I've been thinking about this album a lot lately, mainly because one of the lyrics was "1984, 2019, maybe I was a little too wild in the 70s" and I don't know if you've heard but 2019 kinda ended a month ago. I feel like I've talked a lot about Arctic Monkeys already, so if you wanna know their backstory, check out my favorite bands post if you haven't already. So quick explanation here:"the best new British band", played at Glastonbury in their 20s, reignited interest in the British rock scene, blah blah blah the list goes on. We on the same page? Cool.
So, Arctic Monkeys are just off the heels of the success of AM. It shot up on almost every Billboard chart to #1, and got over millions of downloads in only a couple months. Y'know, the usual "oh cool band lemme check them out" cliché. So the band goes "ok, let's take a break them hype up another album in a couple of years." 2 years go by. Alex Turner "turns" 30. (sorry, not sorry) Big party. Long story short, he got a piano as a gift. He's never really learned how to play it, so he starts learning to play for a couple of months. He gets really into it, so he calls up the band and goes "hey guys I got a piano, wanna start recording that new album?" So they start recording songs, but this time, the backbone of the music was Turner's piano, instead of the usual clangy guitar. The direction of this album was drastically different than their previous endeavors. Not only did they use piano, but they used a little bit more synth, heavy guitar pedals, and a louder-than-usual bass to give it that jazzy feel. You might be thinking, "jazz?? I thought they were a rock band??" You are completely right. They wanted to go in a new direction like most bands do. Their sound evolves and changes, just like the people in the band. Anyways, a year passes, the album comes out, and almost everyone is abrasive about it. It's such a departure from their previous work that the reviewers had to sit and reflect on it. Eventually, Pitchfork and NME give it a solid score as do other media outlets, but the fans became conflicted. There's the AM fans, who became fans after hearing AM and then there's the "real" fans, the ones who have bene there since the band was first advertised on Myspace. The AM fans argue, "This isn't what made them famous. I'm not interested in them anymore." The "real" fans argue "Stop hating the band and actually enjoy the music before hating it cause its different." I think you can piece together which side I'm on. I love this album. It took me a couple of days, but I gradually warmed up to every song, and now the whole album is just amazing to me. Even the songs that I don't personally like still have witty lyrics, interesting melodies, and really catchy riffs that I can acknowledge and appreciate. There is something in every song that keeps me engaged. It might be the guitar, or the lyrics, or that sweet, sweet piano. I'm gonna start my track-by-track review here, so if you want a TLDR, just scroll down to the bottom.
Star Treatment - This is the first song I'd recommend to people who want to try this album out. It's got a slow groove to it, and it's paired with Turner's impressive voice range. It sets the tone for the whole album without being too pretentious. Turner croons, the piano and bass follow. This song probably has my favorite lyrics though (the whole album does, really) The opening lyric is "I just wanted to be one of The Strokes," which I think is pretty funny. (sue me) Turner mostly just rambles on about random 80s references ("What do you mean you've never seen Blade Runner?") and lounge-talk ("So who you gonna call?/The martini police?") It's a very endearing track, and surprisingly my most listened-to song according to my "Best of 2019" Apple Playlist. Fitting, because the "1984, 2019" lyric is in this song too.
One Point Perspective - A very cozy song. It's got some great guitar support and the song is driven by this really simple piano riff that plays through the whole thing. The lyrics are put on show here as well. There's this running gag in the song where Turner says "Bear with me man, I've lost my train of thought" and he stops singing like he's actually lost his train of thought. This is the chill lounge song I listen to while drinking hot cocoa and thinking I'm cool.
American Sports - This is the darker, chillier song on the album, but it still has a fun feel to it. Turner's lyrics are snarky, but weirdly prophetic ("Emergency battery pack, just in time for my weekly chat with God: on video call.") I love that little riff that Jamie Cook pulls off right when the bridge is ending. I really like the lyric "I've lost the money, lost the keys, but I'm still handcuffed to the briefcase" cause you can read it in so many different ways.
Tranquility Base Hotel and Casino - I find this song to be oddly comforting. Like, the future isn't here yet, think about the now instead of it. The bass is put on display here, and I really, really like it. A lot. The music video for this song is amazing. I highly recommend it. The song is conveyed as a description of a futuristic hotel and the narrator is explaining it while taking a room service call ("Good afternoon/ Tranquility Base Hotel and Casino/ Mark speaking, please tell me how may I direct your call.") Again, I think the music video is the best way to enjoy this song.
