After only a two years hiatus, the Arctic Monkeys return with an emotionally charged album, featuring an impressive mix of guitar-driven grooves and retro-style psychedelic pop. The band has generated favorable publicity after spending over a year testing out new material during live performances throughout the UK. Perhaps, their tune-up was well spent!
The album’s most immediate track is the 60s British Invasion-flavored Cornerstone featuring Beatles centric hooks. Front man Alex Turner’s emotionally charged vocal conjures up memories of classic George Harrison in a love ballad about holding on to fading memories of a past romance.
Secret Door could be the album’s most successful single as it offers a splendid combination of hypnotic distorted vocal effects, luscious strings and thunderous drum rolls. Turner could be crooning about escaping an empty life through a magical but fabled story in a childrens book. “Not looking like she was soon to leave, I had to squint in order to believe. And then like a pull and a push in on a bookshelf, I'm unveiling the unexpected.”
The band chants in unison during the introduction to Dangerous Games, which recalls vintage melodies from The Byrds. The song then blends in rapid-fire guitar clangs and battering-like percussion to make it a potential fan favorite for future live performances. The lyrics are almost incomprehensible but eerily catchy, “A N I M A L makes my head pirouette. More than I would be willing to confess D A N G E R O U S.”
Alex Turner may have learned a few tricks while on his sabbatical with his side project, The Last Shadow Puppets. By employing various retro-style harmonies and instrumentation, this LP could be the band’s most artistically creative endeavor yet. While they haven’t quite unveiled their softer side, the good old chaps have begun a journey to a more mature themed album, with a repertoire of sonically diverse tunage.
Grade: B+
Published 8/14/09
In The Spotlight: Arctic Monkeys-Cornerstone (Live)
Posted 8/14/09
