Suck It And See (2011)

Suck It And See is the Arctic Monkeys' follow-up to 2009's Humbug

With 2009’s Humbug, Arctic Monkeys flaunted a versatility that few could’ve anticipated from the pimply scallywags who gave us Whatever People Say I Am, That's What I'm Not. With their new album, Suck It And See, they’ve once again thrown caution to the wind by whomping out some riffs that’d make Dave Grohl choke on his Cheerios.

If Humbug was an eerie, often melancholic reminder of Alex Turner’s lyrical prowess and sardonic wit, then Suck It And See is a timely affirmation of Arctic Monkeys’ status as one of the world’s most exciting bands.

That said, their fourth offering begins at somewhat pedestrian pace, especially when compared with ‘My Propeller’ and ‘Brianstorm’, the explosive curtain-raisers from their previous two albums.

Opener ‘She’s Thunderstorms’ meanders predictably, while second track ‘Black Treacle’ also fails to lurch into second gear.  ‘She’s Thunderstorms’ is particularly reminiscent of wistful Arctic Monkeys’ classics ‘Mardy Bum’ and, more recently, ‘Cornerstone’. You fear you’re in for twelve tracks of tired themes and rehashed sentiment.

The pulsating ‘Brick By Brick’ puts paid to this momentary malaise, however, and from there Suck It And See never looks back.

Had you been wondering where your festival anthems will be coming from this summer, then look no further than the bass-laden romp that is ‘The Hellcat Spangled Shalala’, a track that could well be Arctic Monkeys at their most effusive; a pop song that evokes the sort of 60’s feel good factor that Pete Townshend and Ray Davies would be proud of.

The prickly intro to ‘Don’t Sit Down Cause I’ve Moved Your Chair’ is Turner once again showcasing his beguilingly creative eye; at one moment warning you not to run with scissors, and the next imploring you to go into business with a grizzly bear.  Essentially an aide memoire to the accident prone, the track could easily become the most palatable health & safety guidelines ever conceived.

By now you are jostling for the chance to press your face against the steamy window of Turner’s imagination, and are once again coaxed into a fantastical bear-trap with the curious, and yet beautiful, Library Pictures; a song not diminished in the slightest by it’s familiar quiet-loud-quiet formula, patented by a Mr. K. Cobain.  Biting and snapping it’s way into the hall of Arctic Monkeys’ classics, this is the track you’ll be air-riffing in the lift on Monday morning.

Breathless and delirious though you will no doubt be by this stage in proceedings, there is still room for a couple of trademark pop references we can all appreciate.  Not least in ‘Love Is A Laserquest’, and especially in title track ‘Suck It And See’ where Turner ruminates: ‘You’re rarer that a can of Dandelion and Burdock’ - a lyric so sincere it acts as a reminder to a generation that Arctic Monkeys are just four sound lads from Sheffield, who have assumed the role of the country’s most ubiquitous rock & roll band almost apologetically.

Even the darkest emissaries of Humbug will be made to blush by the overtures of this record, with the sumptuous chorus of closer ‘That’s Where You’re Wrong’ ringing defiantly in their ears. If you’re yet to hear it, you simply must suck it and see for yourself.



Suck It And See will be released on the 6th of June and is available for pre-order now.