Arctic Monkeys – ‘Suck It And See’ Review

A seriously good record or just throwaway monkey business?

It seems not so long ago that Arctic Monkeys’ third studio album, ‘Humbug’, was released – to rather mixed reviews from fans and critics alike. The majority of long-time fans were very much unimpressed with the change of musical direction taken, under the partial influence of Queens of the Stone Age frontman Josh Homme (also of Them Crooked Vultures fame). The album bore desert-rock stylings, from the artwork, to the lyrics, and most importantly to the music itself. Complaints were frequently made over the lack of thumping, pulsing, high octane tracks, seemingly replaced by more subdued, less frenetic songs. Even those fans that enjoyed Humbug more than the majority opinion would dictate (such as myself) would likely admit that they’d hope to see the band go back to their Sheffield roots for their next effort. I can tell you right now, if you’re under the impression that this is going to happen, prepare to be disappointed. Also prepare to open up to different styles of music though, because this is by no means a bad record. Just because you won’t find anything like ‘I Bet That You Look Good…’ certainly doesn’t mean that there’s no chance of even the most resilient Arctic Monkeys fan enjoying this record. That said, if you genuinely didn’t take to ‘Humbug’, there’s a pretty good you won’t take to this either. ‘Humbug’ and ‘Suck It And See’ are similar boiled sweets. We sucked ‘Humbug’, and found it to be a little bland (if we’re being brutally honest here), with a flavour that admittedly improves over time. Unfortunately though, most Arctic Monkeys fans would have been too impatient to keep it in their mouths; it was frequently spat out and stomped in the dirt. In comparison, ‘Suck It And See’ is sweeter tasting, with a much more immediate flavour. It’s reminiscent of a more old fashioned sweet though, despite it being fresh and new. I promise there’ll be no more terribly contrived analogies from now on. I think what I’m trying to say is that ‘Suck It And See’ is easier to get into and a bit more of a pop record than the 3rd album. It finds its own way of being mellow at points though, and let’s remember, this is guitar music we’re talking about here – it’s never anywhere near the ‘poppy’ nature of the Jackson 5, for example (THANK GOD). There’s something of a ‘60s-esque feel going on here, and because of this, if anything, it’s closer to The Last Shadow Puppets’ (a side project of Alex Turner’s, alongside Miles Kane) debut album, than ‘Humbug’. Whatever it is, it’s good music for sure.

Go on, suck it and see...!

The main talking point of any Arctic Monkeys album is inevitably going to be the lyrics; quite simply because it’s what they consistently do best. Alex Turner’s been regarded as one of the UK’s best modern lyricists ever since the release of the band’s debut album, ‘Whatever People Say I Am That’s What I’m Not’. As a matter of (relative) interest, popular poet Simon Armitage considers Alex Turner to be a fellow poet, but of the musical field. It’s hard to disagree. Lyrically, ‘Suck It And See’ feels further from home than ever before. In fact, Sheffield seems completely out of sight here. Some of the songwriting found here is what I can only describe as oddball. Wild metaphors are made, and kooky references to objects of obscurity are common - ‘rarer than a can of dandelion and burdock’. A snippet of this style was present on ‘Humbug’, which now feels like what was a warm up for the real thing. It’s a little charming in its unorthodox approach. One thing’s for sure, the lyrical style absolutely fits the music. It’s never so farfetched that it descends into total silliness and overkill though. No song captures this better than lead single ‘Don’t Sit Down ‘Cause I’ve Moved Your Chair’. The title says it all. It’s a real shame that this song didn’t chart very well at all, because I reckon it stands up toe to toe with their best work (28th?!). The album on the whole is a bold change of direction for the band, but ‘Don’t Sit Down…’ probably encapsulates this intrepidation best. The guitar riff is laid down thick, crunching the floor after a barren and mysterious first verse. It’s certainly befitting of other rock bands you’d consider to be heavier in style than the Arctic Monkeys. It also manages to tie in a reasonably catchy sing-a-long (ish) chorus with it, an achievement which should be applauded when it’s a component of such a gritty sounding single. As earlier mentioned, ‘Don’t Sit Down…’ is as light hearted as the album gets, lyrically speaking - ‘do the Macarena in the Devil’s lair’. Though the lead single, it wasn’t the first song from ‘Suck It And See’ to emerge in the public domain.

