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CRITIC REVIEWS
100
The Car is truly Arctic Monkeys’ masterpiece – they incorporate so many musical themes from across their career with aplomb, culminating in a simply wonderful record.
11mo
100
There's little of immediacy anywhere in this release, but it's worth putting in the work to get to the magic.
11mo
100
The Sheffield band’s latest exists in some kind of kitsch pocket universe where people sit around in vintage Gucci watching Roger Moore James Bond movies for days on end, subsisting purely on irony.
11mo
100
The band’s spectacular seventh album summarises their story so far: sharp songwriting, relentless innovation and unbreakable teamwork.
11mo
100
What it doesn’t sound like is the Arctic Monkeys of a decade ago, but so what? We’ll always have AM, and now we have something else that’s extraordinary in a whole new way.
11mo
90
The band sounds classic and forward-thinking at the same time. And as much as Turner doesn’t want any outrageous expectations, it’s hard to not get excited for whatever road he and his band travel on.
11mo
90
On The Car, the band are pushing their own boundaries, continuing to defy expectations, and have created an album that deserves to be listened to as one piece, cinematic in theme and scope.
11mo
86
‘The Car’ truly is the Arctic Monkeys best album to-date. It’s epic, features sharp songwriting, unending innovation, and terrific arrangements and production. They impress on this record and continue to improve.
11mo
80
With The Car as their preferred vehicle of choice, Alex Turner and co’s next journey is one of heartbreak and reflection, with a soothing undertone and the occasional foray into disco-era David Bowie for good measure.
11mo
80
On The Car, Alex Turner and co. embrace big string arrangements, but harken back to the disco depression that made 2013's AM an instant classic.
11mo
80
It may be more a solo album than an Arctic Monkeys record, but it’s a very good one nonetheless.
11mo
80
Sheffield steel continues to shine as the band’s seventh studio album sidesteps repetition.
11mo
80
Grandiose strings and exuberant irresistible vocals in The Car show Arctic Monkeys more comfortable than ever in their lounge-laden musical attire.
11mo
80
The English band returns with an adventurous, heavily orchestrated album filled with enigmatic songs of love, longing, and doubt.
11mo
80
The Car flickers between solemn nostalgia but also having a blast – a journey which can be unsettling but fun and surprising in a way that you wouldn’t expect.
11mo
80
Designed to reward deep listening, these songs mark the start of a post-song era, where form and structure give way to mood and imagery.
11mo
80
Alex Turner’s vocals are majestic on this retro-styled, tactile album that delves into the effort behind maintaining a glamorous facade.
11mo
80
This is a more soulful, less arch record than Tranquility Base. Not quite as detached from Monkeys past as it first appears, either.
11mo
80
It’s unlikely to win over anyone who wasn’t a fan of the left turn the band took on the last record, but if you meet ‘The Car’ on its own big-collared, sepia-sunglassed terms, you’ll have a great time.
11mo
80
The arch Sheffield quartet are contemplative, cryptic but still occasionally anthemic on an album of goodbyes laced with crooner soul and loungey funk.
10mo
80
The Monkeys have never sounded more evocative.
11mo
80
As always, the brutal precision of Turner's observations and the way he relishes a smart turn of phrase brings these vignettes to life in a way that's almost frighteningly vivid.
11mo
77
On the Sheffield indie rockers’ latest record, they take a more grounded approach but maintain an eccentric edge.
11mo
76
Some experiments just don't work, in the case of the limp funk snoozer "Jet Skis on the Moat" or underwhelming closer "Perfect Sense", but The Car is crackling with a wickedly fun energy underneath the surface of its mid-tempo mugging, if you're willing to take the commute and meet it halfway.
11mo
70
The Car represents the success of a band willing to innovate and reinvent itself for a new era. A new era that should be warmly welcomed.
4mo
70
There's a certain charm in hearing Arctic Monkeys abandon all their previous strengths, defiantly avoiding melody and muscle; few groups of their stature embark on such a radical revision of their aesthetic.
11mo
70
The band sounds reinvigorated, proving that the sonic risks of their last album were far from a dead end.
