Two years ago, I hailed Suck It and See as, not only the comeback that Arctic Monkeys needed, but one of the years better albums, brimming with tunes and a return to the fast beats, the riffs and the hard rock edge that was severely lacking in Humbug.
With album five, the staggering, simplistically titled AM (complete with minimalist artwork), the band can't be knocked for evolving, but AM unfortunately takes more cues from 2009's slow and tiresome Humbug than continuing with where Suck It and See left off.
AM sees the Sheffield foursome inject more influence from their school playlists of turn of the century rap, with percussion left in too slow a tempo, Nick O'Malley's bass strictly methodical, guitar work used for the more explosive choruses and the end result of an album, much like it's artwork, is minimalist.
Trying to distinguish tracks between one another becomes a task as the majority are utterly unmemorable. No. 1 Party Anthem; despite having Turner's Midas touch with lyrical wordplay is a poor man's Fluorescent Adolescent/Cornerstone/The Hellcat Spangled Shalalala, plodding along at it's own pace before trying launching a catchy, yet tired sing-along chorus.
Knee Socks is distinct as the track where the falsetto is taking to the nth degree and the post-production shines. Arabella in the meanwhile, harkers back to the days of Whatever People Say I Am, That's What I'm Not with a stripped back rock song with more of the catchy hooks for choruses that make the band's discography all the more enduring.
Fireside, with easily the second best beat of the album, is short, sweet, yet lacks substance. It's final minute replaces a solo with an effects-ladden outro layered over Turner's snail-paced response to his earlier lyrics.
The best beat of the album easily goes to Why'd You Only Call Me When You're High? and thankfully, much like the other two singles on the record, it's standout, with a catchy chorus, a mishmash of falsetto and Turner's twangy accent played throughout and easily the best lyrics about a three AM booty call put to tape.
If for whatever reason you've been under a rock for the past year, R U Mine? is an explosive number more akin to Favourite Worst Nightmare but does the album a much needed kick (albeit two tracks in). Do I Wanna Know? which opens the album, although slow, is filled with vivid imagery courtesy of more of Turner's lyrics.
If you've noticed a recurring pattern, it's Turner is once again on top form with his lyrics. If he hasn't cemented himself as one of the century's best lyricists by the time the band calls it quits, then there's something severely wrong with the world. The irony of the final track I Wanna Be Yours using John Cooper Clarke's poem of the same name seems lost on the record.
But when all is said and done; AM, on the whole, is slow. Not to be confused with Humbug where the majority of tracks dragged along without a sense of direction, AM is slow because of it's influences which result in the album becoming far too noticeable in it's formula.
When it works, it works well as a crooning, dark and surprisingly sexy record, but it's plodding pace and lack of bite on the majority of tracks makes a difficult couple of listens. Although the moniker of their worst album still belongs to Humbug (in my opinion), AM treads the line between it and the other three records and, whilst it does have more in common with Humbug, it has just enough to make it a good album, even if it might take a while to realise it.
7/10
H
@Retcon_Nation
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