Reviewed: Arctic Monkeys’ Tranquility Base Hotel + Casino

By releasing the 2013 album titled ‘AM’, Arctic Monkeys left their audience divided into so many groups. Some thought it was so poppy and desperate for commercial success, some thought it was sloppy, uncreative, lazily written, and sounds the same altogether. Others thought that this is a very smart and risky album by blending hip-hop and pop sounds into the Monkeys’ regular formula, and that the record gave the band the long overdue and well-deserved mass appeal and popularity outside of the UK.

Some fans -myself included- were introduced to the band through AM, because it was catchy and had many singles releases ahead of it, which is the exact opposite of what the band went for with their latest release.

Arctic Monkeys regularly changed styles with every album release; from sounding very garage-rock on their debut, to adding some pace and shouted lyrics on the second. Then trying something a little psychedelic and desert-rock when collaborating with Josh Homme of Queens of the Stone Age on ‘Humbug’. On ‘Suck It And See’ they went for grandiose riffs and extra clean production -which was a terrible decision in my opinion – and then finally ‘AM’ which was influenced by hip-hop and pop beats.

But on Tranquility Base Hotel + Casino the band has totally changed their skin; the songwriting is done on a piano rather than a guitar,  and -as far as I can tell- Alex Turner never plays guitars on this record. Even Jamie Cook’s guitar isn’t that significant to the sound as much as the piano, bass, and drums. In all likelihood they tried to be a band that would play in an elegant lounge bar with wooden interiors and burgundy velvet curtains as much as they could.

Not only did the band change their style musically, but aesthetically too. The group has thrown away the black leather jackets and skinny jeans with their slick bad-boys perception to put on some 60’s inspired shirts and blazers.

Any previous album by Arctic Monkeys had loud and heavy moments as well as softer and slower ones or songs, but this is not the case here, the music on the entirety of the album is mellow and Alex’s singing style is very different; he is mostly singing with a narrative tone, as if he were a wise old man passing on his wisdom to a younger generation.

The album begins with the track ‘Star Treatment’ and here comes the first of unexpected events. The opener features some very lazy-like singing -not in a bad way- and it is full  of pop culture reference. The backing vocals on this song are very weird, and that’s my least favourite thing about it. The piano and guitar groove are very delightful.

Then comes a shimmering repetitive piano tune that starts ‘One Point Perspective’. I love every thing about this song, from the catchiest piano tune on the album, to the amazing bass riff, the shiny little guitar leads, and most notably the smart lyrics sung with a full mouth.

‘American Sports’ is the shortest song on the record, and stands as a neat transition into the title track. ‘Tranquility Base Hotel & Casino’ is a very pleasantly bass driven song, but the charm is lost once the vocals kick off. They somehow feel pretentious and sound bloody close to one’s ears. I presume it was intentional rather than being a producer’s error; it is very weird and I really despise it. However, the instrumentation is good on the track, but the creeping vocals overshadow its decency.

‘Golden Trunks’ is a fun song in which Alex is having a conversation with someone whom he mentioned in an interview that he was falling for. After his thoughts have haunted him, he admits fantasizing about her and makes fun of the leader of the free world on buzzing organ tunes, and minimal other instrumentation.

The seventh track ‘Four Out of Five’ is the album’s most listenable track on a shuffle list. It has the most instant hook onto the mind among its album peers, yet it isn’t stylistically too different from them. The same bass and piano or organ driven rhythms with occasional guitar leads but the vocals stand out more and the repeated chorus is more instant and likable.

Following ‘Four Out of Five’ is the very strangely named ‘The World’s First Ever Monster Truck Front Flip’ which has a simple bouncing keyboard sound that after a few listens just sat down at the back of my head and kept on bouncing and got me humming the lyrics “you push the button and we’ll do the rest”. It’s a strangely named song, and it’s strange that I like it that much.

Then comes one of my favourites off the album ‘Science Fiction’. The instrumentation on this song keeps on going downhill and gives the song an apocalyptic pessimistic sense -which I loved-. I would say that this is the best the album is offering.

Unluckily the highest moment for me is followed by the one I consider the lowest. ‘She Looks Like Fun’ is undoubtedly my least favourite. The track is the loudest Arctic Monkeys get on the record, but not in their usual way; by some exploding guitars and rapid drumming, but by a monstrous repeated organ chord. The vocals are sort of misplaced and out of tune, and the instrumentals are off-putting to me.

‘Batphone’ is another strangely named song, but the naming fits the countless pop culture referencing on the album. The song is probably overly slower than the rest of the album that many might find it lifeless and dull, and yes it’s a hard pill to swallow but by the end of it Alex’s singing gets subtly  more intense over that slow instrumentation and it’s well executed.

Finally the album closer -‘The Ultracheese’- is a piano ballad with a brighter tone than anything before. I don’t really get this song, and I think the album would have been better off without it. Oh yeah, it’s remarkably titled too.

In the end, the stylistic change that Arctic Monkeys went for is very admirable. This album by no means would have been as commercially successful as ‘AM’, but the band didn’t aim for commercial success, they went for adding a more mature piece into their discography.

There are no singles released before the album so the fans would experience it as it is, not as individual songs. And it needs many many listens, in fact for the few listens I hated it, I thought it was dull, boring and bland. But later I understood and appreciated the band’s work put into it. So, if you’re not going to be patient with this album don’t waste your time with it, because you will hate it too.

Score: 7/10

Best: One Point Perspective, Science Fiction

Worst: She Looks Like Fun, The Ultracheese