This week, the Arctic Monkeys released their fifth studio album AM (2013). Currently the number one album in the UK, this installment of the Arctic Monkeys’s rock evolution is full of haunting beats and heavy percussion, resembling the styles of The Black Keys and Jack White.
Since forming in 2006, the band has released five albums, all of which have reached number one on the Official Charts. AM has reached Gold status and has already been nominated for the 2013 Barclaycard Mercury Prize for Album of the Year.
AM is composed of 12 unique tracks that bring electricity to the music that is not as prevalent in the last four albums. With smooth guitar and purposeful instrumentals, this album takes on a slower tempo and embraces both an R&B feel and an indie rock style.
The striking lyrics bring this album over the top and worth the investment. In a 2012 interview with music news publication NME, frontman Alex Turner notes that, ever since he began to write lyrics, he has been inspired by John Lennon and his lyricism while Lennon was a member of the iconic band The Beatles.
After performing in the 2012 London Olympics Opening Ceremony and playing “Come Together,” Turner better appreciated the complexity of Lennon’s lyrics.
“It’s all a jumble, but it’s not just that, if you know what I mean. It paints you a picture and puts you in this place. He’s got a way of leading you somewhere with these unusual words that don’t make sense, but also make perfect. . .sense,” Turner said.
AM shows a more mature side of the boys of suburban Sheffield, England.
Drifting apart from the hard party scene, these tracks paint a picture of many questions and doubts. The opening track, “Do I Wanna Know?,” hooks the listener with its rhythmic beat and catchy melody. It builds, but not too much. It pulls the listener deeper into the world that Alex Turner has displayed. This being said, it is imperative that this album be experienced in the order that the tracks are set.
Picking up the pace, the second track, another single, “R U Mine?,” balances the rock aura with beautiful lyrics.“She’s a silver lining climbing on my desire/And I go crazy cause here isn’t where I wanna be/And satisfaction feels like a distant memory/And I can’t help myself,/All I wanna hear her say is ‘Are you mine?’”
By the middle of the album, the melodies become softer and transport the listener to a world full of mystery and swanky nightlife.
In particular the song, “No. 1 Party Anthem,” has a slow, ballad-like feel paired with an inviting piano and luring harmonies.
It would be the perfect song to play in a hazy cabaret, as the gazes of two strangers meet for the first time, and a haunting, omnipresent voice invites them to “Come on, come on, come on.” While all of the tracks are key players within the overall album, the final track is one worth recognizing.
Originally, John Cooper wrote and performed “I Wanna Be Yours” in 1982.
Today, the Arctic Monkeys put this sinuous song to a serpentine melody, finishing the album with a sense of serenity and completion.
With sold out shows in Boston, New York City, Chicago, Los Angeles and all of the UK, this international tour is already off to an amazing start. However, audiences do not need to cross the pond to experience this album.
Here at Homewood, they can take some time out of the day and sit down somewhere, be it on campus or anywhere in the Charles Village.
Watch the people go by and the sun go down. Somehow, this album will only enhance what any listener will see with the pairing of the perfect melody.
In short, break out those headphones, sit on a bench in Wyman Park and listen to the Arctic Monkey’s newest album AM from start to finish this fall.
