AM is a masterpiece of heavy pop, with thumping drums, insistent bass and guitars soaked in San Francisco metal.
This is vibrant, moody music that showcases a band growing ever stronger with each risk and dare they take.
Arctic Monkeys’ fifth record is absolutely and unarguably the most incredible album of their career. It might also be the greatest record of the last decade.
Ultimately, AM is the latest jewel in a crown that will continue to increase in value for a long time to come. It is flawless, and a true ascendance from boys to men.
The bitterness of these lyrics doesn’t bleed over into the music, thankfully. There, the Monkeys still sound as punchy and fiery as ever; they’ve just embraced a glammed-out rock sound that is as surprisingly comfortable as Turner’s slicked back ’do.
Led by Alex Turner’s cocksure vocals, AM mixes Velvet Underground melodies, Black Sabbath riffs, and playful grooves, and has fun doing it.
While the days of the indie dancefloor hits from their first two records may be long gone, the Arctic Monkeys we’re left with now are undoubtedly at the top of their game.
While the embryonic Monkeys were one of the most important acts around, all grown up they're Britain's best rock 'n roll band. 'AM' leaves nothing to debate.
Where ‘Suck It And See’ was crooned and swoonsome, ‘AM’ takes cooler cues from the band’s lives in California, tinged with the grooves of Dr Dre and West Coast hip-hop.
AM is a very keen and well-referenced document in what being an international super-band means in this day and age; a scattergun mix of the best of both worlds.
Arctic Monkeys started out as teens with sharp eyes and deep-seated cynicism reserved for those twice their age; they’ve evolved into one of the most interesting, enduring bands of the past decade.
The entire album, from first impressions, is near-perfect. Whether we'll still think so after a month, a year, the band's sixth record, a decade, remains to be seen. But for now, this is one of the best albums of the year.
They’ve evolved certain factors of their sound and ventured into new territory, but AM is not so much a change of direction as it is an affirmation of all the musical elements that made the band exhilarating to begin with – inspired lyrics, screeching riffs and great melodies.
Although it doesn’t always measure up to its ambitions ... AM is easily Arctic Monkeys’ most realized record, and one that will further bridge the gaps for a band that began as bards for scruffy street tales.
It's a bloody great album that's lightyears ahead of all of their post-Libertine indie peers, it just doesn't feel brave enough for a band with so much bravado.
While AM isn't the decade-defining classic some are proclaiming, it is never less than fascinating.
Some of the early accolades may have been premature, but with AM there’s little room to deny that Arctic Monkeys have evolved.
AM issues lubricious R&B; come-ons over a self-assured narrative arc with personality and open potential cannily spliced.
Whether conceptual or not, Arctic Monkeys’ fifth LP is a wonderfully cohesive and diverse album that fits together incredibly well.
AM, their fifth record, is an album of polar opposites, a dichotomy of thematic and geographical elements distilled and refined by Alex Turner's punk spirited roots and oft-visited avenues of debauched romanticism.
This is exciting, audacious work from a band once again on the edge of a new future.
AM hits the mark every time. Warm and distinctive, it's the sound of a band that changes subtly with each record yet still manages to retain enough originality and suss to engender respect as well as envy.
AM ... feels a considerably more self-assured album: heavy in a dramatic and confident way, conceptually strong, and not without groove.
This fifth ... manages to connect those different directions – the muscular riffs of Humbug and the wistful pop of Suck It and See – with the bristling energy and sense of fun that propelled their initial recordings.
All of these stylistic inspirations make ‘AM’ an invigorating experience. It continues the band’s playful diversion from the Mojave-darkness of ‘Humbug’ that ‘Suck It And See’ heralded.
Almost a decade into their career, the Arctic Monkeys have aged gracefully into their precociously world-weary image with a mature album about immaturity, a carefully written and produced effort about the desultory careen of youth. Wh
As they've gone from spastic punk, to doomed stoner rock, to sparkling guitar pop, to this new album's skinny-jeaned funk, Arctic Monkeys have stayed close to the spirit of their debut's title while minimizing its excess at the same time.
