on a high note as Peter Buck's distorted power chords set the tone for the 12-song set. "Strange Currencies" may be alarmingly reminiscent of the
Automatic for the People hit "Everybody Hurts," but it's actually the superior song. "Let Me In" is a heavily distorted nod to the fallen Kurt Cobain. While
Monster is far from R.E.M.'s most consistent effort, it stands as a ragged and risky respite from safe and sound alterna-rock.
--Steven Stolder