By Daniel Janssen
Staff Writer
Oh, how far Arctic Monkeys have come. Ever since the modern “fab four” released their debut studio album Whatever People Say I Am, That’s What I’m Not, the UK band have conquered Glastonbury, opened the Olympics and released another quartet of top-shelf indie rock albums. With their latest record, AM, the Sun-deprived mammals have undoubtedly reached their absolute top, successfully reinventing their music once again.
By now, every Arctic Monkeys fan ever has had their share of musical preferences. Starting with very straightforward garage rock, the band has gone through many tastes of the genre. But who would have thought that one day, the Brits would end up in the R&B scene? Alex Turner himself coined the album as a “Dr. Dre beat with an Ike Turner bowl-cut” that they “sent galloping across the desert on a Stratocaster”.
As imaginatively spoken as his description might be, Turner has a point. Much like Muse’s The Second Law, an album that attempted to recreate computer-generated sounds with instruments originally found in a rock composition, the Monkeys are very effective in making the most of their sound.
Although the album’s title refers to the band name’s initials, it coincidentally illustrates at what time its tunes sound best: After Midnight. AM leads the listener through a night of parties, with every side of the spectrum included. The questioning album singles Do I Wanna Know? and R U Mine? are two of the best opening album tracks in recent memory, eloquently asking for the attention of the one lady at the bar that you spot upon entering the bar.
It is amazing how AM needs merely two tracks to kick-start an album that is so radically different from the Arctic Monkeys’ other work. With every song, the album seems to get catchier and darker at the same time – mostly thanks to the lyrical talent of the Monkeys’ front man and the many contributions of other big artists (such as Queens of Stone Age’s Josh Homme).
Slowly, the party continues as you drown in a combination of slick bass and memorable beats that can only be described as incredibly “cool”. One For the Road, Arabella and I Want It All are textbook examples for how musically challenging AM really is for a band that started out like the Monkeys have. The halfway mark of the record is interestingly enough one of the more quiet songs, featuring softer sounds. In the party metaphor, you would say that by the time Mad Sounds starts, the festivities are already over.
Yet, the album continues – without flaw. The remaining half of AM features everything from more acoustic bliss to the two catchiest beats on the album. Arctic Monkeys’ latest single Why’d You Only Call Me When You’re High? discusses poor inebriated decision making over a beautifully composed beat, whilst Snap Out of It blends a Panic! at the Disco atmosphere with snappy sing-a-long. As the album fades out with its final tracks, Arctic Monkeys show off the fruits of their experimental AM, without forgetting their musical roots.
AM is by far, the most complete and polished record of the Arctic Monkeys. No longer do the four have to bet on someone looking good on the dance floor – they are the party now.
Daniel Janssen, class of 2015, is a Psychology and International Relations major from Alphen ann den Rijn, the Netherlands.