Teaser track ‘Brick By Brick’ quite controversially hit the ‘net weeks before the release of ‘Don’t Sit Down…’. It’s not the manner of the release that can be considered controversial, but the reception it was met with upon arrival. On an irrelevant note, this song seduces me into forced reminiscing about Lego upon hearing; this, I love. With vocals handled predominantly by drummer Matt Helders, ‘Brick By Brick’ somewhat lacks lyrical complexity. Honestly, that’s putting it lightly; it’s tosh songwriting - ‘I wanna rock and roll. I wanna rock and roll. I wanna rock and roll.’ No kidding. The tune itself follows an interesting structure, and is actually undeniably catchy. It’s just a bit of fun, with some neat sounding instrumentation that spices up the overall polish of the album to a degree. While on the subject, it’s worth mentioning Helder’s work on the sticks and not just his minor contribution to vocal duties. His overall performance is solid, with one track in particular striking me as having an ace beat. It’s incredibly simple, but ‘Love Is A Laserquest’ contains some drumming that’s catchier than some of the catchiest songs on this album. The song itself is frankly a tad dull, but there’s something oddly addictive about that drum beat which means I keep coming back to this song.

It seems that for the soon to be released second single from ‘Suck It And See’, the trend of unnecessarily long titles will continue. If they’re trying to prove a point with this, I’m not sure what point it is they’re trying to prove. ‘The Hellcat Spangled Shalalala’ is reported to be the next song to hit our airwaves, and I don’t want to sound like a broken record here, but it’s another pretty catchy tune. Whether it’s fit for radio airplay though, remains to be seen. ‘Humbug’s ‘in your face’ sibling, ‘Suck It And See’ definitely maintains a style similar to that of its predecessor. In fact, you could argue that Arctic Monkeys’ 4 albums could be comfortably divided into two pairs; their earlier, original sound, consisting of ‘Whatever People Say…’ and ‘Favourite Worst Nightmare’ and then the redefined version of the band, consisting of ‘Humbug’ and ‘Suck It And See’. Ready for some more division? Up until track 6 (of 12), the immediacy and reasonable accessibility of the record holds true. In the bigger picture though, it’s a facade. I don’t necessarily mean this to be a negative point, because variation is absolutely vital in the making of a great record. It just feels to me as though the tracklisting could have benefitted from a rejigged order, so to avoid any kind of turning point in the album. This is definitely me just being picky though, because in no way is the second half of ‘Suck It And See’ boring – it’s just on average a little less colourful. In fact, the more I listen, the less I would hasten to make this point…too late, I’ve said it now.

Elsewhere, opener ‘She’s Thunderstorms’ is likely to find itself being sung along to heartily at this year’s festival gigs, as is ‘Black Treacle’, which rolls out with the feeling of a bygone era, bearing a really warm, traditional tune and the first taste of nonsensical lyrics that somehow inexplicably manage to make sense on the album. ‘Library Pictures’ charges with menace and frantic tempo drumming, far more reminiscent of a real life thunderstorm than ‘She’s Thunderstorms’. If any song from ‘Suck It And See’ could feasibly sneak its way onto one of the Arctic Monkeys’ first albums, it’d probably be ‘Library Pictures’. ‘All My Own Stunts’ adds an element of swagger (thanks in part to the backing vocals of Josh Homme), but falters when it comes to actually adding any real substance to what else can be found on the LP. Recently leaked track ‘Reckless Serenade’ is a pretty little ditty, and seems to have gone down better than other songs listenable prior to the official release of ‘Suck It And See’ – due to its bitesize length, it’s very easy to leave it on loop for a while, racking up the play count. ‘Piledriver Waltz’ is given a second lease of life, having already been featured on Alex Turner’s solo soundtrack for the film ‘Submarine’, although I can’t help but view it as filler here… ‘That’s Where You’re Wrong’ serves as a good bookend to the album as an experience, yet I must say I can say little more about it than that. The album peaks with the penultimate track, which also happens to be the title track of the album. ‘Suck It And See’ is a beautiful song, and in truth I wish it had been made the closer instead of ‘That’s Where You’re Wrong’. Ultimately though, the order in which the songs are placed is insignificant – for me, ‘Suck It And See’ is without shadow of a doubt the unsung highlight of this new Arctic Monkeys LP. One thing’s for sure, there’s plenty of sticky hooks (perhaps ‘more like black treacle than tar’, actually) to keep going round and round in your head to be found here, in and amongst the 12 tracks.

