Written Before Listen
After a good 4 years, Revered 2000s and 2010s band The Arctic Monkeys are back. Would I consider myself a huge fan of their music? No, but their debut is one of my favorite indie rock albums of that time nonetheless. I also think there are some songs from their second album that are pretty good. I also think Alex Turner is one hell of a frontman and might be one of the best ones in recent times. I also think their bassist back in the day Andy Nicholson is criminally underrated. With that being said, it’s 2022 and they just released their new album “The Car”. with that being said, I’m here to review it and without further ado, let’s get into it.
Genre-Bending
This is a full-on pop record. It’s like a pure vintage pop record. It’s loungey, baroque-y, and much more. But there are some left turns here and there. The track “I Ain’t Quite Where I Think I Am” is different as it’s a funk rocker with a lot of glam. I think it’s a little campy for my taste but it’s interesting to hear them try something out like this. The following track “Sculptures of Anything Goes” is pretty interesting as it’s easily the most electronic-based track with downtempo drums, electronics, and mellowed-out chords. This one isn’t campy or anything but I’m not big on this either. It’s just way too drawn out and undeveloped. The next track is the most soul-tinged cut and let me tell you that there is a lot of soul influence on here, but no track brings it more than this one. Let me tell you that this might be my least favorite track on here. I don’t know why but I just find it overly campy and poorly done for any enjoyment value. I mean it’s not terrible, but I just don’t like it. Overall, with the stylistic switches, Arctic Monkeys try to do on this record, I think this shows that Turner and company need to stick to their comfort zone.
Influences
Arctic Monkeys are never shy with influences. This time around, some show up. “Body Paint” is an example. They show their love for Elton John and Queen and I think they do pretty well using it. It ends up being one of my favorite tracks honestly. They also take a lot from other baroque pop acts like Scott Walker, The Beach Boys, and Moody Blues. I also think soul acts like Isaac Hayes were references too. Let’s be real here, there’s one main influence throughout this whole record and that is David Bowie. Just listen to “I Ain’t Quite Where I Think I Am” or the solo on “Body Paint” and tell me that isn’t Bowie's influence. Look, I love Bowie's music and he is one of my favorite musicians, but to do this style, they have to do it with so much more finesse and style and they fail to. Overall, I don’t think they use their influences well on this album.
Production
I will say though that I do enjoy the production of this record. Right from the opening track, I can tell that we were getting a vintage-sounding record. This album contains a lot of strings, acoustic guitars, and pianos just like most baroque pop records. The drums are also really soft and muffled but in a good way. There might be some instances where the production makes the song just pass by, but for most of the record, I think this album was produced pretty well.
Vocal Performance
Now, to the man himself. Alex Turner has always been a strong frontman. What made him such a great frontman was a mixture of attitude, versatility, and that frontman appeal. He has half of that. His frontman appeal is still there, but his attitude is barely anywhere. The versatility, well that’s just talking overall. He doesn’t vary himself that much on this record. He kind of sticks to that one style throughout the record. It’s done pretty well, but I think some variation could help. With that being said, It’s still Alex Turner and he’s still the highlight of the record.
Predictability
With the first track, that was unexpected. Honestly, the first half was pretty well first, but once the title track comes, The album gets real predictable real fast. They show a pretty formulaic approach which does work at points, but it doesn’t distract from the fact that we’re hearing pretty similar songs. With that being said, For good and bad, Arctic Monkeys stick to their 60s & 70s influences on this one.
Verdict
Well, this wasn’t terrible, but I wouldn’t say I enjoyed it. It’s a record with a unique style and unique influences, especially nowadays, but Arctic Monkeys don’t do this style justice the way I thought they would. It’s far from my favorite Arctic Monkeys record but it’s not their worst. It’s just another safe trip back to the past. Is that a bad thing? No. Is it a good thing? No. Is it different? Not really. It just is what it is.
5/10