Arctic Monkeys - Suck It And See

2.0

0.0 (0)

We're fans of acts that show progression from album to album. Music is ever evolving and no one wants to wait a year or two to buy a new album with repackaged, same sounding songs.

This reviewer has been a fan of the Arctic Monkeys since day-one and found them to produce unpredictable, complex, sharp and witty tracks.  They fully deserve all the praise they have received for their previous work.  ‘Suck It And See’, the fourth album from the Sheffield rockers however just does not meet the high expectations the lads have now set for themselves.

The album was recorded at Sound City Studios which is heralded as one of the best studios for drum recordings. Knowing this I could not wait to hear what madness Matt Helders could produce on his kit. I was hoping for another frenzy of music like ‘The View from the Afternoon’ or ‘Brainstorm’.

Instead I got a cold slap in the face with ‘She’s Thunderstorms’ and ‘Black Treacle’ opening the album. What I heard resembled background café music that no-one wants to pay attention to. The drums (sound-wise) were non-existent, requiring a repeat over and over again to check if I was listening to the very Arctic Monkeys that made me want to jump up and take notice so many times in the past. Was I was missing something?

Unfortunately disappointment turned to misery with ‘Reckless Serenade’ and ‘Love Is a Laserquest’ sounding the same with minimal effort. As much as I wanted to get into the tracks with multiple listens there wasn't a connection.  I found the tracks more and more annoying with each new listen.

‘Piledriver Waltz’ recycled from front-man’s Alex Turner’s 2010 EP ‘Submarine’ is a much weaker version and does not add any fresh element to the album.

What saves this album is a handful of great tracks and a killer single already receiving considerable airplay. ‘Don’t Sit Down ‘Cause I Moved Your Chair’ sounds like a dirty desert-rock mix of the old and the new. It's reminiscent of Josh Homme, the Queens of the Stone Age front man who produced the 2009 ‘Humbug’. There is a tense build up, clever hooks, catchy chorus with great vocals and a suspenseful climax – all in three minutes – the usual Arctic Monkeys package.

‘Brick By Brick’ also stands out. It flows along until a sharp tempo change bang in the middle of the track and almost reaches stand still before coming back to life. This experimental side of the band is clearly still present and it is frustrating that this level is not present in more tracks.

If you have never heard of the Arctic Monkeys then you could easily enjoy this album.

For the fans it might be safe to assume that the electric fast ways displayed on the debut album ‘Whatever People Say I am, That’s What I’m Not’ are long gone.

Arctic Monkeys - Don't Sit Down 'Cause I Moved Your Chair

Editor review

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