Editorial Reviews Music Review:
Music Review
Bellman blandt venner (Bellman Among Friends)
Music: Pete Tong: Essential Selection [Import]
Che Guevara: A Dream of Land and Freedom EP [EP]
BAP rockt andere koelsche Leeder [Import]
California Street Life [Explicit Lyrics]
Webern: Symphony; Six Pieces; Concerto for 9 Instruments
Lost Sounds: Blacks and the Birth of the Recording Industry 1891-1922
Amazon.com
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 '70s 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