The band's members, looking pretty suave. Turner's only 25, by the way.

It seems that Arctic Monkeys have found an outfit for themselves that gives them new purpose, and license to entertain again. It’s all a bit tongue in cheek, and the production values and melodies are gorgeous, giving it a unique vintage feel. They’ve found something they can run with, but they won’t, because being the band that they are, and the man that he is, Alex Turner will never let the Arctic Monkeys sit still. Stylistically speaking, it’s brave for Turner and his fellow Arctic Monkeys to go against their fans’ calls and continue their radical movement. It speaks volumes of the band’s confidence, and rightly so. Fans of the band need to know that the Sheffield days are gone, and that they should be embracing what still is one of the country’s most exciting acts. Sure, it’s not their best output, but it’s certainly closer to brilliant than it is to bad. ‘Suck It And See’ is well worth a suck; then you’ll see the pleasant taste it’ll leave behind in your mouth long after you’ve finished it.

8/10

You can listen to 'Suck It And See' online for free here: http://soundcloud.com/dominorecordco/sets/arctic-monkeys-suck-it-and-see

Things I’ve Thunk: Inc. UEFA Champions League Final 10/11

• I’m aware of the fact that I’m a horrible, unpatriotic person, undeserving of the British soil on which I stand, but there’s no way I could ever find myself willing Manchester United on to win in any game of football. As a Liverpool fan, this is obvious. I love to support the underdog, sure, but it’s convenient that in yesterday’s huge game, going against the Mancs meant backing one of the best (in terms of success and attractiveness of play) club sides the world has ever bore witness to.
• If Lionel Messi can achieve on the international stage, I see no reason to not at least consider granting him the ultimate honour of being the best player in the history of world football. The man’s unstoppable.
• Sticking with the Argentine theme, it was a delight to see Javier Mascherano dedicate Barca’s 3-1 victory to Liverpool FC’s fans. No amount of yellow cards can diminish the respect I have for him now. True hero.
• Blackadder Goes Forth, in my eyes, is the best British comedy series of all time. I’m open to suggestions, but I simply can’t find a single series/season to challenge it. Consistently laugh out loud funny.
• I fucking hate having a weird fluey virus. Constant fatigue, bunged up nose, sore throat, sleep difficulty, headaches, light headedness…it’s all in the name of fun!
• Along with a good friend, I’m seriously considering ironing bacon and serving it with ice cubes some day…it’s the coolest way to pig out, no?
• There’s always reason to get shirty. ‘Cause I’m such a posh bastard, my wardrobe consists 90% of shirts. Recently, this percentage dipped a little with the purchase of a v-neck (sort of on request) for a certain special someone…to cut a long story short, she’s long fucking gone. Do I go back to ‘shirts only’ now?
• Norwich City have made their first signing in preparation for the Premier League season! James Vaughan, for a fee of approximately £2.5million. Risk.

Milk - ‘The shite stuff’

“MILK IS DEADLY!”, “MILK IS THE NATURAL PRODUCE OF THE DEVIL"!, “DRINK MILK AND EXPECT DEATH!”, “DON’T DRINK MILK ‘CAUSE YOU’LL DIE!”.

