Arctic Monkeys
Suck It And See
Domino
In a nutshell: Sheffield’s finest export since steel and Jarvis Cocker have taken a break from snuggling up to Alexa Chung (lead singer Alex Turner is her boyf) to record their fourth studio album. The Monkeys have promised a ‘vintage’ style and a ‘poppier’ sound than previous album Humbug. Do they deliver? Let’s find out.
What’s it like? In terms of ‘vintage’, it’s more bucket hats and parkas than Biba flares and platforms- album opener ‘She’s Thunderstorms’ sounds like 90s jangly guitar-merchants Teenage Fanclub. It’s not all Gallagher brothers and warm pints of Red Stripe though- ‘Don’t Sit Down ‘Cause I’ve Moved Your Chair’ has got a driving riff that the Foo Fighters would kill to borrow, and the title track is almost McFly in its sweet harmonies and talk of ‘pouring my heart into a pop song’.
How many good tracks? Seven, out of 12.
Best track: ‘Piledriver Waltz’ – swoony, melancholy and gorgeous.
Worst track: The woefully named ‘The Hellcat Spangled Shalalala’ deserves to be put down- not least because of the couplet ‘I took the batteries out my mysticism/ And put them in my thinking cap’
Verdict: Although lacking in indie disco floor-fillers, it’s a solid effort from the boys. ***
AILBHE MALONE
