Arctic Monkeys.

Love the album though not as much as Humbug which was in my opinion by far their best work and is one of my favourite albums of all time.

"Suck it and See" is a much less dense and lighter affair than Humbug. The band have made the conscious decision to evolve rather than staying with the sound they had formed on Humbug (though large elements of it remain) even more commendably refuse to return to the "curry trays and taxi queues" kitchen sink style of the debut. The songs in general are less layered and are more often than not in major keys which gives the album it's sunny air. The most eclectic album the monkeys have produced so far.

8/10

Highlights: All My Own Stunts, Library Pictures That's Where You're Wrong, Brick by Brick, Piledriver Waltz.

Lowlights (not dreadful songs just liked these least)
: Reckless Serenade, Black Treacle.

damselnat wrote: »

6th listen now, and it's definitely a grower. In context I actually dislike Brick by Brick less than when I first heard it, but IMO it's still the weakest song on the album. It's a very different sound, but I must say I do like it, particularly the live versions, the QOTSA influence evident on Humbug is gone.

I'd give it an 8/10 as well, but I think with a few more listens I will actually fall in love with this album, it's very subtle...

Library Pictures, Don't Sit Down stand out for me, and Love is a Laserquest lyrically. Piledrive Waltz though, has the makings of an absolute classic.
It's a lot more in the vein of Turner's Submarine stuff. I can't quite put my finger on the sound they have going on, it's a bit retro, a bit 60s or something. Funnily, my iTunes has labelled it "classic rock"; that's probably the closest description tbh! Thumbs up from me anyway

I agree about Brick by Brick, it dosen't sound as much as a non-event as when I first heard it, but it still should have never been put on the album IMO and still one of the poorer things theyve released on record. It's more like a skit than a song.

Really liking the rest of the album though, not a big fan of 'That's Where Your Wrong' yet but might grow on me, not sure about it as a closer. 'All My Own Stunt's and 'Love is a Laserquest' are top notch.

Brick by Brick is Genius!

Another crap release from them. The album just plods along and sounds like they're going through the motions.

The energy and wit that made them exciting in the first place has disappeared completely to leave a mundane, run of the mill band offering nothing of interest.

Humbug was crap and this isn't any better.

Xavi6 wrote: »

Humbug was crap and this isn't any better.

Hold on a minute now! Each to their own and all that but calling Humbug crap? Humbug was the sound of a band really striking out on its own, developing their new found maturity into a collection of thrilling rock songs, hell, 'Cornerstone' might just be the best song Alex Turner has written!

I also find the whole 'energy has disappeared since the first album' nonsense a load of shlock. Listen to 'Fright Lined Dining Room', 'Library Pictures', and 'Pretty Visitors' and just try to argue that this is a band who aren't capable of producing tracks that pop and fizz.

jungleland86 wrote: »

Monkeys fans who only like the first album and who hate Humbug tend to be of lower intelligence. Discuss.

Hahaha, interesting. It's probably a bit less accessible and immediate than their previous records but an extremely rewarding investment. 'Dance Little Liar' into 'Pretty Visitors' is nothing short of epic. The era also produced some of the B-Sides also. 'Fright Lined Dining Room' is sensational.

Been listening to the album for about a week now, it's an absolute cracker.

Favourite track changing day by day (currently That's Where You're Wrong), which is always a good sign.

As for the Humbug debate which seems to keep cropping up as it definitely divided fans, personally I loved it, they seem incapable of putting out a "crap album"

Sweet wrote: »

Hahaha, interesting. It's probably a bit less accessible and immediate than their previous records but an extremely rewarding investment. 'Dance Little Liar' into 'Pretty Visitors' is nothing short of epic. The era also produced some of the B-Sides also. 'Fright Lined Dining Room' is sensational.

Agreed. "Joining the Dots" and "I Haven't got my strange" were great too - new B-side "The Blond - O - Sonic Shimmer Trap" is very Humbug-esque, one of the best tunes they've done in my opinion.

HavingCrack wrote: »

:mad: Even if this is a joke it isn't funny. I absolutely hate the musical snobbery some people have. I do not like Humbug. I think it's a poor, boring album to listen to with meaningless lyrics. In fact it comes across as far too much of a try hard, musical **** effort that deliberately tried to alienate their fanbase.

As an aside, I much preferred the 2nd album and felt the likes of Old Yellow Bricks and 505 were both much more mature offerings than the 1st album while still remaining catchy. Humbug is a boring album in my opinion so I wish people would stop saying it's only 'true' fans who can appreciate it.

I appreciate that you dislike musical snobbery yet you deem it ok to extend a similar snobbish attitude to an album that you dislike. You're basically saying "I hate musical snobbery except when I agree with the subject of the snobbery". The view I hold is in fact the exact opposite of snobbery, I like all the Arctic Monkeys albums to varying degrees and never singled out an album as inferior "Boring, musical ****, with meaningless lyrics" simply because I didn't understand it. Just because there is often no immediate "Prose like" meaning to be gained from lyrics does not mean they are meaningless.

I never mentioned that only "true" fans could only appreciate the genius of Humbug, moreover I think that fans that are less attached to the early image and early Arctic Monkeys albums will respond better to the seachange that occurred on the Humbug album. Humbug was actually the first album of theres I totally loved, I'm a lot of things but I'm not one of these "I liked them before you" characters.

Think the new album is decent but the spark that produced the first album is long gone. They have nothing to say anymore.

It's my favourite AM album so far,absolutely fantastic stuff.The last couple of tracks are some of Turners best work to date.Love it!