Review
Arctic Monkeys
AM

By the end of their erogenous fifth LP, the Arctic Monkeys have asked three questions: "Do I Wanna Know?", "R U Mine?" and "Why'd You Only Call Me When You're High?". All three tracks were released as singles, with each begging the carnal fury pulsing in their latest record, AM. Remarkably, each of the three tracks signify distinct stylistic nuances, fluent throughout the album. Here, the four UK natives, now in their late 20's, are in their prime, extending their limits and copping new ruses.

At the Rock for People Fest in the Czech Republic, whilst proclaiming his vocal contributions for the AM tune, "Knee Socks", Josh Homme of Queens of the Stone Age described AM as "...a sexy, after-midnight record". And it couldn't be summed up any better. This is coming from a guy who played an integral role in making the band what they are today. Homme's production work on 2009's Humbug was as sonically stunning as it was subverting. Offering the Monkey's new branches to swing from, armed with an arsenal of haunting tricks and backed by a musical monolith, the Sheffield boys grew to be men.

AM is an extension of those influences, but matched by further inspirations and designs. Fashioning flairs from early Rock & Roll to suave R&B, there's a little something here for everyone. In "Arabella", they fluently carry out a thumping hip-hop refrain that marches straight into a riff right out of a Black Sabbath song (ahem, think of pigs at war). No fit ever feels like something these guys aren't capable of pulling off. Although, it also makes clear how they're best when true to form. 

"Why'd You Only Call Me When You're High?" feels about as awkward as the title. No doubt, it succeeds in entertaining; opening like a Dr. Dre track, it reels into a scandalous pop descant sporting a leather jacket and sunglasses by night. Released in August as AM's third single, it's what the Arctic Monkeys might sound like as a boy band on Aftermath Entertainment. Despite it's odd appeal, it has an initial sense of pleasing in an ironic, 'what-in-the-hell?' sort of way. 

On "Fireside", frontman Alex Turner modishly ponders how, "That place on memory lane you like still looks the same, but something about it's changed". In one of AM's finest moments, this lyrical depiction could doubly pronounce just how far the group has come. Arctic Monkeys experienced what could be considered the greatest recent example of early fame eruption, thanks to file sharing, with their 2006 debut, Whatever People Say I Am, That's What I'm Not. It remains the fastest selling debut album of all time, and yet a glimmer of what the band is today, holds no restrain in their voguish evolution and maturity. 

With an arbitrary approach to songwriting, Arctic Monkeys have developed infectiously. Are there dubious moments on AM? Sure. Amidst all the question marks, ender, "I Wanna Be Yours", eases hazily, resting ill placed at the close of a rock-strewn, eclectic collection of songs. But there's never anything worth entirely forsaking here. Despite their monkey business, these guys are a virtuous spectacle, keeping good company, and showing no signs of freezing.