Those that know me personally know that I am prone to ramble and rant a lot about the 6 Arctic Monkeys albums... so here it all is in a blog post!
Whatever People Say I Am, That's What I'm Not, 2006
The first Arctic Monkeys album, with their original bassist, boasts a punk rock sound with raw vocals and a punchy rhythm section complete with a number of call and response guitar sections. This album screams teenage rock band dreams, and thus was the perfect start to the Arctic Monkeys discography. It is raw, the lyrics were relatable at the time, and it really helps paint a picture of the social lives of the band members. Personally, my favourite track on this album is 'From the Ritz to the Rubble': I love the bass line and the dynamics of the song are really effective as a whole.
Favourite Worst Nightmare, 2007
The second album is what I believe to be the best Arctic Monkeys album and portrays an upbeat, effervescent feel. It follows the addition of a new bassist (Nick O'Malley) and sports some incredible and iconic bass lines such as that of 'Fluorescent Adolescent' and 'Balaclava'. The album portrays a developing band that still have the rawness of the first album, but have clearly progressed as musicians. It is the album when the lyricism is a combination of relatable humour with some abstract ideas and clever twists (such as in 'Old Yellow Bricks'). This was when the idea of 'sister songs' was introduced too: songs that used similar/ the same riffs in a slightly different way to produce a song that sounded somewhat similar to another track (these are also typical B-Side tracks, and a perfect example can be found on 'AM' with 'Why'd You Only Call Me When You're High' and 'Stop The World I Wanna Get Off With You'). On this album, they include, 'Temptation Greets You Like Your Naughty Friend' and 'If You Found This It's Probably Too Late'.
Humbug, 2009
This is when the lyrics began to develop further abstract ideas, while an eerie theme followed suit; tracks such as 'Potion Approaching' and 'Pretty Visitors' demonstrate this. The highlight of this album for me is 'Cornerstone': the music video is iconic. The general feel of the album portrays a dark side of the band while still maintaining a youthful sound, reflective of the first album.
This album, for me, is the a bridge between 'Favourite Worst Nightmare' and 'Suck It And See', thus creating a subtle transition as the band begins to break away from their indie/punk/rock essence.
Suck It And See, 2011
Lyrically, this album is perfection (in my opinion). There is a calming essence that is accompanied by moving lyrics and heartfelt rhythms that often resemble that of a heartbeat. Turner's voice matures in this massively, and ideas are portrayed through abstract metaphors at times, while most of the album presents relatable concepts through clever interpretations, such as "hanging on by the rings around my eyes" in 'Love is a Laserquest'. There are a couple of relatively upbeat songs, however, that portray apparently random ideas that seem to break up the intensity of the album: 'Don't Sit Down 'Cause I've Moved Your Chair' is a perfect example of this. I really cannot praise this album enough. It suits every mood; it can bring you down and lift you right back up again. My favourite track on this album is 'Piledriver Waltz'... not only does it feature on this album, but Alex Turner wrote the soundtrack to one of my favourite films, 'Submarine' which it also features on, Turner only version. I genuinely find myself in tears every time I listen to the 'Submarine' soundtrack, and 'Piledriver Waltz' contributes to the tears massively.
AM, 2013
AM is the most popular album from the band: it combines flawless vocals, abstract lyric concepts and an indie aspect that differs slightly from the previous albums. The album boasts many of the tracks people often associate with Arctic Monkeys, such as 'Do I Wanna Know?' and 'R U Mine?', but also includes one of my favourite love songs of all time 'I Wanna Be Yours' which includes the most ridiculous concepts and links them to love, thus adding humour. There are some brilliant guitar solos included in this album, and the whole album allows every member of the band to shine and demonstrate their full potential. Personally, I maintain that 2013/2014 would have been the best time to see Arctic Monkeys live: it demonstrated the end of an era of the band before new musical ventures but also portrayed how they had grown from 'Whatever People Say I Am, That's What I'm Not': I truly believe this was the epitome of Arctic Monkeys within this musical era as live shows included tracks from all 5 albums, not to mention Turner's 50s inspired look.
Tranquility Base Hotel And Casino, 2018
There are many mixed opinions on this album and honestly I have never really been sure how to feel about it. It is clear that the band have matured a lot and have ventured into new areas of music, which I respect them for greatly. Admittedly, I was a bit disappointed when I got the album: I remember walking into HMV with my pre-order slip and receiving a classy looking lyric book with cardboard CD cover. I got home, put the album on and followed along with the lyric book. I have mentioned many a time in the past that I love an album with a story - even just a vague one- so the album did tick that box. Abstract ideas and concepts were still present, just in a different form: a science- fiction inspired, mature, almost swing-like, form. Ultimately, I do like this album: no, it is not 'typical' Arctic Monkeys, but they have developed so much over the years that something completely different was bound to be produced eventually. I would really love for a film to be created based around this album- it would be the perfect soundtrack.
All 6 albums present a journey of musical development for the band and steer the listener through many aspects of life, abstract ideas and themes along the way. Every album sports guitar solos, rhythmic beats and complex musical ideas while maintaining a balance of simplicity in some parts. Drummer, Matt Helders, demonstrates his talented ability to sing and drum in various tracks, while O'Malley maintains a combination of both sedate and intricately composed baselines in a similar way to that of guitarist, Jamie Cook. Frontman, Alex Turner consistently portrays his unique style of lyricism, maintaining the ability to capture the audience throughout all 6 albums. I am really excited to see what the band produce next on this journey.
Comentarios