7ftSicilians

Gianca

In 2018 the Arctic Monkeys dropped the most confusing yet exciting album that SENT the group in a totally new direction. Tranquility Base Hotel and Casino featured laid-back instrumentals, piano soliloquies, and delicate vocals from the band’s frontman Alex Turner. The album was polarizing within the fanbase due to its departure from the “old Arctic Monkeys sound.” Honestly, I preferred it because of how different their sound was and how it made me melt like butter. In a single sentence, I vanished into the UltraCheese as I examined the photos of people I used to call friends on the wall of my room. Fans had no idea what to expect or if the group would ever release another album. Then, out of nowhere in 2022, like a Nonna with an antipasto plate, the Arctic Monkeys dropped a single and proclaimed their newest album titled The Car. Fittingly, my first listen to this album was in the car on my way to work. Here’s how I felt about the album after transforming into a car.

The first track, also the first single the group released, is called “There Better Be a Mirror Ball.” It starts up with buttery smooth chords and piano. The slight symbol and the masterful keys layered with strings make me feel like floating in air. The track suddenly pauses and proceeds like a James Bond film intro until the main instrumental comes on, with Alex singing over it. It sounds so debonair and jazzy that I can’t imagine these dudes not wearing sunglasses and playing this song. It’s masterfully written, and the instrumentation on this track is exceptionally polished. The song’s outro instrumental is heavenly, with the violins and bass lines intertwined with melodic piano chords. It beautifully transitions into a different-sounding song titled “I Ain’t Quite Where I Think I Am.”

The Monkeys come out swinging with an absolute funk-gasm. The track’s instrumental features more strings and funky bass lines than I’ve heard in a while. This is probably some of the best vox I’ve heard out of Alex, a genuinely magnificent expression of his vocal range. The middle of the song has a sort of intermission until the track restarts with ANOTHER funky bass line. The whole track feels very disorienting and encapsulates the subject matter of Alex’s vocals — feeling out of place wherever he’s singing.

The next track is one of my favorites on the album for its straightforward yet wonderfully adjacent sound compared to anything the Arctic Monkeys have ever released. “Sculptures of Anything Goes” is an absolute masterclass. The ethereal feel and the sound of Jamie Cook’s riffs and Matt Helders’ drums coming through a Moog are just something out of a dream. Pair those with the minor keys gently placed into the mix, and I am turning into a puddle like a priest at midnight mass. The song’s midpoint has a subtle buildup to where the strings come in and continues to snowball, adding instruments as it builds. It’s truly a song about misconception and attempting to escape a former image. This appears to be a personification of what Alex and The Arctic Monkeys are plowing forward with, sound-wise. They leave the day of AM behind them and transcend into a new creative sound.

“Jet Skis on The Moat” is a track that sounds like it could have been written by John Lennon. Alex is a modern-day musical genius with how he can manipulate how he sings on all these tracks. Like the songs before it, the funky bass, keys, strings, and soft drums produce a serene yet nearly melancholy atmosphere for the listener. It’s almost as if he is talking to a jilted lover. I feel like I’m in his shoes the entire track. I wanted to get outta there as I was plunging into the void with Alex.

The next track continues the trend of sad lover tracks on the album. “Body Paint” sounds like a song straight out of David Bowie’s discography with an Arctic Monkey twist. Alex’s vocals sound like he has channeled the spirit of Bowie as he sings about how he has discovered his lover is having an affair. The vocals cut deep as he immediately comes in with, “For a master of deception and subterfuge, You’ve made yourself quite the bed to lie in .”The bridge for the song is so sad yet catchy but infuriating. It’s almost as if you can feel fiery sadness that washes over Alex as he realizes that there’s “Still a trace of Body Paint on his lover. The 2:27 mark of the song has a great harmony of chords and strings. It makes me feel like I’m floating in an endless ocean of despair. Alex’s emotions are desperate and disappointed as he continues to impart these feelings in a masterful vocal performance. The brief guitar solo accompanying his vocals to end the track was a wonderful touch.

And now we are here. The title track of the album….”The Car.” I won’t lie when I say this is NOT what I expected this song to sound like. “The Car” sounds like the title track of a spaghetti western film. I can already see my great-great Nonni riding through Italy on horseback to this track in the background. This track features one of my favorite string compositions in the entire album. The violins and guitars on this track are just angelic. The guitar solo is the album’s first true solo, and I cannot help but envision Jamie riding on a horse and absolutely shredding the Fender. One of my favorite vocals on the entire album comes from this song: “But it ain’t a holiday until, You go to fetch somethin’ from the car .”Overall I had no idea what to expect, but I was blown away by this track.

By this point in the record, I’m convinced that the Arctic Monkeys had an entire orchestra in the studio when they recorded this record. “Big Ideas” is a beautifully composed song about Alex’s creative mind and his wanting to share with the world what is in that brain. The strings, orchestral instrumentation, keys, and somber drums perfectly intertwine on this track. The violins steal the show as Alex harps on about an idea he is so excited to share. “I had big ideas, the band was so excited.” These lyrics hit home from anyone who has ever wanted to share an idea they came up with, only to forget it moments later. The final instrumental brings in Jamie’s electric guitar, and he commands the spotlight whenever possible. This is one of my favorite songs on the record for its simple, elegant, yet moving instrumentation. The close of the track seamlessly transitions into “Hello You.” A wonderful ballad articulates how the band has transitioned to a new chapter and left behind the past “in a thoughtful little daze.”

“Mr Schwartz” is the second to last song on the record, a mellow track with a set of background percussion that is so unique to the record. The song’s beginning is exclusively acoustic guitar and Alex’s vocals with a unique piano chord whenever he mentions this Schwartz character. After he mentions “putting on his dancing shoes,” the percussion kicks in. On the first listen, I heard a maraca, which imparts a subtle Spanish sounding instrumental. The strings layered over what sounds like a mellow bachata beat is a beautiful instrumental where Alex starts to build the world of Mr Schwartz. The song of a suave man masking his true self and pretending to be someone he isn’t.

The closing track on the record, “Perfect Sense,” is, as the title says, a perfect finale to the album. A grand orchestral instrumental with the addition of focal percussion on the album and Alex’s vocals screaming at me made me want him to stay longer. The track does abruptly end, making me feel like there should have been more on this album, but all good records must come to an end.

After listening to this record, I can see why the fans of previous Arctic Monkeys records might not enjoy it. This album is 100% the continuation of the Tranquility Base Hotel and Casino sound but more refined and mastered. The transition of AM from an angsty, electric guitar-ripping group to one that uses orchestral strings and mellow vocals is quite the change. Of course, I can appreciate both of these sounds, but I genuinely feel like the band has produced something special and refined a new sound on The Car.

Verdict: Nonna Approved

Sicilian Score: 8.5/10

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