Arctic
Monkeys- ‘Tranquility Base Hotel + Casino’
“I
just wanted to be one of The Strokes” croons Alex Turner as he announces that
his moon-set 1970s styled hotel ‘Tranquility Base’ is open for business. In a
quantum-leap styled jump, Turner and co have transported themselves into deep
outer-space, seemingly light years away from the drunk antics of their boozy
night out themed debut album. It’s a huge risk for the band to completely
disregard their highly respected and adored past in order to create a conceptual
album that is closer to Mars than it is to Sheffield. With Turner now
permanently relocated to Los Angeles, their sixth studio album truly reflects
the man’s incredible work ethic and is an emblem for his attention to detail.
Hours after its release however, ‘TBHC’ has predominately frustrated fans who
were presumably expecting AM 2.0 with it’s difficult to access sound and a
musicality that is nothing like anything they have done previous . But, as
regular readers of my posts may know, these reviews are purely based on my own
opinion and prior to listening I refused to be plagued or influenced by the
negative reviews that I experienced and checked myself into ‘Tranquillity Base
Hotel + Casino’ with an open mind. So let’s get in the elevator and check out
its interior and what it has to offer for its eagerly-anticipating guests.
From
first listen, one thing is transparent on ‘TBHC’. Gone are the virulent
sing-along choruses, the amp-busting riffs and the Monkeys’ generally manageable
sound and you can sympathize with those who are disappointed. In its place are warbling,
witty one-liners layered over predominately lounge-piano backing tracks with a
simple drum beat and the occasional booming chord from Jamie Cook on guitar, it
almost sounds like a recipe for disaster for one of the most highly regarded
indie-rock groups out there, yet, for me, it (mostly) hits the spot. The record’s
opening track ‘Star Treatment’ revolves around a melancholy Turner recalling
his past turmoil and regrets from before he was ‘famous´ whilst also
creating an extremely well-crafted metaphor for the media’s depiction of what
it means to be a celebrity. The sound of ‘Star Treatment’ creates a gateway for
the group to immerse themselves in this new-found style for the rest of the record
and it certainly sets a precedent for the remaining 10 tracks.
On
‘TBHC’ Turner’s lyrics are the aspect that appears more vibrant and noticeable
than others. His words on this record are some of his densest, most self-aware
and actually funny to date, he dabbles with religion, technology, politics,
regret, love and everything in between with a tongue-in-cheek manner that
somehow draws you in and transports you to whatever weird world he has shaped and
developed in his mind. Turner incorporates 70’s and 80’s cultural reference
into many of the tracks, Blade Runner, WWF wrestlers, Martini, Ghostbusters and
the very first moon landing are all quipped about on ‘TBHC’ in order to create
a record that is so lyrically profound and cognizant that it is practically
staring at itself in the mirror as if to say “Look at me, I’m fucking gorgeous”.
This record will certainly only offer something to those listeners who are
willing to dive deeply and immerse themselves into the songs and not just base
them on their rather ugly exterior.
The
record seems its strongest on tracks like ‘Star Treatment’, ‘One Point
Perspective’ and ‘Four out of Five’ where the lounge styled sci-fi
easy-listening music oozes over you in such a lavish style that you genuinely
feel as if you are enjoying a glass of Negroni on the rocks, smoking a Marlboro
wearing a shirt which shows more chest than it covers sitting in a hotel bar
sometime during the 1970s. And this is something which no Arctic Monkeys album
has done to me since their debut record. There’s a consistent setting that is
invented on this record, much like the sweaty, wild events that were presented
on ‘Whatever People Say I Am, That’s What I’m Not’. Turner supported this in a
recent interview stating that this record was their “bluntest” since their
debut effort and I personally feel that this is one of ‘TBHC’s definite strong
points. A vibrant and exciting realm is created seemingly effortlessly and the
record’s consistency allows this fictional hotel to become of your mind’s
landscape from just one listen.
Despite
‘TBHC’s strengths, it’s extremely easy to understand why it has polarized the
vast majority of the groups fans. Five years is a long time in music to wait
for an album that goes against pretty much everything you’ve done previously.
When ‘TBHC’ was announced back in March, the expectancy created of the record
was immense and some fans have left Tranquility Base feeling underwhelmed and
seemingly ready to leave a bad review on TripAdvisor. Yet, when I have seen
these fans complaining endlessly on social media, I am reminded of the band’s
opening lyrics to their very first record, “Anticipation has a habit to set you
up, For disappointment”, and this perfectly sums up the backlash to this album.
It would’ve been perfectly easy for the group to create another ‘AM’, 11 tracks
of infectious tracks with rip-roaring riffs and stadium anthems, yet you have
to see past that and offer your admiration to the band for clearly creating
something that they wanted to make. Yeah so it might not be one of their best
efforts but the inventiveness, the risks, the ability to go against the grain
allows ‘TBHC’ to shine in outer-space like the star that it wants to be.
The
outer-space feel to this record completely fits it, you may find yourself
staring into the night sky, attempting to piece together the stars into an easy
to access constellation, but when you dig deeper, you can begin to enjoy and
embrace ‘Tranquility Base Hotel + Casino’ for all that it has to offer. I’d
certainly visit your establishment again Mr Turner, thank you very much for
creating such an experience.
Overall Rating-
7/10
Fave Tracks- ‘Star
Treatment’, ‘One Point Perspective’, ‘Four out of Five’, ‘American Sports’, ‘The
Ultracheese’
Least Fave
Tracks- ‘Golden Trunks’, ‘The World’s First Ever Monster Truck Front Flip’, ‘She
Looks Like Fun’
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