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I first discovered the Arctic Monkeys back in February on Facebook through a page named "Musicians are so much sexier than normal people. FACT." (I have no objections.) The page, contrary to what you'd think based on the name alone, was/perhaps still is one of the only ones that actually posts things based on their own theme instead of justgirlythings' (don't click the link). After seeing a few Arctic Monkey posts, curiosity got the best of me and I looked them up. The first songs I got hooked on were "Teddy Picker", "Brianstorm", and "R U Mine?". The first two are on their second album, Favourite Worst Nightmare, while "R U Mine?" is on their fifth and latest album, AM.
I'm not sure exactly what to highlight in this post, there's so much to say. Why not everything? To start with, here's what I like about their music overall:
- Lyrics I tried imagining writing a song multiple times before and it's always blown my mind. It takes so much time and inspiration to come up with good song lyrics; there's a reason mainstream music is (usually) flat-out basic. Alex Turner (the lead singer)'s songwriting abilities are the reason I admire him so much. I'm not completely surprised, though. He's stated that if it weren't for the Arctic Monkeys, he would've gone on to be an English major at Manchester University. He's also said that growing up he had a knack for poetry and that when he listens to his music he pays more attention to the words than the background music. Uh, I call BS, cause as I'll elaborate on below, it's too good to ignore.
- Melodies, harmonies, and everything in between How does he do it? Somehow, Alex always seems to come up with amazingly catchy music every time. There are so many layers in each song, each of which I'm constantly trying to hear to no avail. They interact so well with each other and I can't get enough.
- Guitar-heavy I love a song with a strong guitar part, bass and electric especially. It appeals to me most when the chords go beautifully with the vocals but sound just as good alone. The Arctic Monkeys do all of the above.
- Tongue-in-cheek tone No matter what they sing about or how they sing it, they always have a certain tongue-in-cheek (I'd say "swagger", but 1) You'd probably think I meant "swag", and 2) It has a negative connotation; yes, even the real meaning.) attitude about them that, to me, has always defined them. It's most prominent in AM but, like I said, it has always been there.
Whatever People Say I Am, That's What I'm Not (2006)
You can tell by the tone of the Arctic Monkeys' debut album that the young band members were still in their adolescence. In fact, the overall theme of the album was about young people and their shenanigans. Alex sings about young people and their habits regarding partying, clubbing, nightlife, and prostitutes (apparently based on the ones that hung out near their recording studio at the time). I really like that this album isn't influenced by the cliché theme. Instead, they retain the tongue-in-cheek tone I cited before. It not only defines this album, but also defines Arctic Monkeys' sound as a band. You can hear it mostly in the messy and free guitar melodies.
My favorites:
Favourite Worst Nightmare (2007)
FWN is very similar to its predecessor. Most of the tracks are upbeat, like the majority of the debut album. There are a lot of differences, though. This album reflects the band's travels as they began touring seriously as opposed to the nature of young people at home. Also, it's a more aggressive upbeat than their previous music. This is evident in "Teddy Picker" and "Brianstorm" with the extremely fast guitar and drum parts. Although there were definitely some super loud and energetic songs in the previous album, the guitar and drums weren't involved as much as the vocals. I think this comes from their new-found confidence from becoming so widely recognized. (What teenager wouldn't be psyched by fame?) But there's more to the album. They go mellow with "Only Ones Who Know" and "505" and include some in-between tunes like "Flourescent Adolescent" and "Do Me a Favour". Overall, this album is a little more experimental and upbeat than its predecessor.
My favorites:
Humbug (2008-10)
I recently started listening to this album because I'm going to an Arctic Monkeys concert relatively soon and want to get to know all of their music as well as I can so I'm prepared. Humbug is full of free-spirited alternative rock songs. It has a playful edge that isn't in FWN, without losing the signature tongue-in-cheek 'tude.
My favorites:
Suck It And See (2011-12)
I must admit, I barely know this album. I really liked "Black Treacle" a while back, but I didn't pay much attention to the rest of the album. After giving it a listen, though, I can say a few things. It's generally more relaxed and structured than their previous three albums. The guitar and drums are less independent of the vocals, which are mostly gentler in this album. There are only two songs that are super upbeat: "Brick by Brick" and "Don't Sit Down 'Cause I've Moved Your Chair". There are quite a few that are energetic; they're just not as electric as their previous albums. To finish up, I really like the slower songs in this album because the guitar has a more vintagey sound as opposed to the rough sound it had before and therefore harmonizes beautifully with Alex's voice.
My favorites:
AM (2012-13)
AM is by far my favorite Arctic Monkeys album yet. It's so different than all their other ones. Alex said that they were heavily influenced by hip hop and R&B while writing AM. While I can't see a direct correlation musically, I can definitely tell that there's been a major change. AM is less alternative and, as weird as it sounds, poppy. Not in a Katy Perry way, though. It's strange to describe it that way because the Arctic Monkeys are anything but that. I think it's that the focus is shifted to the main melody and the background music simply supports it. However, the unique lyrics and amazing guitar part make this album stand out. The melodies make me want to sing out loud, even when I'm not alone. That says something. So basically, I've had the overwhelming majority of this album on repeat for the past two months at least.
My favorites:
Um, everything but "I Want It All" (Only because of the vocals- If I can't hear Alex I'm out! The guitar part is too cool...) and "Snap Out Of It" (Catchy, but too repetitive. It just doesn't sound anything like them). I'll rank my absolute favorites:
You don't understand how hard it was to rank these. It's like differentiating between the times of the top Olympic 100-meter dash sprinters. The only reason I was able to post about them today is because I've been pondering this for something like two months.
*Sigh* Finally finished. I've been working on this since this afternoon! I really hope you learned a lot about the Arctic Monkeys from this post. Comment or email me at leatherandrouge@gmail.com with any questions or feedback and have a good New Year's!
You don't understand how hard it was to rank these. It's like differentiating between the times of the top Olympic 100-meter dash sprinters. The only reason I was able to post about them today is because I've been pondering this for something like two months.
*Sigh* Finally finished. I've been working on this since this afternoon! I really hope you learned a lot about the Arctic Monkeys from this post. Comment or email me at leatherandrouge@gmail.com with any questions or feedback and have a good New Year's!
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