Music is very important. That's why I thought I would review one of my favourite albums for my reader:
Band: Arctic Monkeys
Title: Suck it and see (2011)
Label: Domino
The Arctic Monkeys are one of the most famous Indie band in the UK at the moment. The band came to fame back in 2002 when publishing demo tracks online. They introduced their 4th studio album called Suck it and See in 2011. Many people have been waiting for this moment especially after their previous album Humbug did not live up to the expectations from the first two albums bringing the Arctic Monkeys fame and popularity. Despite the critics of Humbug the Arctic Monkeys managed to be the only band to produce four straight Number One Albums next to Oasis. The band started off as a group of four guys from Sheffield trying to find their own sound. Especially singer and songwriter Alex Turner coined the very characteristic sound of the band with his guitar play and his lyrics that deal with adolescent problems and growing up in Sheffield, especially on the first two records.
Suck it and See is a brilliant album. Growing up and becoming an adult to the sound of the Arctic Monkeys makes it hard to dislike any of their work. However on this record they have outdone themselves again. The albums atmosphere is rather mystic but at the same time songs change from being dark and slow to upbeat and catchy. This is most notably during the ‘Piledriver Waltz’ where the mood changes back and forth. Songs that start off seeming boring suddenly turn to the best piece on the record. My favourite song is ‘Black Treacle’. Many theories about the meaning of the song exist; the most popular is that it is about the drug use of someone. The song is very catchy. For me the mood is rather dark and mysterious however it is still a quite fast song. Especially the guitar riffs throughout the whole song are very characteristic and genius.
Suck it and See is not like the first two records of the Arctic Monkeys. It only rarely invites the listener to jump up and dance and sing along. Its sound is a lot more mature now. But that is one of the special qualities of it. The technical abilities of the band improved over the years and the songs became more advanced. Melody and beat change throughout songs and keep the whole record very interesting. For me it is an album that can easily be listened to five times in a row. It does not get old or boring; it stays fresh and keeps having new sides to song in store.
My favourite song from the album here for you to listen in:
My favourite song from the album here for you to listen in:
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| The Band in 2011 |
It is definitely one of the best albums released in 2011 and raises the bar for the Arctic Monkeys and their next album.
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This was a fantastic blog post and I really enjoyed reading it. The way you described the history of the band at the start of the post made the reader want to read on. Also the use of the picture of the band adds to a great blog. I am an Artic Monkeys fan myself and you have now sold this album to me and I must listen to it. :)
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