Suck It and See - Arctic Monkeys: review.

This was on here the other week. Only listened to it twice and already it's a 9. Miles better than Humbug which was piss poor imho.
 
MCFC BOB said:
I've used a proper scoring system this time to decide my final score on this album. I've judged overall song quality, vocal quality, lyrical quality, instrumentation quality and the impact it had on me when I listened to it.

Suck It and See - Arctic Monkeys.

8.6

arctic-monkeys-suck-it-and-see-released-6-june-2011-9910-p.jpg


The Sheffield quartet return again, and if you were worried that their more mature sound was a one off on Humbug, you needn’t be, but they still retain their popular catchy sound that has been the formula for their success since 2004. I’ll be honest from the start of this review: it is not their best album, but it is not their “worst”. Suck It and See does not make Humbug look like a bad album as such, but it does make me feel that the cheeky chaps of the Arctic Monkeys could have produced a slightly better album third time around instead of fourth (I don’t know, maybe Alex shouldn’t have grown his hair so long).

And if you were worried about whether this album would be any good, then do as Alex Turner tells you in the title track: ‘suck it and see, you never know,’ because I sucked, and I saw, and I now know that this is a great album.

This is a very mellow album by Arctic Monkeys’ standards; there are only one or two occasions where the drums are heavy and the guitars are strummed hard, as the first half of the album focuses mainly on moody, deep guitar riffs and haunting vocals from the ever prolific Alex Turner.

‘Library Pictures’ is the album’s heaviest song. Imagine you’re walking up a mountain while listening to this album, and as you reach the highest peak of the mountain, ‘Library Pictures’ explodes into life as the clouds part, and a wonderful view of the land of ‘Suck It and See’ is exposed, and as the softer verses take their turn in this topsy-tuvry journey, the sun breaks its way into your view; that’s about the only way I can describe it. ‘Library Pictures’ actually reminds of the last minute or so of ‘Pretty Visitors’ from Humbug in some places.


There is one song on this album that I discovered, that I want to last forever - and that’s a very rare occasion, and I’ve been listening to music for a long time. ‘Love is a Laserquest’ is a beautiful song, and gives me a fantastic opportunity to digest the rest of the album. It’s the sort of song that memories of the best summers of a teenager’s life are played to. You look back to that one quiet bar in Ibiza, and you hear this song; you look back to lying on that beach-towel, getting the best tan, and you hear this song; you look back to your tent blowing in on you during the night as you and your girlfriend snuggle to keep warm, and you hear this song. It’s the best song on the album for me, and the one that moved me the most.

I don’t think Suck It and See will turn as many heads as their debut did – and that is a shame, because it’s so great – because Whatever People Say I Am, That’s What I’m Not really was one of the greatest British debut albums of all time. Added to that, the general music-listening public are incredibly familiar with Arctic Monkeys’ sound, so they won’t be shocked when listening to this album - and unless they bring in a brass ensemble and a loud keyboard in to write their next album, I can’t see that changing

‘Brick by Brick’ was a little disappointing when I first heard it back in April, but it has slowly grown on me. I am going to make a bold statement and say that ‘Brick by Brick’ is the “worst” song on the album, so if you’ve already heard that track, you’re not going to be disappointed with the rest of the album.

This has to go to #1 in the album charts, and if it doesn’t, I feel like I’d be obliged to buy 1,000 copies to help its cause. Despite going for the earlier mentioned “moody guitar riffs”, this album is still a lot of fun, and leaves even more for Arctic Monkeys to build on. In thirty years time, you will return to Arctic Monkeys’ early material (like Suck It and See for example - when the Sheffield born boys are 60 years old, boozed up and drug fuelled) and remember your youth, or where you were when you heard a certain song. If Arctic Monkeys can continue to create music of this standard for years to come, then I don’t see why what I just said could be anything but correct. Suck It and See is a great album, and one well worth buying.

Recommendations: Black Treacle, Don’t Sit Down ‘Cos I’ve Moved Your Chair, Library Pictures, Reckless Serenade, Love Is a Laserquest, Suck It and See.
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You've not even mentioned the best song 'That's Were You Were Wrong', its a classic!!!
 
glen quagmire said:
MCFC BOB said:
brooklandsblue2.0 said:
Oh look another music thread from Bob!
Click to expand...
Oh look, another wind up from BB2.0. I'm not the only poster going stale you know.
Click to expand...


BOB you aren't going stale lad! If anything, over the past month or so, i feel we have all been 'watching' you become more and more mature.
Keep it up lad.
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Thanks, Glen.

I guess I was a bit harsh on BB2.0 there (heat of the moment anawrat), but I'm just a fruitcake to him after all.

NOW READ THE FRGGING REVIEW!

:)
 
What are your thoughts on The Hellcat Spangled Shalalala? As from what I heard from Jools Holland, it's really grown on me.
 
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