The First One: Arctic Monkeys - AM

The First One

Arctic Monkeys, AM (June 2013) 

Arctic Monkeys definitely seem to be the highest ranking band at the moment, due to their recent album AM, released in September last year. It’s hard to fail to notice the praise and ravings about the album, which is Arctic Monkeys 5th studio release. My personal opinion? Don’t believe the hype. 

The album contains definite anthems for indie boys in the near future, for example;  Do I Wanna Know? has the  opening bars of a classic,  swiftly followed by the  raging tone of R U Mine?  But personally, I think the  real question should be:  Does it work? The album  has no rise and fall, no  climax, no stand alone  songs. For those who are  casually listening, it may  seem as though the album  is one long extended  edition of Do I Wanna  Know? The slow groove  presented in the best  selling single is continued  through not only One For  The Road and Arabella, but  also Why D’ya Only Call Me When You're High and Fireside. Thank heavens for No. 1 Party Anthem and Mad Sounds, otherwise I think the album would've been tossed out of the window for the pure repetition of the beat. 

The hype for this album was immense, what with the Monkeys headlining Glastonbury months before going on an international arena tour. But personally, I feel that it doesn't live up to the road paved by previous albums. There is no staging to the album. Ironically, the album that they wanted to sound slick and smooth sounds more like a group of boys trying to be Ozzy Osbourne than any of their previous. There is an air of pretend around the whole album, as though Alex Turner feels he needs to shove the former glory of rock and roll into an oven of 21st century drum machines and musical editing. 

The album is well produced and features many catchy singles that will no doubt continue to plague alternative radio stations and magazines for another few months if not years. The overall effect is a tour through American Rock and Roll history, with No.1 Party Anthem as a typical formal slow dance. The iconic high vocals of Matt Helders brings back a sense of their previous albums. 

Overall I would give the album 4/5 «««« The album is a definite musical step for the Arctic Monkeys, displaying a positive progression in their sound, and featuring many classics in the making. That said, maybe Alex Turner should stick to the day job and leave his Elvis impersonation for a party trick?

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Posted by: Holly