Alex Turner is sounding more and more like Carl Barat every year, I swear. The older he gets, the older his voice gets, with a softer, sweeter tone than when the Arctic Monkeys put out their first record, oh… five years ago.
But I’m not complaining, because I do love a good dose of the Libertines. Basically what the Arctic Monkeys sound like now is a mixture of Turner’s side project, Last Shadow Puppets, and all of Barat’s projects. Rather than the garage rock of the mid-00s that the Arctic Monkeys did so well, Suck It And See sound much more 60s, much more classic.
Which is quite ironic, because when I put this album into my iTunes, under genre it listed it as “Classic rock.” I thought, “that’s kind of perfect.”
With such a punchy, suggestive title to their new record, I expected a bit more of a bang from The Arctic Monkeys. I hoped for more attitude than what I got, but the album didn’t disappoint. The easy, sunny, hippie vibe of the album makes it perfect for summertime, and I can only imagine how fun it will be to dance to when they head on tour next month.
Starting with “She’s Thunderstorms” wasn’t the greatest idea, mainly because the whole beginning of the record isn’t nearly as strong as the latter half. At least that’s how it was for me. Several of the songs, “Black Treacle,” “Brick by Brick,” and “The Hellcat Spangled Shalala” all kind of mix together and don’t stand out that much from one another. The one thing “Hellcat” has going for it is the simple “shalalala” hook.
However, “Don’t Sit Down ‘Cause I’ve Moved Your Chair” is a spectacular track, one that I would have preferred to open the album, but it is quite heavier than the rest of the tracks on Suck It And See. “Don’t Sit Down” has a driving bassline and a loud and fast “yeah yeah yeah” hook, as well as the most attitude from Turner. And what follows is the frantic “Library Pictures,” which is most reminiscent of vintage Arctic Monkeys, with a bit of dirty Sex Pistols punk rock mixed in. It was definitely a surprise in the middle of this otherwise rather vanilla record, but a pleasant surprise.
This is where the album starts to get really good. “All My Own Stunts” is another great heavy rocker, “Reckless Serenade” is a catchy summer track, “Piledriver Waltz” is a lovely ballad, as is “Love is a Laserquest.”
The final surprise, and another one of my favourite songs on the album is “That’s Where You’re Wrong,” which relies on Turner’s painfully earnest lyrics and very New Order-esque melodies.
So while the album starts out rather flat, the build up to the splendid finale gains plenty of momentum, making “Suck It And See” an album to at least give a listen or two. I know I’ll be spinning it all summer.
Track listing:
1. “She’s Thunderstorms”
2. “Black Treacle”
3. “Brick by Brick”
4. “The Hellcat Spangled Shalalala”
5. “Don’t Sit Down ‘Cause I’ve Moved Your Chair”
6. “Library Pictures”
7. “All My Own Stunts”
8. “Reckless Serenade”
9. “Piledriver Waltz”
10. “Love Is a Laserquest”
11. “Suck It and See”
12. “That’s Where You’re Wrong”
