Arctic Monkeys - AM
Release Date: 6 September
Label: Domino Records
Rating: 8.5 out of 10
Label: Domino Records
Rating: 8.5 out of 10
It was during one of my late night / early morning sessions of Alternative Nation that I first heard the savage intro to 'I Bet You Look Good On The Dancefloor'. The effect was immediate. I had to get the album. I thought they had a stupid name and a stupendous sound. Not since the Clash's 'White Riot' had I heard such genuinely aggressive guitar riffs slipped into a song so immediately likeable as that. The singles reeled off, the years passed and, once again, I seemed caught up in a national love affair from a band that swept out of nowhere into our heads nightly. Their debut was English. Very English. Not only in sound and feel, but in lyrical content too. Never before have chavs and chav culture been so lovingly described as in 'A Certain Romance'. The protagonist described in 'When The Sun Goes Down' comes straight out a council flat somewhere in Croyden. Even 'Fake Tales Of San Francisco' sounds like the city as seen through the eyes of a London street urchin.
They were young and they were English.
It was with the release of 'Humbug' in 2009 that things started to change for the band; they started growing uncomfortably and the tight English skin that once so lovingly bound them was beginning to be restrictive. I remember arriving in London the day after 'Humbug' was released. I remember the excitement, being at a mates house for a late summer barbeque when one of the guys announced that he had popped into HMV on the way and had 'Humbug' with him. I remember the thrill of gathering around my friend's stereo, all of us strangely connected together through an unspoken bond; a tacit agreement and union of mind and soul. The rapture as the first note played. All of us close - shoulder to shoulder so we could enjoy each other's enjoyment. But after the third track a cold air was blowing between us and one by one we returned to our own corner of the house and garden, embarrassed, ashamed and disappointed. It was a tragic day. We were hearing the sound of a once familiar band changing. And it wasn't grand or epic. It was awkward. It was a genuine shock to me when I recently read favourable reviews for 'Humbug'. The album was a load of shite in my opinion. Possibly a necessary one, but not a likeable one. The sound of a quintesentially English band being corrupted by their American friend (one Mr. Josh Homme), growing up to see a world that's bigger than their own council flat.
Two years later and the Monkeys had seemingly distilled the essence of their 'across the pond' inspiration into something that was more glittering guitar pop and less doomed stoner rock. The result was an album that was simultaneously mature and youthful, corny and profound, English and American. 'Suck It See' received heavy airplay from me in 2011 (and still does occasionally).
The anticipation following the singles 'R U Mine' and 'Do I Wanna Know' stirred up, and the reports that the new album was akin to something 50 Cent would have made, 'AM' was bound to be something different yet again for the Sheffield four piece.
Having obtained a leaked version a week before it's official release (I know - jammy eh), I was gloating and triumphant. First listen was a bit disappointing. Change they have. Sleazy they are. Great it is not (on first listen). I'm up to about 10 listens or so now and have started to appreciate it.
I love a band who evolves and changes and refuses to stay static. However nothing bugs me more than pretentious, pandering music consumers mindlessly giving every new release a score of 10 on Metacritic before they've even heard the album. Criticism is important to me. So is being honest and congruent. So may it be noted that I am still on the fence with this album. Turner has reached a new level of lyricism. No doubt the resemblance to hip hop and R & B this album has unlikely been drawing are a result of Turner's lyrical mastery. Weaving words in between melodies and through, over and beneath hooks on tracks like 'Do I Wanna Know' is nothing short of incredible. There is strong lyrical focus here (sex, lust and longing), and a definite cohesion with all tracks. Overall the album is dark and luscious and obviously carefully constructed.
Blow by blow:
01: Do I Wanna Know? - Obviously the sexiest, cleverest and most embarrassingly honest track on the album. The lyrics dominate here, merging entire verses into one drawn out, genius sentence ("So have you got the guts? Been wondering if your heart's still open and if so I wanna know what time it shuts / Simmer down and pucker up / I'm sorry to interrupt it's just that I'm just constantly on the cusp of trying to kiss you, I dunno if you feel the same as I do, we could be together if you wanted to"). There is little editing or restraint in any sense here, with Josh Hommes high falsetto punctuating the chorus. This song is undeniably incredible in all of it's woozy, sexed up longing. I listened to it with my dad the other day and he was blushing. Incredible.