11mo
70
The Car is a beautiful calling card for this opulent new version of Arctic Monkeys, even if it lacks the immediacy the band built its reputation on.
11mo
69
If The Car is any automobile in particular, it’s a Ferrari or Lamborghini; you might watch it pass for a moment, admiring its sleek curves, shimmering façade and purring engine, but you won’t care much about the driver – and once it’s out of view, it probably won’t be long before it fades from memory.
11mo
60
Unlike Tranquility Base, where those very different songs were all strung together on one clear themed thread that the band were in space or whatever, The Car lacks that. We’re left with nothing to grip onto.
11mo
60
Despite exciting moments, this feels like a detour, an intoxicating suggestion of more focused projects to come.
11mo
60
This album is, to be clear, an ambitious, stylish, coherent work of fine art. ‘Tranquility Base…’ grew on me, this may too. But I can’t help but feel that with ‘The Car’, Arctic Monkeys have taken a wrong turn.
11mo
60
The Car is a slick mover, immaculately appointed and often beautiful. What it’s driving at, though, can feel naggingly elusive.
10mo
50
Its potential is squandered by a lack of thematic urgency, insight, or sincerity – resulting in an album that can only elicit a very superficial kind of joy.
10mo
30
Alex Turner’s vocal performances are the biggest thing holding The Car back.
11mo
This dude just made the same exact song 10 times in a row, with him wanking himself off with no structure or care, and I am supposed to just accept this as some innovative masterpiece? This is so dull. "The Car" is such a stupid concept, and the final product is orchestral sludge. It feels joyless to make it through this entire project
The production is great, but the content is so dull, and Alex Turner is so bad.
EDIT (100 to 95): I love this album, it's still on my top 3 of the year, but, I've barely even returned to this record since it came out. I also think TBH&C is just far superior to this. Still, amazing record and extremely overhated.
Double Down
Arctic Monkeys come back 4 years after their misunderstood masterpiece "Tranquility Base Hotel & Casino", doubling down on the sound presented on that record, giving it a brand new perspective.
So, I love Arctic Monkeys. I mean, out ... read more
They’re finally fucking back, and the album is beautifully made.
It’s also boring now
It definitely took a big push for me to listen to The Car, I usually find myself cringing at the idea of listening to an Arctic Monkeys song - let alone an album - and was dreading having to sit through 37 minutes of some English geezer, bitch and moan about something or someone, I mean really, it takes a lot of will power and patience for me to actually put aside 40 minutes of my time just to listen to them. However, I honestly really enjoyed this album and am glad I gave it chance. Fair ... read more
solowy projekt alexa turnera, tekstowo fajna ale strasznie monotoniczna plyta, nie czuc ducha zespolu
Major downgrade. A Dissapointment.
Decent tracks: There'd Better Be A Mirrorball, Sculptures, of Anything Goes, Body Paint
Worst tracks: almost every songs in this album are unlistenable
Overall Arctic Monkeys is OVER-FUCKING-RATED
Contributions By
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Track List
| 1 | There’d Better Be A Mirrorball 4:25 | 84 |
| 2 | I Ain’t Quite Where I Think I Am 3:11 | 73 |
| 3 | Sculptures Of Anything Goes 3:59 | 77 |
| 4 | Jet Skis On The Moat 3:17 | 65 |
| 5 | Body Paint 4:50 | 82 |
| 6 | The Car 3:18 | 69 |
| 7 | Big Ideas 3:57 | 73 |
| 8 | Hello You 4:04 | 73 |
| 9 | Mr Schwartz 3:30 | 66 |
| 10 | Perfect Sense 2:47 | 70 |
Total Length: 37 minutes
Year End Lists
| #1 | / | NME |
| #1 | / | Time Out |
| #2 | / | RIOT |
| #4 | / | Far Out Magazine |
| #5 | / | DIY |
| #5 | / | MOJO |
| #5 | / | The Observer: Kitty Empire |
| #5 | / | The Sunday Times |
| #6 | / | OOR |
| #6 | / | The Guardian |
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6d
Do arctic monkeys fans just do not like bossa nova?? 😭😭😭 Mr. Schwartz is fucking great.
Added on: May 16, 2022