donjunio

Great review, this is my favorite from the lips: at that moment they were in stunning shape, the cover of "after the goldrush" is from the same year. I'm not a big fan of the "Soft Bulletin" period, though. But has anyone ever listened to Zaireeka with all 4 CDs at the same time?

Perhaps the only fast track from "Accelerate" that can stand up to the first two songs from "Monster" is the title track (with that truly remarkable hypnotic bridge); otherwise, I believe the monster wins by KO here as well (and there's also "Bang and Blame"!).

alcoholic review just the way I like it!

@alexander77. Legendary Pride and Glory, although I was more passionate about their contemporaries Mother Tongue (the ones whose guitarist won the Oscar for bad luck, chosen by the Red Hot Chili Peppers to replace Frusciante but then discarded when the God Navarro became available) and Paw. A review of mine in this regard is in the works. @blackdog. But you know I prefer "Strange currencies" to "Everybody hurts"? Much more gutsy. The tracks from "Monster" that I can't stand are "King of comedy," "Star 69" (a nice diversion and nothing more), and "You," which is quite dull and exhausting, but definitely better than "I’m gonna DJ" as a closing. Overall, an album that nearly touches 4 stars.

Athens, of course

Yes, you said it right about the difference between the two albums (and Unkle69 explained it even better). "Monster" is not an album of songs, but as a piece inserted between "Automatic" and "Adventures," I think it’s perfect, and I believe some of its tracks still shine, especially live (and among the great tracks, I would also include "Tongue," with a really atypical soul version of Stipe). Of course, it's always a matter of personal taste (just imagine that I really like "Reveal," which I find perfect for summer with its smooth and sunny sounds), but my point was the truly excessive gap in the evaluation of the two albums. Anyway, enough reviews of Accelerate; someone step up with the return of the true glory of Athens, the B-52's heheheh.

A judgment on an album is notoriously subjective, but the wide gap between the 2 given by Grant to "Monster" and the 5 generously bestowed upon "Accelerate" is jarring, and it prompts me to share my thoughts.
"Monster" is a better album for at least three reasons: 1) If we are to praise the dirty and rough sound of Buck's guitars under the banner of "feedback is back," there is no comparison between an album fully immersed in the magma of the '90s that features Thurston Moore and one that attempts to retrace old paths while taking on a U2-associated producer meticulously intent on softening everything with the radio-friendly rock manual to give it a nice veneer of accessibility, aiming to shoot it into the cars of forty-somethings without disturbing the neighbors too much. I understand that my friend Grant is notoriously comfortable with smoother and radio-friendly sounds compared to those of the grunge era and praises the producer, but if we really want to state that "R.E.M. truly wants to crank up the distortion," we have to be honest.
2) "Monster" has often been accused of trying to ride the grunge wave to sell more. The four from Athens could have simply churned out a revised and corrected "Out of Time" to break into American FM radio again. Instead, it was about the necessity to return to touring after many years with a direct album. This rekindling of a flame for no-frills rock in "Accelerate" seems much more suspicious: it's like saying the last album didn't do well, so let's tighten our ranks and try again to make an album like in the old days.
3) Also, regarding the quality of the songs, I believe there's no contest. Aside from 4 or 5 rather stumbling tracks, the 1994 album boasts many classics, beloved by fans, from the made-in-Athens repertoire, like "Crush with Eyeliner" to "Strange Currencies," not to mention the masterpiece "Let Me In." We'll see how many tracks from "Accelerate," despite the initial enthusiasm for a decent return, can stand the test of time just as brilliantly. Apologies for the verbosity.

fundamental.

I agree with my friend and fellow countryman SC: Mereu's film is really beautiful.

the review is perfect