02: R U Mine? - The longing, the questions and the lyrical Olympics continue on the now familiar single. In my opinion the Monkey's strongest single since 'Brianstorm'. The video is quite something too, with it's single-take feel. Just perfect.
03: One For The Road - Homme's screechy falsettos start wearing a bit thin at this point. Seperated from the tracklist, this is yet another track with a similar vibe. To say that this album is cohesive is an underestimation. 'One For The Road' is the sequel to 'I Bet You Look Good On The Dancefloor'. It's a little later. Everyone is more subdued. It's business time. It sounds like the business in question involves copious amounts of alcohol and other substances and most likely a lonely night for Alex. The overall theme of this album is Alex's frustration with uncertainty of where he stands in the relationships. The guitar solo comforts him as he concludes by resigning to more solo acts later on.
04: Arabella - It's a little later. Possibly 4 am. Between two note riffs straight out of the Beatles "Revolver" album Turner praises the various aspects of this intergalactic princess of mythical proportions. Some say the cornerstone of the album, 'Arabella' extends the sleaze-rock of AM. Cook's guitar takes the limelight in the last couple of bars.
05: I Want It All - The most obvious of the Josh Homme contributions, this song plays exactly like a QOTSA song. The screechy guitar echoing the vocals "ain't it just like you to kiss me then hit the road" laments Alex as the realization that he'es never gonna get the girl hits him. The rather pathetic refrain "I want it all" sounds defeated and is endearing. In fact it's Alex lack of game and failure to close with his bird that makes this album accessible and likeable. Who hasn't been there before anyway?
06: No. 1 Party Anthem - Far from what you would expect from the title, this is a pretty little ballad very along the lines of 'Piledriver Waltz'. It's the drunken uncle at the wedding. Swaying and slightly randy, no party is happening with him tonight. But he's more than welcome to sway and dream on. A sound that anchors the album and is immediately familiar in the wake of the new sleaze sound.
07: Mad Sounds - Keeping the tempo down and stripping away most of everything else, save a stratocaster and tambourine (with a soft organ joining in at some point), this is waking up the morning after the night before. Very much in the vein of David Bowie or Elvis Costello. Late 70s lite schmaltz. The slower tracks really do add a gravity to it all. The "Ooh la la" chorus is timely and really helps.
08: Fireside - Possibly one of the more "hip-hop" tracks, this one kicks in with acoustic and urban type drumbeat. Turner's lyrics return to their hyper flexible state. Not the best moment on the album for me. It still retains the darkness and bleakness that is the overall tone of the album. It is remarkable how it all fits together. It has a lot to do with more of the lyrical content being devoted to the hopeless yearning of poor Alex. "I haven't spent half the day without thinking of you lately". Yep. Been there. Maybe when I was 13, but been there Alex old boy.
09: Why'd You Only Call Me When You're High? - Single number three and question number 91 (it seems). More of the same new vein in this song about drunkenness and substance abuse affecting a relationship negatively. It isn't the most mature take on the subject (in fact most of the perspective on relationships here sounds incredibly juvenile), but it's still likeable and cohesive.
10: Snap Out Of It - A lolling piano joins the track, lifting it to the heights of epic catchiness. Distinctly pop in it's structure and delivery, this is the first song to rely solely on vocals, piano and percussion to drive it. In fact it might be the first Arctic Monkeys song of it's kind in that respect. Guitars on the back seat. Even in the bridge.
11: Knee Socks - The Coral's Bill Ryder-Jones' influence is obvious in the intro to this track. Alex shows there is no bounds to his lyrical delivery as he spins a continuation of his story of stalkerish longing for the faceless person. Let's hope it ends well for him. At this stage he has carved himself out as the hapless hero of the piece, and you, the engaged listener, are desperately wanting him to close.
12: I Wanna Be Yours - Uh oh. Poor Alex. Reworking the lyrics of a song by the same name by John Cooper Clarke. They fit in perfectly and provide for us the sad conclusion to a tale of frustration, obsession and lust.
