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

Arctic Monkeys - Whatever People Say I Am, That's What I'm Not

I hope I didn’t overdo it…though I probably did. I love how you can find completely different sounding stuff and how it all hits so many different moods and vibes for you. This album by Arctic Monkeys, their first one, is probably one of my favorite albums of the entire past five years because of how much energy it packs inside its walls. I remember being entirely compelled at how freakingly loud and intense “The View from the Afternoon” was/is: it absolutely just rips your face off if you do it right. And by the time the whole thing soaked through, I was convinced that this was a bad-ass album. So it’s awesome how one can switch it up and still be just as thrilled by it all – as corny as that sounds.

I think the most impressive aspect of the album is how it’s a deeply substantial amount of music packed into thirteen thick tracks. There’s these heavy guitar sections that trade off between the vocals and the bass, there’s some parts where they explode with amazing drums and there’s a lot of shifts, modifications and twists all over. “Mardy Bum” is like that song that if I ever learned how to play guitar, I’d love to play over and over. It’s got such a lovely melody and in three short minutes, it’s progressed from a soft guitar part into this soaring story about a loving couple. And the best part is how the sparkling guitar is always heard throughout, shimmering on top of everything.


Speaking of guitars, the way they sound on “When the Sun Goes Down” has to be some kind of perfection on its own. There’s the way the drums hit around the 50 second mark and the way the guitars trade off for about fifteen seconds before the bass licks in, that everything sound so intense and just so right. From there, the song’s about how everything seems to change a little bit when the sun goes down and how everything seems to say that it changes once that time of day hits. It’s a pretty honest aspect of life and one that most will either admit or deny but it’s seemingly true. The music’s downright blistering with every single rush of sound pouring out of the band – it’s easily one of the best explosions I mentioned earlier – and the beginning and closing guitar sadness is definitely memorable. – Bryan