Domino; 2011
Our Take - 8.5
In 2005 Arctic Monkey front man Alex Turner topped influential British magazine NME's inaugural "Cool List". What was so astonishing about this is that the band, with Turner at the helm, were already being coined as saviors of British guitar rock after releasing just one EP. The expectations put on the band were massive, and a band less skilled could have easily been crushed by them. But the Arctic Monkeys are good-- musically, and otherwise. Their debut, 2006's Whatever People Say I Am, That's What I'm Not, became the fastest selling debut in UK history going 4x platinum-- it is a raucous, careless, middle-finger of an album weaved with an uncompromising amount of confidence. That confidence, as well as their musicianship has allowed the Arctic Monkeys to push the media and critics behind them, and by this point, and for good reason, the critics are leaving their creation story behind and talking about what is most important to the band, their music.
If there was ever any ever doubt about the Arctic Monkeys as a band with staying power, Suck It and See, the bands fourth, will squash it. The album, while not as immediately engaging as some of their other work, is the most satisfying of the lot. No question about it, you'll miss something on the first listen. Whether it is one of Turner's fanciful, witty, and always quotable lyrical turns, or one of drummer Matt Helder's deceptively complex fills or flourishes, no doubt there will be something new revealed with each spin.
Some were expecting a return to form after the artistic wanderings of the ultra-heavy and sludgy sound featured in their third record Humbug, but it is less of a reboot than it is an evolution. The band has continued to grow with each record and Suck It And See is the logical next step of a band that has aged incredibly well. It sounds retro in a sense, coherent like a throwback to a time when the album as a whole was more important than the individual tracks. However, even on a track to track basis the record is solid throughout. It contains slow burners like "Black Treacle", "Love Is A Laserquest", and "Reckless Serenade", that are as good songwriting wise as anything the band has put to disc. But it also has tracks more reflective of the high energy level of their first two albums with tracks like the tightly-wound "Library Pictures", the straightforward structured rock sound of "Brick By Brick", and the sneering "Don't Sit Down 'Cuz I've Moved Your Chair".
But perhaps the most impressive aspect of the album are Turner's lyrics. He is comical on "Don't Sit Down..." as he describes terrible events that are all seemingly worse than sitting down where a chair used to be and lovelorn on "Piledriver Waltz", when he achingly describes miserable food and a worse waitress. He is poetic, and deceptively dark on "She's Thunderstorms" and wise beyond his years on closing track and personal favorite "That's Where You're Wrong", when he asserts,"Don't take it so personally, honey/ You're not the only one that time has got it in for." Most impressive of all, title track "Suck It And See", contains some of the bands most memorable lyrics to date, "that’s not a skirt, girl, it’s a sawn-off shotgun/ and I can only hope you’ve got it aimed at me”. While Turner has always impressed with his lyrical wit and imaginative description, his lyrics on this album are allowed to breathe a little bit and to exist in a space of their own for a more dramatic and lasting effect.
Suck It And See is getting a lot of press because of it's minimalistic cover sleeve and it's controversial album title, but the only thing that should be advertised concerning the disc is how solid it is through and through. The record is subtle and rewarding, the work of artists well-honed in their craft. The band grew up fast, and it nice to see their music do the same thing.
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