This review has proven to be possibly one of the most difficult and challenging articles I have ever written. This being for two main reasons, one being that I am self-admittedly part of a myriad of devoted fans and so with that comes potential elements of bias, subjectivity and well quite frankly, entering the discredit worthy, dismissive, preachy fan territory which I will try to stay away from. I can at least say I tried. The second reason being it's extremely difficult not to be subjective, and pick out some criticisms from the album because 'AM' stands as such a confident, prodigious piece of work produced by the four lads from Sheffield. For those that fell in love and willingly followed the new direction they set their sails towards with Humbug, then following that 'Suck it and See' then you will also irrevocably fall in love with 'AM'. However, in no sense is this album simply derivative of it's predecessors, it's progressive, grown up and there are even some heavy undertones of R&B amongst the psychedelic, heavy riffs embedded in tracks like 'Arabella' and 'One For The Road'. The dynamics of Arctic Monkeys, style, sound and demeanor has been constantly evolving and shifting ever since 'Whatever People Say I Am That's What I'm Not' was released in 2006 to 'AM' which was released yesterday. 'AM' however, appears to be particularly different, not just in regards to the new slicked back haircuts and Alex Turner's crafted stage prowess, in fact our concentration should shift away from that to their new distinctive sound and the lyrics which recently amongst music critics and fans have proven to be contentious issues.
The album begins with the two potent singles 'Do I Wanna Know?' and 'R U Mine?' which immediately sets the bar high for the rest of the album, sending a strong tone of confidence and a more than adequate dose of old fashioned Rock n' Roll, less raw-scratchy indie rock, and more LA/Hollywood intricately produced and cleverly crafted heavy alternative Rock album, with catchy riffs underpinned by an edgy, hard hitting bass. The third song on the album 'One For The Road' firmly cements the idea that this album more than any other, highlights their extensive influences, most notably and perhaps the most intriguing, Hip Hop. Matt Helder's increasingly more prominent RnB tinged backing vocals, reinforced by the drumming and beats also provided by Helders, combined with some classic Humbug-esque riffs highlights how versatile and dynamic Arctic Monkeys really are, and even more to the point how far they have moved on. However, what hasn't changed is Alex Turner's creative aptitude and capability as he sings in his captivating falsetto vocals in Arabella 'She's got a barbarella silver swimsuit, and when she needs to shelter from reality, she takes a dip in my day dreams' once again enhancing the idea that as a lyricist in the current music world, no one writes quite so eloquently as Turner himself. However, the intriguing juxtaposition to such eloquence is the general mood of the album, that mood being the nights-turned into-mornings on the town and alcohol influenced desires and affections encapsulated in 'Why'd You Only Call Me When You're High?'. In terms of lyrics, Alex Turner is still very much an observational writer but of course, when moving from Sheffield to LA your observations will inevitably change, and this album certainly reflects that, just as any album should.
In contrast to the heavy Rock N' Roll numbers on 'AM' tracks like the anthemic, 60s influenced ballad 'Mad Sounds' magnifies a different and perhaps softer side to Arctic Monkeys, that even throws in a mandatory cliche 'Oh, la la la' for good measure. 'No.1 Party Anthem' also shares a similar tone however, unfortunately it does get tedious and monotonous about half way through, you feel like it's building up to something, leading up to some sort of climax, which unfortunately turns out to be quite the anti-climax but pleasant and easy listening nevertheless. 'I Want It All' also becomes slightly robotic at times, but there are far too many highlights in this album that overshadow what are merely subtle flaws. There you go - some negative points, just to keep things balanced and fulfill my strenuous promise I made earlier.
'Fireside' seems to be very much reminiscent of the Humbug era, and lyrically something that can be traced back to Favourite Worst Nightmare as Turner sings 'That place on Memory Lane you liked still looks the same/But something about it's changed' once again enhancing Alex's capability to effortlessly pull out great metaphors, and profound imagery with his natural affinity and flair for songwriting. Possibly one of the catchiest riffs in the entire masterpiece can be heard in 'Knee Socks' accompanied by friend, and a notable musical influence for Arctic Monkeys, Josh Homme from Queens of The Stone Age who's contribution towards the album has been somewhat overestimated in terms of production. Matt Helders has stated in an interview in regards to Josh Homme's contribution 'He just came down and sung on one of the songs. He came down more as a friend, with an opinion, for one night' reassuring music critics that all credit for this album remains with the four boys in the band.
Unfortunately, some fans are still stuck in the days of the youthful exuberance enshrined in 'Whatever People Say I am That's What I'm Not' and it's no great surprise, it was one of the definitive albums of the 00s and it manifested itself into what has become a highly influential debut album. However, some fans are being suffocated by nostalgia, and longing for them to return to that scratchy Libertines inspired sound is becoming somewhat futile and ridiculous. The band have been experimenting, exploring and maturing ever since their debut and thank God. It would get awfully tedious if Alex and Co followed so many other artists today and played safe, refused to progress for the fear of declining record sales and losing a secure fan base, furthermore, it would seem such a progressive attitude has certainly paid off, proven by the massive global following they have managed to build up. This album affirms the idea that they have evolved into masters of songwriting, and have become one of our most valuable exports to the rest of the world - something the British fans should certainly be proud of. So Vladmir Putin - Britain may not be what you recently described as a 'small island that no-one pays any attention to'. The UK's still exporting the most influential bands in the world, and 'AM' certainly holds the music world's attention. Britain's increasingly diminished pride 1 - 0 Russia.
For now,
Here's 'Arabella'. Enjoy.
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