Album Details

• Artist: Arctic Monkeys
• Album: Humbug
• Label: Domino
• Year of Release: 2009
• ME Rating:
• Reviewed by: hstisgod on 2009-12-11

Getting straight to it, the Arctic Monkeys are decidedly undecided. Strong in mass appeal from having a stamped vocals, but the supporting cast just does not create a strong enough backing to provide an enjoyment when listening. ?"Dangerous Animals" has the only unique appeal inside the first three tracks. Usually music this bad comes with bad graphics for album artwork.

"Secret Door" however brings an upbeat, yet dark and drooly, organ and all. From there the following track "Potion Approaching", changes the ultimate sound of the artist. This song and the aforementioned track two, "Crying Lightning", reminds me a bit of The Coral (I enjoyed at one point). Abrasive, scratchy and definitive in it's confidence. Then about two mins in the song changes range, and there's a chance for this underwhelming project to take a turn for the better. The beat changes alright, and even picks up. Where does that leave us? With a ten second space to the next song. I think they either went too far, or not far enough here.

The second half rocked a bit more, but was more of the same for the most part. "Fire and The Thud" is more Radiohead than anything...random guitar streaks and bellows sitting on top of a constant Modern Rock beat. Either way, this album still maintains a cookie cutter blend of new age Garage Rock.

"Dance Little Liar" had a nice cleanup, while "Pretty Visitors" was something I found hope for Arctic Monkeys in. I'm really not trying to be rude when I say these guys need a change in direction, and this song is it. Almost like rooting after music to be featured in a soudtrack to "Forgetting Sarah Marshall."The Jewellers Hands" is nearly another track that heads in a formitive direction for these guys. Not sure why, but this song sounds better for them as well.

A few trippy rhythms aside, again, not impressed with the Arctic Monkeys. They definitely understand the importance of memorable rhythms and hooks. I just don't know that they'll ever create one that catches the world by storm. Is that ok? Absolutely. My rating is based on imagined intensity

User Reviews and Comments

Review:

on 2011-02-13 placebo_junkie Said:

I am hugely disappointed with Humbug, the latest release, as of 2010, for the Arctic Monkeys. Their first album, Whatever People Say I Am, Thats What Im Not, was refreshing and exciting, and their follow-up album, Favourite Worst Nightmare, seemed to be moving forward from there, giving us more creativity, fantastic musical ability, and even better lyrics. Humbug takes a steep, dark turn. The Arctic Monkeys just dont sound anything like themselves on this album. Im not looking for the same old thing from them, but I am looking for some similarities in their music that I enjoyed in previous albums.

The songs on this album are much heavier, and somehow darker, than other Arctic Monkeys songs. Drums are tom heavy, as opposed to their previous style of loud, driving cymbal and snare patterns. Bass and guitar are buried behind their own loud, deep sounds. Even the vocals are deeper. If I hadnt known it was the Arctic Monkeys, I would never have realized it was Alex Turner singing.

This album is not a complete waste, however. Experimentations with sound and patterns do make for some fascinating music, if you can stand to dig through weird song after weird song to get to these pieces. There are also two entirely amazing songs, and for these songs alone I would recommend buying the album. The first is My Propeller, which is as dark as the rest but very catchy, with a nice hook and excellent flow throughout the music, that makes it better than almost everything else on the album. The other is Cornerstone, which takes a strange little trip back to recognizable Arctic Monkeys, and is both lighter and better constructed than the other songs on the album. Also, its lyrics are fantastic, at once comfortable, relatable, and troubling. Other than these two, dont expect much from the other eight songs on Humbug.

Rating: 3/10

on 2010-02-22 joechuck_norris Said:

This is a great album. It's just not super poppy and snappy. I dig it. The burlesque, circus appeal is great, and they maintain the mood well. All you've got to do is grow with them.
Rating: 8/10

on 2009-12-13 dscanland Said:

Good review BUT I thought this one deserved a little more that 2. More along 3 - 3.5. Were you aware of the Josh Homme connection on Humbug? Doesn't it sound like a British Queens of the Stone Age? That's what I dig about it. Anyway, still a well argued case on this Arctic Monkey's effort.
Not Rated