Arctic Monkeys - Mirrorball

Thoughts? It’s really grown on me. I wasn’t overly keen on the last album at first either and still think it’s a bit patchy, but again, has grown on me. I do like the way they’re prepared to take risks / do whatever they like. They’ve had two classic albums so far and I reckon at some stage will have another.

 

Best band of the last fifty years who have created a catalogue that can only be compared to The Beatles.

Fight me.

 

Got to be in the mood for them. Laura bought me their second album for Christmas ten years ago with the Jake Bugg album. Both got played a couple of times and found themselves in CD cupboard.

 

Oh he's a massive bell end. The Reading/Leeds performance was horrific. But it's class.

 

I can never tell if he really is an arrogant bell end or it's a front because he's actually quite awkward

 

Chuckle

 

I think an endearing combination of the two.

 

I really like it. Don’t get the people who expect bands to be frozen in time.

 

Many bands are frozen in time. Often the best bands released a maximum of 4 albums and called it a day before things got stale (The Smiths/Blink/Nirvana/Pavement). Others morphed into an entirely different beast (Radiohead/Deerhunter). Some released only one or two great albums (Sex Pistols/Joy Division). Some had three or four good albums before regurgitating the same rubbish and becoming irrelevant (Oasis). And some great bands reformed and did the same as before (Pixies/Libertines). And some bands just aren't very good (The Pigeon Detectives/Bastille/that band that did that awful Chelsea Dagger de de de de de de de de de de de de de song). This is all subjective of course

 

I think Nirvana and Joy Division had mitigating circumstances...

 

Whatever People Say.... and AM are true classics. I wouldn't put them in the same bracket as The Beatles though. Only REM get close for me. 15 albums of incredible consistency.

 

If I want easy listening, lounge lizard, baroque rockabilly then I'd just stick my Richard Hawley records on, he's already done what AM are doing now, but better.
I used to love 'em, but they're producing music I don't want from them, like I say, its done better elsewhere, they should have stuck at least somewhere near their orbit.

I think Radiohead did it best, changed by building on who they were and growing into a bigger more eclectic sound while retaining their identity..

 

Absolutely, but you get my drift. Before Ian passed Joy Division were already starting to experiment with synths etc and i've no doubt they would have gone in a New Order-type direction. And Kurt was talking about doing solo stuff with Courtney (folk-oriented) and I don't think he would have continued with/limited himself to churning out pure grunge, as good as In Utero and Nevermind were.

 

I don't mind the new AM tune but I wasn't crazy about their last album, though i commend them for going in a different direction. At the same time, I can't listen to the first couple of albums any more and I'm not bothered about revisiting AM as an album. I like Suck it and See and Humbug. I think i just fell out of love with Arctic Monkeys.

As for Radiohead, what sets them apart is their experimentation and exemplary abilities as musicians imo. This is why bands such as Oasis and AM could never go so far out of their norm, because they have to perform/create within their limitations. Alex Turner is still writing good lyrics and they're not wildly dissimilar to the early days in parts, he has just turned into a hip-swinging crooner in shades, rather than the lad in the adidas tracky, which is fair enough. Radiohead for me are superb and on another plane; I actually prefer Kid A onwards to their earlier stuff, and Johnny Greenwood is the best guitarist of his generation. I should check out more of his film scores!

 

I was gutted I missed the one at Birdwell club a few months before (some mates went). I worked at Cortonwood Morrisons and a cassette (and CDs) went round of those early demos ripped from the internet. Halcyon days, and I bet that gig was amazing, especially in Sheff!

 

Aye you can compare their work to the Beatles as in “the Arctic Monkeys catalogue is wnak compared to the Beatles isn't it?”