Arctic Monkeys

After gaining a cult following for their transcendent album “Fluorescent Adolescents,” indie-punk band Arctic Monkey’s fifth studio release AM lives up to the band’s rising expectations, while evolving into something more meaningful than previous albums.

           

Though harboring a fan base that can easily be labeled as “leather-jacket,” lead singer Alex Turner’s lyrical turn-of-phrase often results in something more evocative than his song titles might suggest. Much of what AM is built off of is not only Turner’s tactful though impulsive songwriting, but the emotional barriers he sometimes neglected in previous albums. Take this line from AM’s lead single Do I Wanna Know?, “Maybe I’m too busy being yours too fall for somebody new.” This brand of more sensitive songwriting is not exhibited in previous albums, accounting for a lot of the album’s commercial and critical achievements as well as improving on the band’s value itself. What separates AM from its predecessors is the emotional undercurrent seamlessly woven into the greaser-style sound Turner spends most of his time working on. And along with their classically indie-strummed guitar solos, Turner’s diverse (and nonetheless beautiful) vocal range and the band’s innovative song structure that’s kept listeners rapt for over a decade, AM proves to be the most haunting yet of the Monkeys’ albums.

Though some might say it clashes altogether with their slicked-back and stolid personality, the depth in which AM is built upon actually improves on the punk-rockers’ individualized sound, and with the angsty spirit that the band is renowned for playing live, there is no stopping Arctic Monkeys.

SHIELDS: THE B-SIDES - REVIEW.

            Renowned for their chart-topping single “Two Weeks,” Indie-atmospheric band Grizzly Bear released their fourth studio album Shields in September 2012, and earlier this year released the albums B-sides. While Shields did well to live up to post-Veckatimest expectations, their B-sides release took a different approach to exploring the band’s musical complexities.

            While their previous albums were experimental in terms of musicality, their B-sides explore the other component of the band’s attention-grabbing euphony. The vagrant instrumental echoes and influential sound still manages to work well for them but were it not for the as-yet-unheard lyrics nothing would be too valuable about this release. Take this line of Will Calls: “oily hands, slippery slope, pointed fangs without scope.” Compared to the chart-stealing qualities of the band’s upbeat lyrics Grizzly Bear brings an element of seriousness to the table. Defiant of their palpable indie-impressed songwriting, their B-sides are progressive in their nature and, combined with the ever-haunting vocals of lead singer Edward Droste, put together another satisfactory 8-track album.

            Contradictory in nature and theme to their ubiquitous though interchangeable sound, Grizzly Bear’s B-side release of their widely acclaimed Shields does just as well in approaching atmosphere and human qualities through their eerie melodies and excess eloquence.

            Grizzly Bear is playing at the Falls Festival, Sydney, December 28, 29 and 31