English indie rock groupArctic Monkeys’ fifth studio album, AM, dropped this week. The name is a perfect double-entendre, representing both the initials of the band and the presumed setting of the album, a post-party drunken and drug fuelled state of loneliness and near desperation, exemplified in “No. 1 Party Anthem” (“It’s not like I’m falling in love/I just want you to do me no good… ”), “Why’d You Only Call Me When You’re High?” and “Do I Wanna Know” (“Ever thought of calling when you’ve had a few?/Cause I always do”).
After the tight, hot-blooded instrumentals on the band’s debut album Whatever People Say I Am, That’s What I’m Not and the slight transition toward pop-rock crooning on the most recent LP Suck It And See, AM is the perfect combination of the band’s past albums with a surprising twist. Smooth, psychedelic vibes are felt throughout the album, and frontman Alex Turner has even described the album’s sound as reminiscent of a Dr. Dre beat.
The R&B backing vocals on “One for the Road” display a new side to the band’s music, especially as they bleed into a thrilling guitar solo from Josh Homme of Queens of the Stone Age. The beautifully simple “Mad Sounds” recalls early Velvet Underground records and it couldn’t be a more perfect intermission track for the album.
If you’re expecting this latest effort to be a throwback to the Monkeys’ earlier work or a continuation of their later work, you’ll be disappointed with the final product of AM. But if your mind is open to a whole new, mesmerizing listening experience, this album is an excellent soundtrack for drunk dials, bad decisions and unrequited love.
