We have already been treated with 3 of the 12 tracks already: Do I Wanna Know?, R U Mine? and Why'd You Only Call Me When You're High? But the real question is, what is the rest of the album like?
Well it starts with two of the aforementioned singles Do I Wanna Know? and R U Mine? which are both brilliant in their own way. On the former, Jamie Cook lets off a riff so strong and addictive, that at some points he outclasses eccentric frontman Alex Turner who makes this track swagger with a pelvic thrust. The falsettos on this are also top from by drummer Matt Helders and guitarist Nick O'Malley who are also known as "The Space Choirboys". Then there is the former, the oldest song on the album. R U Mine? is a heavy three minutes of falsettos, heavy bass guitars and some great solos, making it a song that can be considered an anthem.
Then comes the unknown. Josh Homme features in track One For The Road which mixes hip-hop beats with rock as Alex Turner even tries what seems like a rockstar's version of rapping: "So we all go back to yours and you're sitting talking to me on the floor/There's no need to show me round baby, I feel like I've been here before" as the words roll off his tongue so fluently and seductively. Turner continues this attitude on arguably the best track on the album Arabella. With its Black Sabbath influences and insane guitar solo for a band who are described as indie rock, this is like no other Monkeys' track that we know about. Riff heavy and mixed with some slow R'n'B, this is something else. I Want It All sounded slightly boring at first listen, but once it creeps up on you it becomes a proper live tune. That intro reeks proper rock and the falsettos are most effective here. Plus, it references The Rolling Stones! WHAT'S NOT TO LOVE? ["Leave me listening to the Stones/2000 Light Years From Home"]. This is then followed by a screeching and swooning guitar solo that hits the spot.
The album starts to slow it down from here on. For someone that loves anthems, you will find the second half maybe a let-down, but the quality hardly drops for the rest of the album. No. 1 Party Anthem and Mad Sounds both take the tempo down a notch with No. 1 Party Anthem sounding like a Lennon piano song and Mad Sounds is a stripped-back breather, likely to played after fast songs in live performances. For the lack of instruments used, it works very well and doesn't fall into the trap of becoming a "filler" song. Fireside is probably the weakest track on the album, but that is like saying who is the worst Harlem Globetrotter. Worst of a very good bunch. It's disco-fueled sound brings something pretty fun about it, but it can be messy at parts. Track 9 is familiar to many as recent single Why'd You Only Call Me When You're High? which flows with R'n'B whilst the backing falsettos yet again appear and bring a lot to the song as Turner sings "Now it's three in the morning and I'm trying to change your mind/Left you multiple missed calls and to my message you replied". This funky track is followed by the hip-moving Snap Out Of It and slow-moving Homme collaboration Knee Socks, both not the strongest on the album, but yet again, put them on a different album and they are above average tracks. AM finishes with poem-turned-song I Wanna Be Yours, a poem by John Cooper Clarke which Turner and co made into a song. Alex hits every line with precision and brilliance with lines like "I wanna be your Ford Cortina/I'll never rust". It's a perfect way to finish an album of such hype, and although it may have taken a few listens to absolutely love this album, it is now definitely the most addictive album I have heard in a while.
It's strange to think that not even a decade ago, Arctic Monkeys had just broke the music scene and now they have earned their place as not only one of the best British bands of all time, but best bands ever. They can only get stronger from here and their fifth and very LA-based album has much to thank for this.
Best Tracks: Arabella, One For the Road, Do I Wanna Know?
Rating: 10/10
Do you not agree with my views of the album? What's your favourite tracks from AM? Have your say by commenting below.
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