It’s all true, folks. If you’ve ever drunk milk, you’ve got a 100% chance of dying some day. Yes, that’s right, milk is a guaranteed killer. Need proof? I’ve got a double whammy of proof for you, in both the form of a few graphs and an anagram. Sure, facts and figures are all well and good…but anagrams never lie. So how does it work? It’s simple really. Milk is rich in a super harmful toxin called calcium. Deposits of calcium and other such minerals in the endothelium of the arteries leads to arteriosclerosis; and nobody likes coronary heart disease. This then, clearly means that we’re all doomed and are going to die a deadly death of doom, ‘cause the heart is like kind of important and stuff. The link is clear.


Source A
This was published recently in the popular monthly agricultural magazine ‘Barmy For Farming’. They always tell the truth. What they did was simple. They recorded all the deaths they knew of, including celebrities, and investigated the causes of their passing. Shockingly, they found that each and every death was in some way as a result of milk related activity. Mostly drinking, although some more obscure circumstances were found, such as Michael Jackson injecting milk into his skin to fulfil his desire for whiteness. We’ll play along and pretend it was Vitiligo though. To conclude, human mortality is milk.

Milk's gonna getcha!

Source B
As if any more conclusive evidence was necessary, we have some anyway. Under development for a couple of laborious decades, ex milkman and current Oxford University biology lecturer Callum Cium has finally produced and perfected his theory (truth) on our creamy killer. Using a deceptively complex scale of just two integers, Cal found that on his patented scale of ‘1 to Death’ milk is death. Seriously.

Hi-tech stuff, this.

See?! There’s no hiding from the harsh reality that cows are the spawn of Satan, single-handedly contributing to the demise of mankind.


Source C
Consider this. Milk is white. Skulls are also white. Coincidence? I THINK NOT.

An artistically drawn 'skull' (bottle of milk)

Any chance of survival?
Any soul with an ounce of mental wherewithal should be quaking in their boots at this point. You’re probably wondering if there’s any way for you to be saved, now that you’ve come to terms with the error of your ways in drinking milk. I’m afraid there’s no cure. You will die. Whereas approximately 98% of all lactose intolerants will never die. I know, it’s really rather unfair. Ever wonder why the ‘Make mine milk’ advert (seen on buses and billboards) changes faces so often? It’s because after every photo-shoot, the featured famous person perishes. Sorry Harry Potter fans, but Rupert Grint is no more…that’s the price you pay for pissing around with a milky moustache. Careless.

Before I bid thee farewell, I’ll leave you with the aforementioned eye-opening anagram. I’ll warn you, this is some scary shit. In the words of the infamous Ron Burgundy…’milk was a bad choice’. A very bad one indeed.


Heartily milk    I kill my heart

I’ll see you on the udder side…

The Rapture; REALLY?

See that picture there? That's what's going to happen today, according to 89 year old Harold Camping. He's predicted the timing of Judgement Day, and it's going to be today. Well, he say it is as at least. This may very well be one of the most preposterous news stories I've ever come across, because I just don't know what to think. The absurdity present is massive. I mean, put it this way, on a scale of 1 to absurd, this is most definitely absurd. Naturally, atheists are seeing the ridiculousness in Harold's ambitious foresight, and are planning 'Rapture parties' for the moment at which they will supposedly die, while the believers are called up to heaven by God. Much like an alien abduction but without the UFOs and angels instead of aliens. Come to think of it, a large scale alien invasion would be insanely cool...when I'm 89 years old and incredibly senile, I'll predict it and spread the word, and see how the public react. You could even say the parties being planned in New York will be met with rapturous applause. HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! Ahem. The slightly depressing thing is that I bet more people would be willing to believe in a worldwide alien invasion than they would Christianity. It's obviously not about Christianity on the whole (and its many offshoots) though, because it's only a small portion of Christians that would actually be foolish enough to so firmly state the exact timing of Judgement Day (or the Rapture) as Mr Camping has done. My parents are both Christians, and neither of them agree with with the notion of the world ending today. They scoff at the thought of it. What bugs me is this; most atheists, when it comes to the inevitable tomorrow, will take a massive victory from this. I bet you my left testicle that there'll be a good amount of people thinking that because dear old Harold Camping is wrong, Christianity and even religion on the whole is too. It'd be ludicrous to say that. I'm personally not a religious man, but I'm no atheist either. I'm agnostic and am open to arguments either way, and I do believe that science can work hand in hand with religion. Naive people who see the failure of Harold's prediction as an opportunity to spread the word of the death of Christianity need to open their eyes a bit, because it's sure as hell not representative of the religious population. Sure ignorance can be bliss, but not in this way. Ignorance will have you judged by many. For today at least though, we'll all be safe from the ultimate judgement... So we need to just go about life how we all normally do. Believer? Fine. Non-believer? Fine. Unsure? Fine. Crazy like Harold Camping...? REPENT NOW, FOR THE FIRE WILL EAT YOU ALIVE. Anyway peoples, I must be off - I've got to get to Ladbrokes before it happens. What do you mean "you won't be able to obtain your prize money"? It's fair to say I'm betting against Judgement Day today. Rapture believers? Have yourself a playthrough of Muse-Absolution before you 'go'. It'll be a fitting soundtrack.


