Arctic Monkeys - Humbug

Straight after two pretty stellar ‘hits’ – albums that many considered pretty awesome, some the first more than the second and then some, the second more than the first – the third album for Arctic Monkeys was some sort of a clash. Like a turtle that’s racing alongside of two sleek hares, it never seemed to catch the attention of most…let alone make ground on their prior successes. Most of it was due to the fact that Humbug features a stark new sound that enveloped the band's tones and instruments, instead of flashing them in their liveliest setting: like they did on bangers like “Teddy Picker,” for example. Still, this kind of turtle moves slowly but gradually, once you reached the ending suite of songs and you get into the blistering intensity of “Dance Little Liar” – where everything explodes into a cascade of overflowing towers – there is no doubt just how sweet this album is.

The biggest dissension for something like Humbug was the mere fact that it was far more produced than their previous two albums. And while the stormy atmospherics allow the music to creep in a lot smoother, the affect was noticed on the presence but never on Arctic Monkeys’ attacks. On “Crying Lightning,” they quickly ensure that everyone is aware that this is still a loud, rocking band with booming dynamics enabled. But once you dig deep into the all-encompassing mood of the music, Alex Turner’s words are pure and honest when he sings, “And your pastimes consisted of the strange…And twisted and deranged.” To me it’s as if he’s singing about falling for the wrong kind of girl and how their twisted ways are always due to some kind of past damage. He’s lost in her alluring ways and even offers some optimism (“Uninviting, but not half as impossible as everyone assumes”) but in the end, he hates the malicious game she plays with his heart– crying lightning – and forever tries to avoid her.


And so while their latest album continues to soak, there’s the beauty of the storytelling on “Cornerstone.” Lonely and heartbroken, the protagonist in this story is a lost soul that is trying to find anything, anyone to fill the void left after losing her. In so many ways, he tries to find lust with various close females that by trying to entice them (“She was close and she held me very tightly”) he could hopefully just call them by her name. The song’s glimmering guitar lightly decorates the song and while most of the popularity came after the great video, the song’s ending is even far crueler. Love is a bitter minefield and after meeting up with her sister, he notices that she is alone. Very poignantly, very pointedly, it all ends somewhat positive for both: “She was close, well you couldn't get much closer…she said ‘I'm really not supposed to, but yes, you can call me anything you want.’” Twisted and deranged, for sure. – Bryan