HUMBUG - TRACK BY TRACK REVIEW
It’s the difficult third album (seeing as how they found the second so fucking easy) from the Arctic Monkeys, and AGCS is here to guide you through Humbug step by step. It’s a long one people, but stick with it!
My Propeller
An ominous start to the album, with lyrics about sticky keys, bald eagles and “momentary synergy”. It all sounds a bit menacing, especially Turner’s delivery of the line “have a spin on my propeller”. Its about as far from Mardy Bum as possible then, and all the more brilliant for it.
8/10
Crying Lightning
First single so should be pretty familiar. A thundering bass-line in the same vein as Old Yellow bricks and lyrics about pick’n’mix make it among the more traditional Arctic Monkeys tracks on the record. I’ve heard this one quite a lot now and still think its a pretty good song. Another high score then.
8/10
Dangerous Animals
Another bass-driven song, with our protagonist “pinned down by the dark”. There’s some truly awesome melodies on this, the production fits perfectly and the chorus is catchy as fuck. One of the best songs they’ve done.
9/10
Secret Door
Or, Arctic Monkeys do The Last Shadow Puppets. Unlike Turner’s side project though, which I found largely disappointing, this is another strong track with easily the best harmonies on the entire record. The last minute alone is enough to bump this up to an 8.
8/10
Potion Approaching
The lyrics on this album are all pretty oblique, and this song is no exception, athough it still manages a pretty memorable chorus. However, it doesn’t manage to maintain the standard set by the songs that came before. Humbug’s weakest track.
6/10
Fire And The Thud
We’re back into subdued, ominous territory here, and it’s clearly a sound which works for the Arctic Monkeys. This track is the most obvious indicator of the albums recording environment, practically screaming “desert”. There’s some great additional vocals from Alison Mosshart as well.
8/10
Cornerstone
Far and away the best song Arctic Monkeys have ever recorded. It might also be Turner’s best vocal ever and, in my opinion, contains his best lyrics. It’s hard to explain why, but the opening line (“I thought I saw you in The Battleship but it was only a lookalike / She was nothing but a vision trick under the warning light”) is easily my favourite on the record. Let’s not beat around the bush - it’s fucking awesome.
10/10
Dance Little Liar
And then they take it down yet again. This is another track which hugely benefits from Homme’s production skills - it’s hard to imagine this fitting on either of their previous albums. It’s a testament to the strength of Humbug that a pretty good track like this manges to feel like a lull, for no discernible reason other than its positioning between two even better songs.
7/10
Pretty Visitors
The heaviest track on the album, with a chorus tailor-made for crowd sing-a-longs and a verse featuring Turner’s quickfire delivery of some of the album’s most nonsensical lyrics. Special mention for the line “What came first the chicken or the dickhead?” What’s not to love?
9/10
The Jeweller’s Hands
Another slow song to close the album, and a downbeat one at that, with a “procession of pioneers all drowned”. Nevertheless, it ends Humbug on a high note, with harmonies swelling in the last two minutes before the song slowly fades out. It’s a fitting conclusion to the best Arctic Monkeys album yet.
8/10
Overall Score: 9/10
As you can see, I’m loving this record. Make sure you get it, because it’s definitely a contender for album of the year.
Jed. x