In hilarious fashion, Harold Camping has actually predicted the Rapture once before. I can't think why he now labels his earlier prediction as a mistake...

Things I’ve Thunk: Inc. Feeling as though the world has ended

• Life is a cruel, cruel beast. Horrendous timing and luck have led to what feels like the end of the world…it’s just not as explosion-filled as I had hoped it would be…there’s no aliens in sight either…it’s just all rather emotionally crushing and depressing. “Life’s a bitch” is very much an understatement.
• I can’t wait for these fucking exams to finish. I’m currently approximately 66% of the way through my lot (I knew I should have taken on maths at A-Level) and it’s fair to say I’m feeling pretty deflated (thanks mostly to a screwed up sleeping pattern again, a diminished appetite and a newfound reliance on caffeine). I'll be done on the 7th of June, once I’ve had my psychology exam…
• …which leads me very nicely onto the fact that PSYCHOLOGY IS SOME TRIPPY SHIT. Learning about abnormality when you’re abnormal yourself, and stress when you’re stressed is just one massive ball of cack; much like various components of the psychology syllabus.
• Maxi Rodriguez’s form of late had been ludicrous beyond words, so I’m glad that a fair bit of order has been restored, following Liverpool’s 2-0 loss against Tottenham Hotspur. Maxi is average at best, and is lucky to be playing at such a once prestige club…
• I remember a certain Mr Hansen famously (and surely regrettably) stating that you can’t win the title with kids, but who knows, ‘cause the future’s looking pretty bright for Liverpool Football Club. Spearing, Robinson, Kelly, Flanagan and Shelvey, please stand up. You’ve impressed this year, and the best is surely yet to come. With key additions, I see no reason why Liverpool can’t challenge for the title next year, alongside the two titans of Manchester and the two titans of London. Luis Suarez is going to integral, for the record. You’ll never walk alone!
• Wheat Crunchies are seriously good crisps…sure they’re still going, but the childhood memories they bring back are ridiculously vivid. Naturally the memories are going to be pretty damn vivid as I’m only 16 years old, but y’know what I mean…probably.
• Exams can completely obliterate even the strongest of couples, and you’d never expect it. Usually indirectly rather than directly, but it happens…lovers who are happily in love, are you listening? Nope, because the type of person I’d attract to this abysmal excuse for a blog is of course not the kind of person who is ever going to find love. Now that is the cheery outlook of the day, and I’m kidding of course…anybody here who feels unloved? I love you. Sort of. In an anonymous way.
• My mum is about as interested in video games as Zack de la Rocha is interested in turning the volume down a bit. Just found out she used to be a bit jumpy for Frogger. Simple pleasures.
• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GI6CfKcMhjY I’ve always found The Lonely Island funny, and I genuinely enjoy their music…but their latest effort takes both of those variables to a whole new level. Michael Bolton, you absolute hero. On a scale of 1 to Hero, he’s definitely Hero.
• I miss Germany’s soft drinks. Since coming home from a few day long college trip to Munich, I’ve been craving the sugary delights of liquid lusciousness such as Magic Man, Mezzo Mix, Schwipp Swapp and…Sexergy…oh yes. You can imagine the relief all over my face when I found out the latter did in fact contain no quantity of Viagra. Phew.