Golden Trunks - This and "Science Fiction" are the only two songs I'm not crazy about. But I love the atmosphere and soundscape presented here. The guitar has this really twangy pedal sound on it and it actually turned me off the first time I heard it. But now I realize it adds a lot to the "superstar" attitude Turner adopts here. Again, not my favorite, but still a solid addition.
Four Out Of Five - Catchiest song on the album. I always get a little ticked when I listen to it though, since I remember how at the 2018 Grammy's Beck won instead of these guys for best rock single. Then again, the Grammys don't really matter unless you're looking for publicity. Again, like most songs on this album, Turner rambles on (not in a bad way, it's just literal rambling) about words that shouldn't work together but somehow do. ("The information action ratio/ Is the place to go") The song describes the marketing ploy that the hotel is using to get customers. ("I put a taqueria on the roof, it was well-reviewed/ Take it easy for a little while, come and stay with us.") It also builds up to this panicky and almost aggressive climax that adds to that theme of fishiness and uncertainty.
The World's First Ever Monster Truck Front Flip - This is probably the most underrated song on the album. I think it's because people get sick of the opening melody, so they just skip it. I love this song, mainly because that opening melody sounds a little off-putting, but the chorus is stunning. There's a reference to Lana Del Rey thrown in there (forgot where, not a Lana fan) because apparently she lives near Turner. Along with the theme of "it's not what it seems", the lyrics are probably the funniest on this track ("The exotic sound of data storage/ Nothing like it first thing in the morning.") but it goes along perfectly with the chorus, which has a more lovesick feel ("There are things, that I just cannot explain to you/ And those that I hope I don't ever have to.") If you're wondering about the title, I've got a quote from an interview Turner did:
"That was verbatim a news story I was unable to resist clicking on about a year ago, and I was unable to resist naming a song after it. It was laid out for me. We’re just living in a world where they’re flipping monster trucks forward."
Thought it was cool.
Science Fiction - I may not like this tune, but I can appreciate the beautiful synth that has been scattered throughout. The pacing of this song is just kinda all over the place and it sounds like every instrument is trying to do it's own thing and go fast. I love the lyric "I want to make a simple point about peace and love/ But in a sexy way where it's not obvious" just because he makes a real attempt to sound like Ringo when he's saying peace and love. I also appreciate the acoustic guitar thrown in there for added effect; it's like the song was comparing westerns and Star Trek or something.
She Looks Like Fun - I like how bare-bones this song is in concept, but it still manages to be catchy and fun. The verses are literally just Turner musing with some light piano and bass in the background. The guitar in this song is distinctly 70s like, and I love it. My favorite lyric is "Good morning, Cheeseburger." That's all I need to say.
Batphone - Now this is what I listen to when I walk down the street and try to look cool. The opening riff I probably my favorite opening riff on the whole album. It has an edgy feel to it, but Turner shows off his gorgeous falsetto here, and no complaints from me about it. The lyrics are all inspired by Batman, but I'm not such a big fan of the lyrics here since he's just flexing his vocal range here, and I'd like to appreciate that.
The Ultracheese - I also love the opening lyric here ("Still got pictures of friends on the wall/ I s'pose we aren't really friends anymore/ Maybe I shouldn't ever have called/ That thing friendly at all.") It's funny because you think of cheesy romance movies, and this lyric is the exact opposite of it. That said, this song is really, really smooth. I love it. It incorporates everything good from the album into here. The bass, the guitar, Turner's vocals and the drums re given some more leg-room. The vocals have a bit of reverb on them, and it reminds me of Bowie's vocals on "Heroes". This is an extremely well made end to the album, and I don't think I could've asked for anything better. It ends on the lyrics "But I haven't stopped loving you once", which I think perfectly describes the way I feel about the album.
The album manages to balance lovesick vocals with witty lyrics. There is no sappy song, there is no really pumped up song, just reflective songs that make you think a little about our society. All with a little 70s sprinkle.
This was my second vinyl. I realized how often I just tone down my day with this album, and how perfect it is for just background noise. I have no history with this album (it only came out in 2018) but I will say I have spent many hours looking out the car window and just reflecting about my life while listening to this album. It's not existential, it's not sad, it's not happy, It's a bit of them all without being to extreme. Thanks for reading, and "Good night Cheeseburger."
Get it? Cause one of the lyrics was "Good morning Cheeseburger?" I'll just leave.
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