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Arctic Monkeys: AM Review
Indie | Friday 6th September 2013 | Billy
The Arctic Monkeys tale has been one that has gone from strength to strength developing leaps and bounds as time has gone by leaving most of us wondering how they can possibly top what they have already achieved, but somehow the band that started off as a four piece brandishing shaggy haircuts and cheeky grins have astronomically raised the bar to a level that hasn’t been known for generations.
And that change was evident in their Glastonbury headline set, it seems they have reached the stage in their career where they are not embarrassed by their stature but they can embrace it, relax and really enjoy themselves and show everyone what they can do. That sort of confidence is shown in AM but the exciting thing is that it doesn’t seem like this is the peak for Arctic Monkeys, this is just the beginning and I really don’t know what else could be in store for us and what else they can achieve.
It’s clear that this album is inspired by Alex Turner’s infatuation with Arielle Vandenberg, as he describes an obsession so deep that it is almost impossible to put into words, but nevertheless the wordsmith could not have put it better. Turner’s ever present wisdom infused with seductive wordplay is what makes a lyric that has a sullen context seem fun and provocative and it works so flawlessly.
Every single track on this album has the musical perfection to make your mind melt into the track and have you sitting there in awe, as I believe Humbug and Suck It and See also possess. But this album is different. This album is in another league to Humbug which is an incredible accolade, and the thing that sets the two albums apart is AM’s ability to harness the sheer incredibility of Lennon’s voice tone, Dre’s effortlessly cool beats, Eminem’s unique rhyming patterns and Sabbaths lumbering rock edge which is packed into almost every truly epic track on this record.
The album sets off with the heart stomping boom, clap, boom, clap of ‘Do I Wanna Know’ followed by a terrific hollowing riff from Jamie Cook. ‘Have you got colour in your cheeks/ Do you ever get the feeling you can’t shift the type that sticks around like something in your teeth?’ Alex echoes out, lost and haunted by infatuation, and by ‘Are there some aces up your sleeve?’ you’re hooked on a track which boasts some of Alex’s best songwriting to date.
It seems an age ago that they gave us a taste of what was to come on the fifth album when ‘R U Mine’ was released, the song which made clear that they really meant business with this album. Much like ‘Do I Wanna Know’ the drumming and main riff rip through you and bury themselves within the depths of your mind to the point where you’ll be walking around for days with the composition locked on repeat in your head. But for me it’s not the riffs or drumming that make the tracks it’s the dark groaning falsetto vocals provided by Matt Helders and Nick O’Malley that is imminent on most of the album.
'Arabella' though, is the real game changer on the album where Dre drifts off into a Black Sabbath ‘War Pigs’ inspired tornado. It’s on this track where you really see the Hip Hop influence with a muffled riff dancing on the background of a slowed down Dre beat. But you cannot escape the fact that the heart of the track is riddled with Lennon’s presence when Turner sings ‘The Horizon tries but it’s just not as kind on the eyes. As Arabella’ supported by a killer riff. The next track on the album ‘I Want It All’ really shows off Helders and O’Malleys backing vocals as they create a sort of Intergalactic Space Choir and the slow 60’s like ballad ‘No.1 Party Anthem’ much like ‘Cornerstone’ sounds like it could’ve been plucked straight from Turner’s solo album Submarine.
Josh Homme’s presence really shows on my personal favourite on the album ‘Knee Socks’ where the QOTSA frontman provides a howling guest vocal over a rnb style breakdown. A fiesty firecracker of a riff sets the pace for the track as Turner wraps his wicked dark words around the hollowing brooding sound.
With the release of Humbug many thought Alex Turner had lost his mind in the eerie deserts of California, but looking back the influence California and Homme had on the band was an exorbitant transformation from boys to men which allowed the band to break the mould that they seemed to be thick set into and it done wonders for the band in terms of reinventing themselves. From that point on Arctic Monkeys could be whatever they wanted to be, they were no longer bound by the stigmata that follows many young Indie bands that find it difficult to go from belting out youthful rebellious to becoming a group that can be taken seriously and acutely grow into the mould of the all time greats.
And now they’re back brandishing new haircuts and suits rather than trackie-bottoms tucked in socks, reinvented and ready to take the world by storm. This album is simply a must have there’s no way around it and the only reason I have scored this album a 9.5 rather than 10 is that I think there is still more in their locker.
Verdict: 9.5/10
