Arctic Monkeys - Humbug

[METALMAN]

This is a fairly big release so I suppose it's deserving of its own topic.

I'm by no means a huge Arctic Monkeys fan but I did enjoy their last two albums for the most part. They were patchy in places but that was more than made up for by the presence of poppy-rock gems like "Fluorescent Adolescent", "A Certain Romance" and "I Bet That You Look Good On The Dancefloor". These three songs in particular are ones that I've always enjoyed and will rarely skip if they turn up on my iPod.

Apparently the album is closer to Last Shadow Puppets in style, which I actually find interesting. I know the Shadow Puppets were dismissed by many as a tacky Scott Walker pastiche - including myself at first - although upon repeated listens I began to appreciate the album. It wasn't great, nor perhaps even good, but it was a solid album nonetheless and not at all disastrous. "Meeting Place" is a song I hugely enjoyed in particular - one of my favourites of last year and my favourite thing Alex Turner has ever done.

Obviously it was nowhere near as good as the likes of Morricone, Scott Walker or Jacques Brel but I did sympathise with him for all the backlash that came of it. He and that other guy made an album in the style of music they love, which is something I can't fault anyone for. And they did make a good attempt at it.

Unfortunately, I have also been told the new album is shit. Almost as shit as their hair.

I will edit in my thoughts of it once I'm done listening to it.

Oh and I might as well add this - so far this year, my favourite album from the typical "NME indie-rock" lot - the style of music I got into first but have been drifting away from for a couple of years now - has been Kasabian's. Who I never even really liked back then. How queer.

Edited August 2, 2009 by Cnut the Great

[livid]

It's not shit if you like Josh Homme as you can definitely hear his influence in their music.

It's by no means the best record of the year, but it's a solid album.

Edited August 2, 2009 by Livid Soprano

[METALMAN]

Right so I've listened to it. It's not shit.

It is however a bit dull. And not the "urgh all these Nickleback songs sound the same" kind of dull. More the "am I listening to music?" kind of dull where you neither like nor dislike the songs. The latter type of dull is the worst kind because at least you can laugh at Nickleback. In all honesty, they could have replaced the first six songs with the sound of running water and I couldn't have had less of an opinion.

However, it does change. Track seven - Cornerstone - is pretty good, and the eighth - Dance Little Liar - is very good indeed. Seems the Arctics are following the philosophy of life beginning at 30 (minutes into an album). Unfortunately it doesn't last. Track nine - Pretty Visitors - is certainly different. It is also, however, shit. Then the tenth and final track - "The Jeweller's Hands" - brings us nicely back to mediocrity in the interests of symmetry. yay.

The production of the album - noisy and giving precedence to a dirty bass - is indeed very cool. If you are Queens of the Stone Age. However, lyrics have often been an important part of the Arctics music and given that Alex Turner was hardly the most clear of enunciators in the first place most of the album tends to sound like someone trying to talk to you over the sound of a pneumatic drill. Or rather, someone trying to mumble to you over the sound of a pneumatic drill. Inaudible.

I think the word 'average' was invented to describe this album.

EDIT: I think these two posts here have both broken my previous record for longest post here by some 300 or so words. >_>

Edited August 2, 2009 by Cnut the Great