Hello everyone! If you haven’t had the chance to read The DePauw before, WGRE will report on all things new music every other issue. But, where are my manners? Allow me to introduce myself. I am the new Head Music Director at WGRE, so I’ll be writing on new music this semester. For this week, I’ll be talking about the Arctic Monkeys’ latest album, “Tranquility Hotel Base and Casino.”
Over the last thirteen years, the Arctic Monkeys have constantly reshaped their sound from record to record. They’ve gone from the eclectic punk of “Whatever People Say I Am,” “That’s What I’m Not” and “Favourite Worst Nightmare” to guitar pop and polished funk riffs of “Suck It and See” and “AM,” respectively. This album is the result of the lead singer, Alex Turner, turning the creative process on its head. Turner, now based in Los Angeles, wrote all of “Tranquility Hotel Base and Casino” on an upright piano in stolen moments between touring with the rest of the Arctic Monkeys and his side-project, The Last Shadow Puppets. After he had finished his demos, he took his recordings to the rest of his band and they re-recorded the whole album. They layered harpsichords, synths, and heavily distorted guitar, giving the final product a space-age shimmer that seems to echo David Bowie’s sound.
It’s been five years since the release of the massively popular “AM.” Understand that “Tranquility Hotel Base and Casino” is a massive left turn. You won’t find the easily palatable singles that littered “AM”; you might even be left a bit bemused when the last track fades out. But there’s still some standout tracks on the album. Song “Four Out of Five” blends light piano and soothing vocal harmonies with mean guitar riffs in a way that you didn’t know could make so much sense. On “One Point Perspective” and “American Sports,” Turner easily moves from low croons to impressive falsettos, and both tracks hold equally captivating solos performed by longtime guitarist, Jamie Cook. Turner slows things down for the albums final track, “The Ultracheese” (you didn’t misread that, that’s the title). Still, though, there’s a great build throughout the song that makes it an excellent send-off.
“Tranquility Hotel Base and Casino” takes themes of space, celebrity, and consumerism and runs with them. It’s not a follow up album to the theme of mistakes made late at night that made up many of the songs on “AM.” It is unlike any Arctic Monkeys album you’ve heard before, with its bold and daring change of direction. But I’m happy to say this risk paid off. You can hear many of the songs on the album and more on WGRE 91.5 Your Sound Alternative.