Monster is the ninth studio album by American rock band R.E.M., released by Warner Bros. Records in the UK on September 26, 1994, and in the United States the following day.

Led by the successful single "What's the Frequency, Kenneth?," Monster debuted at number one in the United States and at least seven other countries, and received generally positive reviews.

At the 37th Annual Grammy Awards, Monster was nominated for Best Rock Album, but lost to The Rolling Stones' Voodoo Lounge.

"If we did another record like Out of Time or Automatic for the People, we'd be sitting on stools all night and swapping acoustic instruments, and that would be kind of boring," he said in October 1994.

[11] Frontman Michael Stipe in a 2019 interview with BBC Music viewed the album as an attempt to "reinvent" R.E.M., wanting to do "something that was loud and brash and punk rock.

[13] Guitarist Peter Buck said that the band wrote 45 songs, including "a whole album's worth of acoustic stuff" which they demoed.

"[14] When the sessions were finished Howard played the recordings to co-producer Scott Litt, who had worked with the band since their fifth album (Document, 1987).

[14] The band wrote and recorded "Let Me In" in tribute to Cobain and dedicated the album to Phoenix,[15] whose sister Rain provided background vocals on "Bang and Blame".

[16] In late April 1994 the band relocated to Criteria Studios in Miami, Florida, but recording was interrupted because Stipe had an abscessed tooth.

[17] Unlike previous album sessions, by the time production moved to Ocean Way Recording in Los Angeles the band was behind schedule.

Litt attributed the delay to recording live at Crossover, which lengthened the mixing process; he told Rolling Stone, "We're trying to figure out how raw to leave it and how much to studiofy it."

[15] The situation came to a head when the group was recording at Louie's Clubhouse (Litt's home studio in Los Angeles); years later, Stipe recalled, "We broke up ... We reached the point where none of us could speak to each other, and we were in a small room, and we just said 'Fuck off' and that was it.

"[18] The group met to resolve their issues; Mills told Rolling Stone, "We have to begin working as a unit again, which we haven't been doing very well lately.

's previous two albums, Monster incorporated distorted guitar tones, minimal overdubs, and touches of 1970s glam rock.

"[11] Mike Mills told Time, "On past albums we had been exploring acoustic instruments, trying to use the piano and mandolin, and we did it about all we wanted to do it.

[28] Buck called the album a reaction to the band's popularity: "When I read the lyrics I thought, all these guys are totally fucked up.

[9] The song "Let Me In" was dedicated to the memory of American musician Kurt Cobain, leader of the grunge band Nirvana, who maintained a close friendship with Stipe.

[30][34] Speaking during BBC Radio 1's Evening Session Show in 1994, Stipe reflected on how the deaths of Cobain and American actor River Phoenix contributed to the creation of Monster: "We feel like we reached a zenith with that record.

[citation needed] The back cover has the body of the bear next to the track listing, and the inside sleeve features images of the cartoon character Migraine Boy.

In interviews, the band has described its process of naming albums: they tape a large sheet of paper on the studio wall, and then write down random ideas as they occur.

Rolling Stone critic Robert Palmer noted that Stipe's lyrics dealt with issues of identity ("The concept of reality itself is being called into question: Is this my life or an incredible virtual simulation?

According to Cameron, "At best stunning, at worst merely diverting, Monster sounds like the album they 'had' to make, to clear out their system, a simple prop to occupy our time ..."[44] AllMusic editor Stephen Thomas Erlewine wrote, "Monster doesn't have the conceptual unity or consistently brilliant songwriting of Automatic for the People, but it does offer a wide range of sonic textures that have never been heard on an R.E.M.

[69] The following month, on October 31, 1994, "Bang and Blame" was published, which, like the previous single, managed to reach the first position on the Alternative Airplay chart once again.

[citation needed] By the time of the release of the last single, "Tongue", compared to its predecessors, managed to reach a higher position on the Scottish list by topping at number 10, and for Ireland it was ranked 12.

From there, the track winds its way through various rock tempos without ever losing the momentum of its initial burst of energy",[78] and for "Bang and Blame" he commented: "With a hard-edged guitar melody, vocalist Michael Stipe gets one of his best Monster moments when he sings, “You kiss on me/don't kiss on me/you tug on me don't tug on me.” The propulsive rhythm of this song should also appeal even to non-fans of the group.

Buck's "powerful but not dirty guitar" is the centerpiece of the "satisfying" first single, and he said the "swaggering" "Crush with Eyeliner" contains "the most confident, fun Michael Stipe attitude.

"[80] Andrew Mueller of Melody Maker wrote that "Strange Currencies" "puts the accompaniment of "Everybody Hurts" through a brutal, cheap amplifier and replaces the universal balm with the humiliating heroism of the unrequited admirer.

“Fool might be my middle name,” he sings, gloriously, uselessly in love, “I tripped and I fell... you will be mine.” Ah, the pathos, the desperate, deceptive joy of it all.

[89] For the 25th anniversary remix, Litt made Stipe's and others' vocals more prominent and clearer, removed some instrumental tracks (like the tremolo guitar in the chorus of "What's the Frequency, Kenneth?

"[93] The music website Pitchfork was critical of the remix, writing, "the inescapable excess of Buck’s guitar tone as well as the slipperiness of Stipe’s vocals are what make the record special; when you invert these effects, it starts to be indistinguishable from any other R.E.M.