To review the album, I decided to go on a walk around Leeds to see if it could become my regular hiking buddy. I say hiking, but it is just a 15-minute walk up the hill to university.
My first thoughts while listening to the album was that it evoked feelings of being of in a 70s soap opera opening credits. Every song felt like a blast from the past which I have never experienced when playing an album before. The three songs I think that perfectly present the 70s vibe are ‘Body Paint’- it reminds me of ‘Life on Mars’ by Bowie for some reason; ‘The Car’- the opening is so 70s, I guess it is the acoustic guitar; and ‘Hello You’. Whilst no explanation is needed for this track, if you are yet to hear it I can tell you that it’s the synth that gives it the true 70s feel.
‘The Car’ is an emotional goodbye from Arctic Monkeys. The band is changing, it will never reproduce ‘WPSIATWIN’, or ‘AM’ and this album is not very close in sound to ‘Tranquillity’; it does not sound like an experiment like tranquillity did. I think in this album the band and Alex have found the way they want to progress lyrically and sound wise. Though it is nice that there is a breeze of past influences, like heavy riffs in ‘Sculpture of Anything Goes’- and I can say that Alex’s falsetto actually sounds appropriate and not annoying! But I guess as a fan, I also came to accept and understand that this is how it is going to be now. I was not a big fan of ‘Tranquillity’, maybe because it was such an unexpected turn from what ‘AM’ and previous albums were carrying.
I love the new record as melodically; it does not make me feel uneasy, whereas ‘Tranquillity’ was a constant jump between sounds that didn’t complete or complement each other. One of the most beautiful songs on this new record is ‘Big Ideas’, due the emotional conversation Alex is having with listeners through the inclusion of an orchestra and the powerful lyrics. ‘Big Ideas’ will definitely be skipped during my walks as I do not want to bawl my eyes out. ‘Jet Skis on the Moat’ on the other hand is an unexpected surprise that with every listen makes me appreciate it more and more. Alex’s falsetto and the wah-wah riffs are the same riffs that are perfectly used in ‘I Ain’t Quite Where I Think I Am’.
Overall, this album is a treasure, and I cannot wait to overplay ‘Sculptures of Anything Goes’ and ‘Big Ideas’.
One question I have about a particular song on the album (also why is no one talking about it?) is: was ‘Perfect Sense’ inspired by Michael Bublé’s ‘Feeling Good’?
Written by: Madina Latipova
Edited by: Michele Ngue-Awane