Three Point Perspective: Arctic Monkeys Tranquility Base Hotel & Casino
The long-awaited Tranquility Base Hotel + Casino graced us with its epic release last Friday. Without a single released prior to the Monkeyâs first San Diego show at The Observatory North Park since AMâs 2013 release, fans were left with the question of what the new era would sound like. With Tranquility Base Hotel + Casino finally being released, there are several themes that are spread throughout the tracks such as the importance of cell phones in modern society, and the effects of fame. âStar Treatmentâ kicks off the album with Alex reflecting on his past times before the fame. Followed by âOne Point Perspectiveâ, a much darker track which seems to involve questioning fame once again and how it affects the band. Both âAmerican Sportsâ and âThe Ultracheeseâ from the very first second consist of Johnny Cash and Bowieâs spacey vibes. Thereâs no surprise that the band decided to incorporate a tad of Bowie in their new album after The Last Shadow Puppets decided to cover Bowieâs âMoonage Daydreamâ during their Everything Youâve Come To Expect tour. The title track and âScience Fictionâ are lyrically the most creative listens. With lines such as, âJesus in the day spa, filling out the information formâ, and âReflections in the silver screen of strange societies, swamp monster with a hard-on for connectivityâ, reminding me of how much more lyrically impressive Tranquility Base Hotel + Casino is compared to AM. The transition specifically between âGolden Trunksâ and what seems to be most fanâs favoured track âFour Out of Fiveâ is a definite pick me up from âGolden Trunksâ dark political lines, âBendable figures with a fresh new pack of liesâ and a personâs blind devotion ââWhen true love takes a grip, it leaves you without a choiceâ. When the albumâs titles were released âThe World's First Ever Monster Truck Front Flipâ intrigued most. Assuming that there will be a heavy guitar riff or a similar AM âR U Mine?â sound from the âroughnessâ of the title was the complete opposite. What âThe World's First Ever Monster Truck Front Flipâ brings is the most Suck It and See throwback feelings. The chorus throughout âShe Looks Like Funâ being the most intriguing with Alex referring to modern society scrolling through their Instagram feeds, âGood morning/Cheeseburger/Snowboardingâ. âBatphoneâ continues this theme of technology and how individuals arenât living in âthe realityâ. Overall, it seems that opinions have been split from fans of AMâs 2013 era, but I personally am completely lyrically blown away from Tranquility Base Hotel + Casinoâs entirety. Itâs almost like a continuation of Everything Youâve Come To Expect with similar sounds of âThe Bourne Identityâ and âAviationâ, but minus Miles. With new the additions of the piano, and synthesizers I believe that they have enhanced the new direction that the Monkeyâs have stepped toward and I already canât wait for what theyâll decide to make next.
Four out of five stars on Arctic Monkeysâ comeback âTranquillity Base Hotel and Casinoâ
After five years of silence, the Arctic Monkeys make their much-awaited return with surprising and hypnotic âTranquillity Base Hotel and Casinoâ. Perfectly managing to avoid self-parody or stylistic repetitions, this new album appears as a startling reinvention, a meandering and puzzling journey beyond known territories. Just like mankind first set foot on the moon on the âTranquillity baseâ site, the Arctic Monkeys disembark in an unknown universe in which they reveal a new, unexpected aspect of themselves.
It would be difficult to distinguish a single in this album: unlike 2013 structured indie rock success âAMâ, âTranquillity Base Hotel and Casinoâ appears as a puzzle, a tangled enigma with no apparent solution, the value of which precisely resides in this sophisticated lack of clarity. As the album opens with the bewitching track âStar Treatmentâ, one is confounded in disorientation, before eventually letting the album settle a logic of its own. Some songs appear nearly unconstructed, yet simultaneously refined and complex, echoing the way in which the lyrics present a dense yet also elliptic unique form of prose, like a stream of consciousness, melodically unfolding itself. Turnerâs deep and captivating voice strongly reminds of Gainsbourgâs early 70s half-spoken verses, sometimes erudite and poetic, sometimes full of derision, such as on the opening line of the album: âI just wanted to be one of the Strokesâ. A sense of irony, or at least of strong self-awareness emerges throughout the tracks of the album, reflecting a conscious decision to move away from an older musical style that it would make no sense to replicate, in order to engage in a necessary and well-executed new path.
âTranquillity Base Hotel & Casinoâ however seems to reflect Turnerâs personal evolution more than it presents a real fruition of the Arctic Monkeys as a band, and the instrumentals, although displaying intense and elegant arrangements, create a harmonious echo to the vocals rather than they truly establish the bandâs presence. The addition of the piano accompanying Turnerâs reflective vocals partially replaces Helderâs vibrant drums that helped define the bandâs early albums and marks a notable shift, both asserting a form of musical maturity, and avowing the forfeiture of a constitutive element of the bandâs sound. âTranquillity base hotel & casinoâ seems to retain a sense of continuity with Turnerâs side project The Last Shadow Puppets, and particularly of their 2016 album âEverything Youâve Come to Expectâ, although it appears to be more intricate and subtle in many of its aspects. Final song âUltracheeseâ captures the best this album has to offer, presenting a rich and magnetic journey in this captivating new universe.
