Arctic Monkeys’ AM was everything I could have hoped for

Arctic Monkeys’ recent release of their 5th studio album, AM, was on the 10th of September, and boy, was I ready to be disappointed.

Coming off their last release, Suck it and See, I was expecting something similar to that album. To be fair, their previous album wasn’t terrible by any means, but I was expected to be a little disappointed, as I was with Suck it and See.

I absolutely loved it.

As a long-time Arctic Monkeys fan, I think this album is a close number two, barely behind Whatever People Say I Am, That’s What I’m Not, and barely ahead of Favourite Worst Nightmare.

I love the concept of the album; they’ve obviously grown as a band. They take the sexiness that sometimes appears in their songs and combine it with a slower feel that helps elevate that sound.

A unique experience was created for the listener, especially if the listener, like me, wasn’t really expecting a sort of R&B-type album that it ended up to be.

Pulsing drums of “Do I Wanna Know?” really shows the intentions of the album. Lead singer Alex Turner showcases the different type of vocals to be expected from AM, and the band subtly lets the listener know that the lead guitarist hasn’t just been sitting on his hands; he may be stronger than ever.

The last point is strengthened even more in the next song, “R U Mine?.” This song seemed to be intended to draw the fans of their other CDs in. It maintains the sound that the album was intended to have, but it also seems to have that Alex Turner feel that we have all grown accustomed to. Once fans heard this song prior to the album, they were drawn in, and checking out the album was a must.

“Arabella” comes in and defuncts any idea that the Arctic Monkeys had created an album solely with the single R&B sound. It starts out with a similar sound to the rest of the album, but finishes strong with that authentic Arctic Monkey sound that we heard in their prior albums.

The next three songs are good songs, but not anything special. “Fireside” has a wonderful drum beat but doesn’t resonate much with me.

“Why’d You Only Call Me When You’re High?” is that hidden gem that I try to find on every album. It’s wonderful. The melody that Turner sings throughout the song is really catchy.

“Snap Out of It” is another great tune that is even better because it’s at the end of an album and therefore a surprise.

Even “Knee Socks” is fairly different, the back vocals sort of remind me of that Michael Jackson song “Wanna Be Startin’ Somethin’.”

You know? Ma Ma Se, Ma Ma Sa, Ma Ma Coo Sa, Ma Ma Se, Ma Ma Sa, Ma Ma Coo Sa?

Hard to compare anyone to the King of Pop, but here we are. It has a similar sound.

The entire album is wonderful. I would recommend this album to a lot of different types of people: Arctic Monkey fans, R&B fans, rock fans, pretty much anyone. Key songs are the aforementioned, but here they are really quick: “Do I Wanna Know?,” “R U Mine?,” “Arabella,” “Why’d You Only Call Me When You’re High?” and “Snap Out of it.”

I find it a little odd that a majority of their best songs are questions. If I was to speculate (I’m probably totally off,) I would suggest that they may have questioned their alternate sound. I really doubt that’s the case, but even if it was, they know now that the results are generally positive, and what they’ve been doing works.