Jack Brogan looks into the back catalogue of the Arctic Monkeys, selecting three of his favourite albums
Is it even possible to choose a favourite Arctic Monkeys album? Attempting this is a real task and a half, and there has been a time where each of the six LP’s have been my favourite. I’m pretty sure the first song I heard by Arctic Monkeys was 'I Bet You Look Good On The Dancefloor', and soon after I was hooked just like everyone and by the time AM appeared in 2013, I can’t think of anyone worshipping another band to the extent they did the Monkeys. I find it immensely impressive that after taking a five-year hiatus, and with a drastic change of aesthetic and sound, Alex Turner managed to return the Sheffield band to the spotlight with Tranquility Base Hotel & Casino. Each song on each album is every bit a masterpiece, but I've selected the three albums I think stand out the most.
1 – Favourite Worst Nightmare
If you asked me, ‘Jack, what is your favourite Arctic Monkeys album?’, I would turn around and tell you it’s impossible to choose. But if you said I had to choose one, I would end up saying Favourite Worst Nightmare. Only a year on from their debut album, the Monkeys maintained yet tightened their garage rock sound on their second album just in time for a Glastonbury headline slot (yeah can you believe they headlined Glasto off the back of two albums?). The gloomy overall tone of this album really entices me, which is especially encapsulated in 'If You Were There, Beware', and sets up this atmosphere of lingering danger which is maintained throughout. This is something I’ve discovered in song writing that’s hard to do, as the boys manage to control this scary ambience. There’s a perfect balance of aggressive riffs, starts and stops, and single strums from the guitars over a background of intense and looming bass lines and drums. Helders demonstrates his prowess in 'Brianstorm', showing he truly is the best drummer of our age, and provides such tasteful fills and changes throughout the album, it’s truly such a unique style that’s impossible to imitate. The interlocking guitar riffs really make the album for me, however, this ability to have two separate guitar lines, that connect and form a unified sound, whilst the bass line either follows to support, or even diverts into it’s own world, to create an added underlying noise which draws us in to this surreal shadowy tenor of Favourite Worst Nightmare. The title says it all, it is my favourite album, and gives of this feeling of your worst nightmare, but it is something truly spectacular.
Track to listen to – If You Were There, Beware
2 – Tranquility Base Hotel and Casino
An aura of space, relaxation and stress – the sci-fi inspired concept album is next on my list. I’ll hold my hands up and say, I did not like this album when it first surfaced. Where’s the guitar? Where’s the speed? Where’s the cool? All questions rushing to my naïve brain upon a first listen. Now that my eyes are open, I see the true success in this album. Every song is beautiful and so individual. The space, location, characters and more that Turner has manifested for this album are all brilliant and somewhat genuine. He has conjured a location that at the same time, I want to visit yet want to avoid. A luxurious hotel on the moon, yes please, let me visit! But at the same time these real things and ideas creep in, with "Jesus in the day spa, filling out the information form," there’s the combination of both the surreal and the norm. This album has such a perfect flow, taking you on a really bizarre journey around the resort. If you don’t like this album I urge you to relisten with a fresh take, ignore that its by Arctic Monkeys, just don’t make that association. Instead imagine being at the door of this hotel on the moon, ringing up Mark and booking a room next door to Jesus watching sports, monster trucks and calling your friends on a batphone. You do have to put some of your coolness aside to enjoy the brilliance, but then you’ll have this epiphany this is the coolest record on the planet, or any other planet.
Track to listen to – Batphone
3 – AM
So, Alex Thompson I apologise. I have chosen AM, despite how much you despise it. However, for everyone else, I think this will be quite a well-known album. The 2013 record transformed the Monkeys into the four coolest, suave and epitomised rock gods with their new slick smart teddy boy style and refined rock sound. The clean dirtiness of the guitar layered over almost slowed down R&B drums and bass creates such an infectious riffing album that is the definition of being cool. I agree with the idea that this album is entirely based around that word, ‘cool’ - but what’s wrong with that? And didn’t they succeed? Who doesn’t love that first riff in 'Do I Wanna Know?'. It hits hard. You feel like you’re in a room where the ceiling holds down the smoke from all your cigarettes, whilst you sit sprawled out on the edge of your settee staring at the motions of these cigarette clouds thinking of that girl you like. Kinda like some gritty black and white film scene you find yourself in. That’s the beauty of these albums I maintain, is that they transport you to a place with a definitive mood you can immerse yourself in, which is somewhat real, yet exaggerated enough to be that little bit surreal. AM through and through will always give everyone that spine-tingling feel whenever they hear those heavy riffs, it unites everyone in a room.
Track to listen to - Arabella
These albums, of course, are just there I have chosen, right here and right now, to be labelled as the three to look at, but Humbug is one of my personal favourites of all time. Suck It And See gets a lot of stick for being the worst Monkeys album and I do agree, but it’s still absolutely brilliant. It’s the worst of some of the best albums of all time. The Monkeys are universally adored and I’m sure you can tell why. I urge you to re-explore these albums and all their little intricacies as it is definitely well worthwhile.
Jack Brogan
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