Categories : Music Reviews, Rock + Pop.
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Rating: 3 / 5 Reviewer: Connor Turner |
It would be nearly impossible to review Humbug without mention of Josh Homme (Queens of the Stone Age/Eagles of Death Metal), because with all due respect to the Arctic Monkeys, his fingerprints are in every nook and cranny of the record. From the haunting interludes on ‘Pretty Visitors’ to the slow, drawn out melodies of ‘Portion Approaching,’ this record is as driven by Homme’s haunted-surfer production as it is by the dreary wet British landscape.
If Humbug were to be summarized by a single word, it would be tension. This is a record that is torn between two distinct personalities trying to make something memorable that makes for an odd and somewhat frustrating sense of friction, which resonates from within each chord of the record. On the one side, it is distinctively an Arctic Monkeys record. Alex Turner’s undeniably witty and concise lyrics overlap the subdued ferocity of the band’s rhythm section, the same combination that made songs like ‘I Bet You Look Good on the Dancefloor’ and ‘Brianstorm’ such toe-tapping anthems. Yet, on the other side is Homme’s haunting direction and experimentation, which pushes the band with a new energy that the Monkeys aren’t fully able to harness. This is without question an Arctic Monkeys’ album, but tracks like ‘Crying Lighting’ and ‘Dangerous Animals’ would be more suited on the soundtrack of Tim Burton’s next claymation epic.
When everything is said and done, Humbug will likely be revered by critics for its experimentation and new direction. It is without question a more mature direction for the young, gifted Brits. But it remains to be seen whether or not the band’s fans will be willing to keep up with the dizzying changes.
