After making their debut record breaking record at just 19, following it up with arguably competitive records "Favourite Worst Nightmare" (2007) and "Humbug" (2009), changing their sound every time and challanging their creative limitations each time, the time has come for Alex and the boys to release their fourth record, "Suck It And See".
Unlike "Humbug", which saw Arctic Monkeys taken out of their comfort zone in the dessert by Josh Homme, "Suck It And See" is a record which suprisingly has promised nothing and expectation has been kept minimal. But fourth albums are the trickiest of them all, with many accomplished bands such as Franz Ferdinand, The Killers and The Kaiser Chiefs failing to attempt theirs. We had to ask the question if Turner had anything else to say, or was this just a record to fill a void left by the band after their difficult third album "Humbug". I feel guilty for this even crossing my mind. What an insult.
"Suck It And See" can be seen as competitive as any, and challanging Monkeys' first album "What Ever People Say I Am That's What I'm Not" to be their best work thus far.
They've done it. They've well and truly aced it. This album does not sound like "Humbug", to confirm what you've read, but it also does not sound like anything they've done before. It's strong, it's immediate, it's tightly structured and it's start-to-finish fantastic. Humour also gets a part to play within the record, with tracks such as "Don't Sit Down 'Cause I've Moved Your Chair" and "Brick By Brick" quoted by Turner as "just being a fucking laugh". This is not a return to a more fast paced, robust Arctic Monkeys we were all so famaliar with. Yes they have had hair cuts, and they don't seem to be as depressed but this record breaths maturity and creative prowess.
Let's start at the start. Jamie Cook's jangling cloudburst announces "She's Thunderstorms" which sets the tone for the rest of the album perfectly. Direct guitar playing and beautiful melodies cast no doubt over the boys from High Green's capabilities. Lyrically complex and delusional , "Black Treacle" follows suit from the opening track, as Turner's humourous ambiguity highlights a love of language through sound and meaning that has been present in every single article of work he has ever produced.
As a theme, love is clearly apparent in Turner's lyrics. "The Hellcat Spangled Shalalala" begins with one of Cook's now infamous cloudbursts but we see glimpses of past Arctic work as Alex's rhythm and O'Malley's bass line remind of "Fluorescent Adolescent". It is not an overcomplicated song, like many on the album, yet works incredibly well. This track is one of the best on the album but does not stand out. This is only because the simplicity of the album means every single track has it's place on the record that never dips in quality. "Love Is A Laserquest", "Suck It and See" (with it's melodies and candy striped title) and "That's Were You're Wrong" maintain a level of quality that many artists mind hard to continue throughout the duration of an album.
Just as on "Favourite Worst Nightmare", a two chord track is once again published as the album closes. Reminisant of "5O5", "That's Were You're Wrong" has just two chords, a spiralling guitar riff and ingenius lyrics that leave you speechless and highly emotional. It isn't often you finish listening to an album and forget what you were going to do next. "Suck It And See" leave you dumbstruck. It is just simply genius.
They are four albums in and do not look like wavering under rusty creative juices. Instead Arctic Monkeys have raised the bar even higher. Not a return to the teenage boy in polo-shirts band we all fell in love with, but more of an emergence of a band who can not only provide us with hard hitting pacey numbers such as "Library Pictures" but also more cultured thoughtful tracks like "Reckless Serenade" and not lose momentum or quality in lyrics or sound.
Arctic Monkeys fourth album, "Suck It And See", is genius. There is not one bad song, they have done it again.
10/10. *****