Despite its obviously divisive aspects, this album undeniably presents an extremely successfully crafted creation, a melodic and truly bewitching masterpiece. âTranquillity Base Hotel & Casinoâ reflects the Arctic Monkeysâ ability to transcend genres and provide their audience with impressive yet always effective transformations.
The year is 2018 and the Arctic Monkeys have returned. To celebrate their return, theyâve given us their sixth record, Tranquility Base Hotel & Casino. And yes, though itâs 2018, this album feels like it belongs right in between vinyl copies of the Beach Boysâ Pet Sounds and David Bowie record. With this record, one has to remember this album isnât the sequel to AM, nor it should it be viewed as its heir. This is a record thatâs beyond its years that also dwells in the time before it, and itâs more conceptual than full story sometimes- nonetheless itâs still a record.
The album starts with âStar Treatment,â a glittering Bowie-esque opening thatâs chock full of jazz tones, vocal effects, and piano. Here, Alex Turner plays the reflective celebrity, singing in whispery echoed tones about how he wishes he was one of the Strokes, or just someone unforgettable. Peppered with pop culture references and metaphor, âStar Treatmentâ is sultry and mysterious, as if Turnerâs singing in dim light surrounded by fog and old-school movie lights.
After âStar Treatmentâ is âOne Point Perspective,â has an opening much like the opening piano notes of Panic! At the Discoâs âNine in the Afternoon,â but has a much different mood than the aforementioned. This song instrumentally blends classical elements with lounge music and is reflective like the blues as Turner, or at least the songâs character laments former dreams and youthful aspirations. The music helps fill in the gaps on this track a great deal, as there are a number of instrumental breaks. The album then abruptly shifts into the spoken-word like âAmerican Sports,â is a veiled commentary on the similarities and differences between the fictional society described in the album and present-day- âBreaking news, they take the truth and make it fluidâŚA montage of the latest ancient ruins/Soundtracked by a chorus of "You don't know what you're doing"â.
The albumâs title track is woozy and moody, and Turner uses his voice and volume to make for an interesting narration to the story presented in the song. He gives us a slightly morose and faraway idea of what exactly weâre supposed to visualize- as if weâre staring at Earth right from this supposed lunar resortâs call center. But Turner paints life there is not all that itâs what itâs cracked up to be as he sings, âAnd do you celebrate your dark side/Then wish you'd never left the house? /Have you ever spent a generation trying to figure that one out?â. âGolden Trunks,â is possibly unintentional political commentary, but besides that, much like the rest of the album, it uses metaphor and lyric to graze pointed satire and musings about society, which is a prevalent theme on the album. Itâs as if perpetually being in this world that Turnerâs created moves one to think more and open up as well, considering this is the closest thing we have to a love song on this album.
Next is âFour Out of Five,â which possibly wins the prize for fan favorite. âFour Out of Fiveâ is the grounding track, the one that sounds the most like the quintessential Arctic Monkeys weâre familiar with since the song is the perfect balance of mysterious but quotable lyrics, a catchy bassline, and an outro that drives one to hit the replay button. Lyrically, the song further explains the concept of Tranquility Base Hotel and Casino, while also leaving fans to wonder the intricacies of an information-action ratio, the idea that we have a myriad of information that weâve no idea how to deal with. Â âThe Worldâs First Ever Monster Truck Front Flipâ discusses the instantaneous nature of technology and Turner wonders if its effects are positive or not- and yes, the title of the song was somehow wonderfully in the lyrics, which is a feat all on its own. âScience Fictionâ asks for a lasting impression that might be temporary- âSo I tried to write a song to make you blush/But Iâve a feeling that the whole thing/May well just end up too clever for its own good/The way some science fiction doesâ. Â âShe Looks Like Funâ is the most lyrically confusing yet genius track on the record, with a chorus so bizarre it almost makes sense, but doesnât. The album closes with âThe Ultracheese,â a piano-heavy track that brings the album back to where it started- a reflection upon whatâs been gained, lost, and blurred through celebrity and life in general. Itâs a beautiful, downtempo ballad between a man, his mind, and his piano that provides a clearer close to a record thatâs quite interesting.
With âTranquility Base Hotel and Casino,â Alex Turner and Co. are not here to make lovely ballads. If the Arctic Monkeys have been christened as indie-rock gods, then these gods are acting in their sovereignty to do as they please, not to save whatâs in need to be saved. This is the Arctic Monkeys at their most honest, and even if this honesty is befuddling lyrically, itâs still honesty displayed in its most semi-autobiographical form.