Their fifth album possesses enough sexual dynamism to choke a horse. Combined with their Glastonbury-headlining swagger and exceptional musicianship, it makes for a dynamite LP and a reminder of why sex and rock ’n’ roll became linked in the first place.
The gradual move from spit-and-sawdust indie pop to a broader palette – a fuller sound – is a smart one.
AM continues a pattern, then: every couple of years, the Monkeys make a great album, sounding tighter and more telepathic with each release.
While it might not be the masterpiece some people are looking for from this band, it is nevertheless a more than worthy addition to their canon.
The Monkeys keep on evolving ... their fifth LP is this quintessentially English retro-rock band's most American-sounding record, especially rhythmically.
If not a total revelation, it’s another periodic reminder of just how arresting a playful songwriter and a well-schooled rock band can sound together.
Their music is suddenly sexier, no doubt a credit to Turner’s vision for AM, and continues to mature.
This is a transitional record, it's true: Turner's keen lyrical skills have outpaced the band's musical development, and the ultimate role of guitars (which aren't crucial here) has yet to be determined. But if you want expertly creeping unease, dive in.
Whether or not AM affects you as thrillingly as it will many younger fans will depend on whether you love or loathe such revivalism. But there’s no arrogance or bluster here, and for that at the very least these new rock stalwarts should be applauded.
It's impossible to compare today's Arctic Monkeys with its original incarnation. That was a band hungry for success. This one is starting to get a bit bloated.
For all the prowling masculinity in the music it’s a neutered, hollowed thing - too confessional, too shallow, too Route One. It’s an album of desperate grasping at adulthood, of spilt secrets and drinks.
There are some decent beats and guitar riffs but other than a couple of songs, it’s a gigantic miss.
While some may find the band's easygoing rock instrumentation and singer-songwriter Alex Turner's supposedly clever and humorous lyricism to be entertaining, AM is just another move closer toward making the most cold, calculated, and tame rock music imaginable.
I get it, but that doesn’t make it good. This is everything Arctic Monkeys was heading towards... and in a couple of spots it worked... but overall this album is just unbelievable dull. It’s hard to find anything engaging about this album.
I have 53 minutes online of footage of me talking about this so I will keep this short.
So uh…3000 followers.
That’s beyond nuts to me. Realistically, this is a milestone that, frankly, should not have been met. I think I've only posted a couple of reviews per year, maybe put out a handful of lists but mainly just stuck to rating stuff i’ve heard. To get to 3K from basically doing what I would consider the bare minimum is, by no means, insanity. Thanks to everyone for checking out the reviews when they do come in, and thanks to everyone who has been patiently ... read more
First things first, the production quality on "AM" is slicker than your average greaser's hairdo. It's got this polished feel that makes every track shimmer, yet it's gritty enough to not come off as overproduced. Lyrically, the Arctic Monkeys haven't lost their touch. They serve up lines that are witty, sometimes borderline sardonic, but always sharp. They've managed to stay relevant, fresh, and yet retain that edgy charm that fans adore.
✅Do I Wanna Know? 10
✅R U Mine? 10
✅I ... read more
1 | Do I Wanna Know? 4:31 | 85 |
2 | R U Mine? 3:21 | 85 |
3 | One for the Road 3:26 | 70 |
4 | Arabella 3:27 | 77 |
5 | I Want It All 3:04 | 60 |
6 | No. 1 Party Anthem 4:03 | 71 |
7 | Mad Sounds 3:35 | 63 |
8 | Fireside 3:01 | 71 |
9 | Why'd You Only Call Me When You're High? 2:41 | 81 |
10 | Snap Out of It 3:12 | 74 |
11 | Knee Socks 4:17 | 75 |
12 | I Wanna Be Yours 3:04 | 68 |
#1 | / | BBC Radio 6 Music |
#1 | / | NME |
#1 | / | Q Magazine |
#2 | / | Time Out London |
#3 | / | CraveOnline |
#3 | / | The Fly |
#4 | / | MOJO |
#5 | / | musicOMH |
#7 | / | FasterLouder |
#9 | / | Rolling Stone |