Culture

Rating: 4/5

Since their debut Whatever People Say I Am…, British indie rock quartet Arctic Monkeys have evolved their sound with every new release. Fifth album AM both throws all of their styles thus far into the blender – the rampant energy of their first two albums, the darker tone of Humbug, the wistful pop of Suck It And See – and strides boldly into new territory. Packaged together by Alex Turner’s caustic wit and lust-soaked lyricism, it makes for one inspired and goddamn sexy album.

Guitarist Jamie Cook’s pulsating riffs kick off the record with the seductive “Do I Wanna Know,” as Alex Turner croons out lyrics of unrequited lust. Follow up track “R U Mine?” is easily an album standout, with a sexy Queens of the Stone Age-like groove and an intensity I haven’t heard from them since “Brianstorm.”

On the smooth “One for the Road,” Turner’s lower tones are complimented by falsetto harmonies, a new facet of the Arctic Monkeys’ sound that features heavily on AM. Another new emphasis is hip-hop, as seen on the Sabbath and Zeppelin-influenced “Arabella,” incidentally one of the album’s lyrical standouts: “she’s got a Barbarella swimsuit, and when she needs to shelter from reality she takes a dip in my daydream.” The new experiments don’t stop there, as the toe-tapping ode to glam rock “I Want It All” – complete with “shoo-wops” for backing vocals, can attest.

“No.1 Party Anthem” and “Mad Sounds” provide the mid-album breather typical of an Arctic Monkeys record, but neither truly delivers. The former is a Lennon-esque ballad that feels like a disappointing sequel to Humbug’s “Cornerstone,” while the latter is a slow-burning track with more than a touch of Velvet Underground’s “Pale Blue Eyes” that left me wanting more.

Aside from the forgettable, conventional “Snap Out Of It,” AM’s second half is fantastic. “Why’d You Only Call Me When You’re High?” is another of my favourites: a stoner’s anthem with a hip-hop beat that plays like an extended booty call. “Knee Socks” ties the album’s ends together by bringing back the lusty feel of the beginning of the record, with Turner wrapping his tongue around AM’s most brooding and spine-tingling lyrics. Finally, last track “I Wanna Be Yours” is a sincere and beautiful ending to this impressive album, and one that proves that Arctic Monkeys are very much here to stay.