
The fourth single from R.E.M.’s ninth album Monster, “Strange Currencies,” is a little bit “Everybody Hurts 2.” It’s an atypical ballad driven by an arpeggio guitar part – almost soul – the time signature is the same, and the band almost dropped it from the album because of how similar it was to “Everybody Hurts.” It’s grungy like the rest of the album, but it’s still so similar in vibe. Maybe that’s one reason “Strange Currencies” didn’t do as well on the charts (except in the UK for some reason): it’s just too similar to casual fans.
Louisa Stancioff is a singer-songwriter from Maine who has been releasing songs for a couple of years and who put out her debut album a year ago. Now she’s covered this less-covered R.E.M. tune. Continue reading »