Thursday 9 June 2011

Reviews>>Arctic Monkeys - Suck It and See (Domino Recordings)

Alex Turner and co return with their fourth album, hoping to once again be crowned 'Britain's Best Band'. After the experimental, desert-rock of 'Humbug', which many felt was a backwards step for the Sheffield quartet, Turner promised the new record would be a "more poppier" affair.

With song titles named after what would seem, a drunken booze up, the Monkeys have stopped taking themselves seriously, with the after-effects being positive. Lead single "Don't Sit Down, 'Cause I've Moved Your Chair", driven by its Alice in Chains bass-riff, contains lyrics such as "do the Macarena in the Devil's Lair" and "go into business with a grizzly bear", whilst "Library Pictures" contains "Library pictures, of the quickening canoe. The first of its kind to get to the moon."

Whilst 'Humbug' was recorded in the California desert with QOTSA front man Josh Homme in as producer, 'Suck it and See' was recorded in a LA studio, with James Ford back in. Homme, however, does return to add background vocals to "All My Own Stunts", where his voice is almost un-recognizable. In short, the album sounds nothing like the early March teaser, 'Brick by Brick', many predicted it would have been. Turner brings some of his crooning and balladry from the "Submarine" soundtrack, "Reckless Serenade" and "Piledriver Waltz", to show how he has developed as a musician from the days of writing songs about "fucking taxi ranks", a Turner himself put it.

Arctic Monkeys show how they have grown out of their contemporaries and have reclaimed their crown as both Britain's 'best guitar band', but more importantly, as Britain's 'best band.'

8/10