AM review: The Arctic Monkeys at the peak of their powers

Although it’s hard to overstate the tremendous impact Sheffield rockers Arctic Monkeys have had on the British music scene in recent years, it’s also fair to say that until now they’ve failed to record an album truly worthy of classic status. Despite record breaking sales, each of their four previous efforts has possessed their fair shares of inconsistencies and weak links, preventing the quartet from hitting their full potential, at least in the eyes of the critics. But everything has changed with AM, a record so powerful and intelligent that it smashes the Monkey’s so called potential into pieces as one of the greatest albums of the past decade.

Despite AM’s minimalist analogue wavelength cover design, one of the record’s greatest strengths is seamlessly merging the old school rock n’ roll of albums like their debut Whatever People Say I Am, That’s What I’m Not with more modern effects and styles. This is no more apparent than on opener and lead single Do I Wanna Know, as a singular, jarring riff builds into a crescendo chorus of power chords and soprano backing vocals. Lyrically it’s clever if not profound and is thematically similar to the Monkey’s previous work (love, sex etc), “being wondering if your heart’s still open and if so I wanna know what time it shuts” being one of the finer examples of frontman Alex Turner’s technique; by no means a modern Morrissey but undoubtedly one of the most inventive songwriters around today. Speaking of singing, Turner’s delivery on AM marks a great improvement in confidence, although the liberal use of wavering vocal effects occasionally appears to hold back his talents.

Another of AM’s strengths is in wearing its influences on its sleeve without becoming a homage rather than a piece of art in itself. NME magazine seems to be confusing Turner with David Bowie far too often these days, but the spaced out guitar licks of I Want It All and the dreamy developing piano part in No.1 Party Anthem feature more than a touch of The Thin White Duke circa Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders From Mars, while Arabella’s tectonic start-stop riffs could have easily been taken from an early Black Sabbath record. Closing track I Wanna Be Yours is even audacious enough to rip its lyrics directly from legendary punk poet John Cooper Clarke. It’s fortunate that with all these musical references the songwriting is strong enough to prevent sections of AM from being shameless copies.  However the really wonderful thing about the album is that, like Nirvana’s Nevermind, there’s something for everyone in its 12 songs. R U Mine, with its crashing drums and Presley-esque drawl sounds like Whatever People Say I Am, That’s What I’m Not crossed with 1950’s rock n’ roll, while No.1 Party Anthem’s piano driven ballad is akin to John Lennon’s Imagine or Bowie’s Lady Stardust and the brilliant heavy metalish blast that is Arabella is undoubtedly what Kerrang readers would have come up with if asked to design an indie band. With all these conflicting styles and influences it’s a wonder AM doesn’t become a confused mess of a record, but it’s superbly held together by the band’s stunning musicianship and Turner’s consistent, comforting voice.  

AM represents the Arctic Monkey’s at the peak of their powers, a band that have finally written a truly phenomenal album after 11 years of trying since their conception in 2002. Despite its occasional slips, AM can make you dance, sing and cry and is not only one of the best albums of 2013, but one of the strongest in recent memory.

9/10