There is something so deliciously enjoyable about seeing someone suffer. I know that sounds harsh and it's not so that you can feel better about yourself, though inevitably you do. It's because in that moment where someone has bared their soul in all of it's desperate depths, you see that you are not alone. Someone else has been there too. Or is there. Whether or not they are the most desirable rock star on the planet. Turner's lyrics do not only take center stage here and provide focus to an otherwise erratic album, they display a rare glimpse of the man himself, beneath the sunglasses and greased up quiff. He's a guy just like us, prone to all the same insecurities and issues we are. I know not many people will focus as much on the lyrics as I have, but for me they are the thing I latch onto in this album. It is dark, despairing, refreshingly honest and kind of irresistible. I really really enjoyed my eleventh listen. I can do more than forgive the Monkeys for this album now. I can applaud them for it.
WVS.
They were young and they were English.
It was with the release of 'Humbug' in 2009 that things started to change for the band; they started growing uncomfortably and the tight English skin that once so lovingly bound them was beginning to be restrictive. I remember arriving in London the day after 'Humbug' was released. I remember the excitement, being at a mates house for a late summer barbeque when one of the guys announced that he had popped into HMV on the way and had 'Humbug' with him. I remember the thrill of gathering around my friend's stereo, all of us strangely connected together through an unspoken bond; a tacit agreement and union of mind and soul. The rapture as the first note played. All of us close - shoulder to shoulder so we could enjoy each other's enjoyment. But after the third track a cold air was blowing between us and one by one we returned to our own corner of the house and garden, embarrassed, ashamed and disappointed. It was a tragic day. We were hearing the sound of a once familiar band changing. And it wasn't grand or epic. It was awkward. It was a genuine shock to me when I recently read favourable reviews for 'Humbug'. The album was a load of shite in my opinion. Possibly a necessary one, but not a likeable one. The sound of a quintesentially English band being corrupted by their American friend (one Mr. Josh Homme), growing up to see a world that's bigger than their own council flat.
Two years later and the Monkeys had seemingly distilled the essence of their 'across the pond' inspiration into something that was more glittering guitar pop and less doomed stoner rock. The result was an album that was simultaneously mature and youthful, corny and profound, English and American. 'Suck It See' received heavy airplay from me in 2011 (and still does occasionally).
The anticipation following the singles 'R U Mine' and 'Do I Wanna Know' stirred up, and the reports that the new album was akin to something 50 Cent would have made, 'AM' was bound to be something different yet again for the Sheffield four piece.
Having obtained a leaked version a week before it's official release (I know - jammy eh), I was gloating and triumphant. First listen was a bit disappointing. Change they have. Sleazy they are. Great it is not (on first listen). I'm up to about 10 listens or so now and have started to appreciate it.
I love a band who evolves and changes and refuses to stay static. However nothing bugs me more than pretentious, pandering music consumers mindlessly giving every new release a score of 10 on Metacritic before they've even heard the album. Criticism is important to me. So is being honest and congruent. So may it be noted that I am still on the fence with this album. Turner has reached a new level of lyricism. No doubt the resemblance to hip hop and R & B this album has unlikely been drawing are a result of Turner's lyrical mastery. Weaving words in between melodies and through, over and beneath hooks on tracks like 'Do I Wanna Know' is nothing short of incredible. There is strong lyrical focus here (sex, lust and longing), and a definite cohesion with all tracks. Overall the album is dark and luscious and obviously carefully constructed.
Blow by blow:
01: Do I Wanna Know? - Obviously the sexiest, cleverest and most embarrassingly honest track on the album. The lyrics dominate here, merging entire verses into one drawn out, genius sentence ("So have you got the guts? Been wondering if your heart's still open and if so I wanna know what time it shuts / Simmer down and pucker up / I'm sorry to interrupt it's just that I'm just constantly on the cusp of trying to kiss you, I dunno if you feel the same as I do, we could be together if you wanted to"). There is little editing or restraint in any sense here, with Josh Hommes high falsetto punctuating the chorus. This song is undeniably incredible in all of it's woozy, sexed up longing. I listened to it with my dad the other day and he was blushing. Incredible.
02: R U Mine? - The longing, the questions and the lyrical Olympics continue on the now familiar single. In my opinion the Monkey's strongest single since 'Brianstorm'. The video is quite something too, with it's single-take feel. Just perfect.
