#7 Arctic Monkeys- AM

Released: September 6^th

By: Dequan Huggins

      English rock band Arctic Monkeys released their fifth studio album this fall with hopes of reinventing themselves. Known for their indie punk threshold, the band relocated to Los Angeles and became inspired to create more mellow and soft-spoken rock. The risks that the Arctic Monkeys took with AM are noble.  Although their original fan base may miss their hard-hitting guitar rifts and aggressive style, the new look Monkeys are an improvement musically and make for a better-rounded group.

Lead singer of the band, Alex Turner, showcased how poetic and imaginative he could be on AM.  His writing style is more creative than your usual soft indie rock vocalist, transcending the Arctic Monkeys over other bands. The record “R U Mine” features the UK vocalist expressing his desires to know where he stands with a woman who constantly runs through his mind. “She’s a silver lining lone ranger riding through an open space/ in my mind when she’s not right there beside me I go crazy cause here isn’t where I wanna be/ and satisfaction feels like a distant memory”, Alex shouts. The lyrics of AM are profound is some of the best writing on any album of any genre this year.

The instrumentation of AM blurs the lines of Soft rock and R&B. The production on “I Wanna Be Yours”, a song that reworks an old John Cooper Clarke poem, is delicate and emotive reminiscent of an old R&B tune but somehow still modern. AM is Arctic Monkeys shifting their attention to melody and flows that compliment the record giving off a completely different energy from previous releases. “No. 1 Party Anthem” slows the tempo down to create the sense of a melodic slow dance song that would rival that of an Elton John song.

Often times after multiple releases bands will take a risk on their latest projects but it doesn’t work for everyone. AM is emotional and creative brilliance and deserves every accolade that has been thrown its way this year. From its writing to its melodies and groves, AM is as balanced as and well put together as any rock album this year.

Favorite Song: I Wanna Be Yours, No. 1 Party Anthem, Why’d You Only Call Me When You’re High?

Weakest Song: Mad Sounds