Arctic Monkeys - Humbug [Album]

Domino

September 2, 2009, 05:24 PM

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It's been a long time coming, but I think Sheffield saviours Arctic Monkeys have finally delivered an album which actually SOUNDS like an 'Arctic Monkeys record'. Of course many may argue that they blew their creative and critical peak with their much overrated debut album 'Whatever People Say I Am, That's What I Am Not', but as one who remained largely un-swayed by the mass hysteria surrounding the bands initial ascent (I STILL don't think 'I Bet You Look Good On The Dancefloor' is a very good song) I feel I have the right chops to remark subjectively on this truly unexpected and remarkable album. After front-man Alex Turner's spacious, 60's indebted 'Last Shadow Puppets' project last year, the band re-convened in the Mojave desert with their idol and friend Queen's of the Stone Age's Josh Homme. What has emerged is a work of outstanding cohesion, lyrical dexterity, musical invention and intense... well... horniness.

It's the little things that make the album really, whether it be the sly word play, the tightly wound guitars, the complex and engaging rhythm section or the genuine air of sexual menace that permeates almost every song, it's a true feast for the ears. Opener 'My Propeller' is fantastic. A slowly building and grimly powerful song with a delightfully misleading introduction and all the tension of a tightly coiled spring. The guitar work here is sparse and considered and the softly cooed backing vocals (supplied by Homme) sound like alien bursts of emotion amidst Turners cold, frighteningly distant delivery. The mood is bleak, focused and electric and I knew from the second it ended that I was going to enjoy this album.

Lead single 'Crying Lightning' manages to sum up almost everything that's great about the album in under 4 minutes. The lurching bass line, surf-rock guitars and confident, tongue-in-cheek vocal delivery are perfect and it contains by far the bands strongest chorus to date. In fact it speaks volumes that the Arctic Monkeys have taken to covering Nick Cave's 'Red Right Hand' at recent shows as I can't think of a more fitting comparison here. They have moved away from such obvious and comparatively boring influences as Oasis, The Jam and The Beatles to the stranger, darker pastures of Tom Waits, The Doors, Scott Walker and the afore-mentioned Mr Cave, it's a move which pays dividends.

'Dangerous Animals' reveals a side to the band they explored in more detail on their last album 'Favourite Worst Nightmare' in songs such as 'Teddy Picker' and 'This House Is A Circus'. Here the sexual tension is ratcheted up a notch ("you make me wheeze, then to your knees you do promote me") against an aggressive beat and violently overdriven guitars. The moment just after the first chorus where the time signature jumps off track for a beat is an inspired moment ( just one of many) and the bridge takes things a step further with ugly horn stabs against a guitar solo so fucked up it could have come straight off Tom Waits 'Swordfishtrombones' album. Great stuff.

Next we have the gorgeous 'Secret Door' with it's cascading melodies, about-face chorus and part bitter, part poetic lyrics ("how could such a creature survive in such a habitat", "Fools on parade, frolic and fuck about"). The songs coda is truly wonderful with a heady swell of instrumentation and emotion that I doubt anybody could have predicted the Arctic Monkeys were capable of 3 years ago. Homme's backing vocals make a welcome return here at the songs end just before we head into what is one of the most 'Queens Of The Stone Age' indebted tracks to be found on the collection. The stop/start guitar riffs, stuttering rhythms and spit-fire vocals are impressive and exhilarating but seems a bit of a step backwards after the opening quartet's near perfection.

'Fire And The Thud' continues the trend with a slight melody that just about comes through but never catches, it might have something to do with the songs heavy reliance on one chord (an F#minor for all you muso's out there) but it drags it's feet for nearly 3 minutes before exploding into another ramshackle and heavily Tom Wait's indebted closing section. It's one of the least impressive offerings on the record but you can certainly tell it was recorded in a desert, you can almost hear the tumbleweed floating by.

Next we come to the song critics seem to be getting all in a flutter over, and for once I can confirm the praise is more than justified. Turner manages to infuse what would in other hands be a rather lame and cheesy little vignette with a poeticism and beauty that the subject matter (he's basically looking for a lady-friend to indulge in relationship role-play with him) probably doesn't deserve. There's an almost classic Motown vibe to the song with the razor sharp drums, wandering bass lines and gentle, tremelo guitars; this is all without mentioning the melody which is by far the strongest the Arctic Monkeys have conjured this far. 'Dance Little Liar' brings us tumbling back down to earth after 'Cornerstone's lofty high with a claustrophobic, southern-gothic tone and some of Turners darkest lyrics yet ("you can never get it spotless when there's dirt beneath the dirt"). The verse and chorus here are both understated and effective but when the song suddenly kicks into gear in the last 2 minutes the whole thing breaks open and takes a vibrant, completely unexpected turn. It's another 'moment' from an album chock full of them.

The albums most aggressive song follows and in many ways it is the closest the band get to the sound of their debut album, that is until the swift tempo change and controlled chaos of the chorus. The creepy Hammond organ sounds here are effective but a little overdone and while the unbelievably heavy bridge section might sound admittedly awesome on it's own it doesn't particularly fit in the context of the album. It's still a great song but for me it comes close to ruining the flow of an album.

Closing proceedings is the epic fire and brimstone of 'The Jeweller's Hands' which works wonderfully as a bookend but doesn't quite stand up on it's own merits. The doom-laden imagery, shuddering guitar atmospherics and gently building tension all blend into a considered and well structured whole but it just lacks that extra, undefinable quality that much of the 9 tracks before it display in abundance. A muted climax to the album then but a climax none-the-less.

When mentioning Arctic Monkeys, most critics tend to focus on Turners word play and Matt Helders eccentric and virtuoso drum-work but here is a band made up of four of the most impressive musicians working in popular music today (which is refreshing in an age of inverse musical snobbery). Nick O'Malleys bass-lines are inventive and packed with hooks and Jamie Cook's dramatic fret-work has now reached a bizarre and individual style which is almost a cross between Johnny's Greenwood and Marr.

That Arctic Monkeys have managed to develop and mature so quickly and naturally in a environment which is anything but (intense hype, media speculation and undeserved, messianic proclamations), is nothing short of a miracle and where they intend to head next is anyone's guess. Whereever their muse decides to take them though, I'll be paying close attention.

Tracklisting:-

1. My Propeller
2. Crying Lightning
3. Dangerous Animals
4. Secret Door
5. Potion Approaching
6. Fire And The Thud
7. Cornerstone
8. Dance Little Liar
9. Pretty Visitors
10. The Jeweller's Hands

Recommended:-
My Propeller, Crying Lightning, Dangerous Animals, Secret Door, Cornerstone, Dance Little Liar

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