03: One For The Road - Homme's screechy falsettos start wearing a bit thin at this point. Seperated from the tracklist, this is yet another track with a similar vibe. To say that this album is cohesive is an underestimation. 'One For The Road' is the sequel to 'I Bet You Look Good On The Dancefloor'. It's a little later. Everyone is more subdued. It's business time. It sounds like the business in question involves copious amounts of alcohol and other substances and most likely a lonely night for Alex. The overall theme of this album is Alex's frustration with uncertainty of where he stands in the relationships. The guitar solo comforts him as he concludes by resigning to more solo acts later on.
04: Arabella - It's a little later. Possibly 4 am. Between two note riffs straight out of the Beatles "Revolver" album Turner praises the various aspects of this intergalactic princess of mythical proportions. Some say the cornerstone of the album, 'Arabella' extends the sleaze-rock of AM. Cook's guitar takes the limelight in the last couple of bars.
05: I Want It All - The most obvious of the Josh Homme contributions, this song plays exactly like a QOTSA song. The screechy guitar echoing the vocals "ain't it just like you to kiss me then hit the road" laments Alex as the realization that he'es never gonna get the girl hits him. The rather pathetic refrain "I want it all" sounds defeated and is endearing. In fact it's Alex lack of game and failure to close with his bird that makes this album accessible and likeable. Who hasn't been there before anyway?
06: No. 1 Party Anthem - Far from what you would expect from the title, this is a pretty little ballad very along the lines of 'Piledriver Waltz'. It's the drunken uncle at the wedding. Swaying and slightly randy, no party is happening with him tonight. But he's more than welcome to sway and dream on. A sound that anchors the album and is immediately familiar in the wake of the new sleaze sound.
07: Mad Sounds - Keeping the tempo down and stripping away most of everything else, save a stratocaster and tambourine (with a soft organ joining in at some point), this is waking up the morning after the night before. Very much in the vein of David Bowie or Elvis Costello. Late 70s lite schmaltz. The slower tracks really do add a gravity to it all. The "Ooh la la" chorus is timely and really helps.
08: Fireside - Possibly one of the more "hip-hop" tracks, this one kicks in with acoustic and urban type drumbeat. Turner's lyrics return to their hyper flexible state. Not the best moment on the album for me. It still retains the darkness and bleakness that is the overall tone of the album. It is remarkable how it all fits together. It has a lot to do with more of the lyrical content being devoted to the hopeless yearning of poor Alex. "I haven't spent half the day without thinking of you lately". Yep. Been there. Maybe when I was 13, but been there Alex old boy.
09: Why'd You Only Call Me When You're High? - Single number three and question number 91 (it seems). More of the same new vein in this song about drunkenness and substance abuse affecting a relationship negatively. It isn't the most mature take on the subject (in fact most of the perspective on relationships here sounds incredibly juvenile), but it's still likeable and cohesive.
10: Snap Out Of It - A lolling piano joins the track, lifting it to the heights of epic catchiness. Distinctly pop in it's structure and delivery, this is the first song to rely solely on vocals, piano and percussion to drive it. In fact it might be the first Arctic Monkeys song of it's kind in that respect. Guitars on the back seat. Even in the bridge.
11: Knee Socks - The Coral's Bill Ryder-Jones' influence is obvious in the intro to this track. Alex shows there is no bounds to his lyrical delivery as he spins a continuation of his story of stalkerish longing for the faceless person. Let's hope it ends well for him. At this stage he has carved himself out as the hapless hero of the piece, and you, the engaged listener, are desperately wanting him to close.
12: I Wanna Be Yours - Uh oh. Poor Alex. Reworking the lyrics of a song by the same name by John Cooper Clarke. They fit in perfectly and provide for us the sad conclusion to a tale of frustration, obsession and lust.
There is something so deliciously enjoyable about seeing someone suffer. I know that sounds harsh and it's not so that you can feel better about yourself, though inevitably you do. It's because in that moment where someone has bared their soul in all of it's desperate depths, you see that you are not alone. Someone else has been there too. Or is there. Whether or not they are the most desirable rock star on the planet. Turner's lyrics do not only take center stage here and provide focus to an otherwise erratic album, they display a rare glimpse of the man himself, beneath the sunglasses and greased up quiff. He's a guy just like us, prone to all the same insecurities and issues we are. I know not many people will focus as much on the lyrics as I have, but for me they are the thing I latch onto in this album. It is dark, despairing, refreshingly honest and kind of irresistible. I really really enjoyed my eleventh listen. I can do more than forgive the Monkeys for this album now. I can applaud them for it.
WVS.
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