

Arctic Monkeys


  1. 1.
    Do I Wanna Know?
  2. 2.
    R U Mine?
  3. 3.
    Why'd You Only Call Me When You're High?
  4. 4.
    Fluorescent Adolescent
  5. 5.
Arctic Monkeys arrived in 2005 with a blast. Assisted by rave reviews and online word of mouth (they were one of the first bands to benefit from the tangled web of social media), the band quickly became a sensation in the United Kingdom, where they were seen as the heir apparent to the throne left vacant by Oasis, or perhaps the Libertines.
(Their 2006 debut Whatever People Say I Am, That's What I'm Not briefly grabbed the title of fastest-selling album in British history.) What set the group apart was Alex Turner, a singer/songwriter with a biting wit and grasp of English vernacular (not dissimilar to Paul Weller, the godfather of modern British rock). While that particular style often fails to translate to a worldwide audience, Arctic Monkeys broke this tradition, cracking the American market not by sacrificing Turner's trademark storytelling but by beefing up their guitars (sometimes in association with Josh Homme of Queens of the Stone Age). Eventually, Arctic Monkeys laced in some of the louche lounge aspects of Turner's swinging side project the Last Shadow Puppets, but by that point, the band were a staple throughout the world: a respected, adventurous, and successful group who could easily be called Britain's biggest band of the early 21st century.
The band hit the road that February, kicking off a multi-leg tour that ran through the rest of the year. After playing another handful of shows in early 2010, the guys took a short hiatus before reconvening with James Ford for their fourth album. Sessions began that fall, and the resulting Suck It and See arrived in spring 2011. Meanwhile, Turner also wrote music for a Richard Ayoade film, Submarine, whose soundtrack doubled as the frontman's first solo release. In February 2012, Arctic Monkeys released a song entitled "R U Mine?" on their YouTube channel, which indicated that a new album was on the way. A few months later, the band played at the London Summer Olympics opening ceremony, performing "I Bet You Look Good on the Dancefloor" and the Beatles' "Come Together," but it wasn't until the summer of 2013 that a new album was to be revealed. Entitled AM, the fifth album was released in September, a few months after a triumphant headlining performance at Glastonbury 2013, which was opened with the new song "Do I Wanna Know?" Following the supporting tour for AM, the band entered an extended hiatus, during which time the individual members pursued solo projects. Arctic Monkeys resurfaced in April of 2018 with the loungey Tranquility Base Hotel & Casino, a softer affair than their previous albums. Later that they year the band issued the TBH&C B-side "Anyways" as a single. ~ Andrew Leahey & Stephen Thomas Erlewine, Rovi


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