I must confess that I've never been much of an Arctic Monkeys fan. The band came along at the height of a period when hipsters were chasing every garage rock band they saw and calling them the next saviors of rock n' roll (this happened to Arctic Monkeys, Gomez, Wolfmother, Raconteurs, Butch Walker and many more – ALL IN 2006 ALONE), and I wasn't interested in believing the hype. The push behind the band continued to just be so crass that I didn't bother giving them much time for any of their successive releases either; I figured that when fashions finally changed, the band would be forgotten. That hasn't happened though, and Arctic Monkeys have now survived long enough to grow beyond their fashionable beginnings and become something to which attention deserves to be paid.
AM – which could sort of be seen as a self-titled album, in a way – marks a new beginning for Arctic Monkeys, and the band endeavors to show how far they've come creatively from the word go. “Do I Wanna Know” gives listeners the first impression that Arctic Monkeys are an altered beast; much slower and heavier of beat than they've ever been before, the band gives off a regal air as they hammer down a basic but infectious which doesn't exactly stomp along – but is certainly more laden than the band has ever been before. Likewise, Alex Turner has changed the way he delivers his vocals; now not snotty like he was when he was wondering how a girl might look on the dance floor and not as sour as he and the band proved to be through the entire run-time of Suck It And See, Turner sings with a slightly wry edge in his voice which suits him very well here. This beginning is great; perhaps not a complete surprise for longtime fans, but those who just passively observed before will be intrigued.
The sense of intrigue that “Do I Wanna Know” fosters holds up as the record progresses. Continuing to work at a mid-pace, Arctic Monkeys test out new sonic possibilities to see which fit; granted, they're not all winners (songs like “R U Mine?” and “One For The Road” sink slowly in their miserable ruminations) but, when they DO get it right, the Monkeys end up flying high. “Arabella” builds a fantastic swagger on a timeless classic rock beat and psychodrama. “I Want It All” plays with a stoner rock vibe – as does “Why'd You Only Call Me When You're High?” – which serves the band (and listeners) shockingly well. Those turns are interesting, but the pinnacle of intrigue appears in “No. 1 Party Anthem” when the Arctic Monkeys actually brush close to Thin White Duke-era David Bowie. All of these ideas prove to be really good and refreshing in the context of what Arctic Monkeys have done before and what they may yet be capable of but, because the band never sticks with any one of the ideas they broach long enough to build on it, AM can start to feel a little daunting for those who aren't in the right mood for it. On the right day, AM can be very exciting but, on the wrong one, it can seem bafflingly diffuse.
In the end, because it bounces back and forth between fascinating and frustrating so quickly and so easily, the only way to look at AM is to see it as the best transitional record listeners have ever heard, but still undoubtedly a transitional record. There is promise and there are great possibilities here, now all Arctic Monkeys will have to do is follow through, make their leap and decide who they want to be and settle on what they want to take as their mature sound. It'll be interesting to see where they're at on their next album.
Artist:
www.arcticmonkeys.com/
www.facebook.com/ArcticMonkeys
www.twitter.com/ArcticMonkeys
Album:
AM is out now. Buy it here on Amazon .
