Some American

Song Of The Day | The Arctic Monkeys - Dangerous Animals

I shy away from most “it” bands and their related projects, and usually with good reason. In worst case scenarios they are almost overwhelmingly contrived, to the point of being completely obnoxious (Vampire Weekend) or in best case scenarios, they can simply fail to deliver on their promise. The latter applies to Arctic Monkeys, a band once hailed as the “next Beatles” in some circles, and their third album Humbug. Produced by Joshua Homme (of QOTSA fame) and purported to “completely defy any expectations or presumptions and explore the depths of what the band can reach when stepping foot outside their accepted styles,” the album wound up sounding like a solid band doing their best interpretation of Rated R. I think much of this had to do with the producer, who has a track record of dominating every musical relationship he gets involved in. I guess this is hardly a surprise, as Homme has made or participated in some of the most exciting and unique rock records of the past decade. I probably wouldn’t have been able to stand up to him on a creative level either. 

Not to say that the album was a total wash, as “Dangerous Animals” demonstrated. The thrust/retreat tempo of the off-kilter drums and bass that sounds like it is swimming in motor oil interplays nicely with the somewhat suave delivery of frontman Alex Turner’s vocals, lending the whole affair a drunken, smarmy quality. Like the whole band is on an acid bender while being carted around in the back of a Rolls Royce. I typically find that Turner’s lyrics verge on being overly clever and feature imagery that does its best to get in the way of just enjoying a song, but “Dangerous Animals” is one of the few examples on Humbug that doesn’t suffer from this affliction.

(The) Arctic Monkeys have stated that they would be interested in working with Homme again, should scheduling permit. I think they should consider going in their own direction, or at least enter Rancho De La Luna with the mindset that they are making their own record, not someone else’s. 

Humbug was released August 24th, 2009 on Domino Records.