It Doesn't Suck

You may recall my account of the Arctic Monkeys concert several weeks back. Now I bring you a few quick thoughts on their CD that has been released since then: Suck It and See.

One thing that struck me about their concert was that they had a pretty good variety of song styles. When I went to hunt down some of their earlier CDs, I learned that this was because they changed up their music a fair amount from album to album. That trend continues here on their latest. Generally speaking, Suck It and See has a lighter tone than their previous material. It's a bit less intense, a bit more "airy." It's sort of like they took their last recipe and injected a dose of The Cure into their music.

This is particularly apparent in the opening track of the album, "She's Thunderstorms." No rocking lick to grab you immediately. It's not a bad song, but it's a rather laid back intro for an indie rock album. (Though it does work in this context.)

Another good example of this more restrained tone is the lead single from the album, "Don't Sit Down 'Cause I've Moved Your Chair." Again, a fine song, but it has a slower tempo and less drive than their past hits.

Even the more up tempo stuff on the album isn't as frenetic, and has slower sections. "Brick By Brick" is almost as high octane as it gets, save for the closest-to-classic-Arctic-Monkeys track on the album, "Library Pictures." (And even that song has a "slow break" in the middle.)

I respect the changing nature of the band's music, though I wonder if fans who've been around longer than I will be a bit disappointed here. In my opinion, the album rates a B, which is certainly good enough to pick up if you like garage-punk-Brit-pop. (I don't think fans of that niche can afford to be too choosy, right?)