Its June 13th, 2003. Four lads from Sheffield have lugged their equipment into a minuscule bar called The Grapes to play for a small crowd of drunk Englishmen. Without hesitation Alex Turner, Jamie Cook, Matt Helders, and Andy Nicholson plunge into their first official show as Arctic Monkeys. Fearless, spunky, and ambitious, the band plays a short but memorable set complete with Turner’s quick-fire lyrics, Cook’s energetic guitar, Helders’ thunderous drums, and Nicholson’s steady bass lines. Little do these four teenage boys know, this is just the beginning.
Fast forward to early 2009. Turner has resumed his duties as a Monkey after a brief duration in The Last Shadow Puppets and Nick O’Malley has replaced Nicholson on bass. Working around their tour schedule, these four men, now sporting shaggy hair and cigarettes, begin work on their third album.
From it’s inception Humbug was different from it’s predecessors. Recorded in the Californian desert with producer Josh Homme (of Queens of the Stone Age) and New York City with James Ford, this piece is a departure from the traditionally spikey, British-infused tunes Arctic Monkeys had been known for. Long gone were the days of tracky bottoms tucked in socks, riot vans, and pesky bouncers. Heavy guitar, darker vocals, and deeper lyrics transform this young band of trouble makers into full-fledged mature musicians.
Individually, each track on Humbug is a masterpiece. But to look at the album as a whole is to fully understand and appreciate the genius of Turner, Cook, Helders, and O’Malley. From the initial roll of drums at the start of My Propeller to the fade out of The Jeweller’s Hands this album takes every listener through a range of emotions, places, people, ideas, and dreams. Ebbing and flowing, surging and retreating, building up and breaking down. Humbug is a journey.
Enough of this analytical stuff, what has Humbug done for me personally? It has, in short, changed the way I listen to music. Was this album love at first listen? Hell no. Did I fully understand how the band was developing? Nah. Can I even understand what the hell Alex is saying in Pretty Visitors? Nope. But (and I thank the heavens for whatever compelled me to do this) I kept listening. And I listened some more. And again. Once more for good measure. It was only in a dark hotel room in Cape Cod unable to sleep and listening to Humbug for what seemed like the hundredth time did the greatness of this work fully hit me. On a week long getaway with my dad to the east coast, jet-lagged and crestfallen, I realized I was listening to a work of art. It seems only in that state of physical and emotional exhaustion could I appreciate this album for what it is worth. The sweetness of Secret Door, the ferocity in Pretty Visitors, the lust in My Propeller. Not only had I grown to enjoy this album, I was in love. From that point forward Humbug was much more than an album to me; it was a companion. Too many times I have come home from school upset, mad at life, mad at myself. And in those times when everything seemed to be falling apart, the instance my ears were filled with “if you can summon the strength, tow me,” all my problems dissolved. Nothing I had ever listened to before was able to change my mood so rapidly and so positively. Humbug, however, had that capability. No, I’ve never had a spin on a propeller or held a jeweller’s hand, but something in those ten songs comforted me in a way no others could.
Long ago was that late night revelation, but my feelings stay true to this very day. It seems as if Humbug is different every listen, more layers to unfold, more sounds to discover. This album has taught me to not judge something upon first listen, to wait and explore the sounds before deeming it boring or too hard to understand. It has also trained me to look at an album as a whole, not just song by song. There is a thread that runs through Humbug that is only apparent after listening to and contemplating it as one single piece, rather than 10 separate entities.
Humbug has also proved to me the aptitude Arctic Monkeys have for crafting and performing great songs no matter the conditions. The pictures painted by their first release, Whatever People Say I Am That’s What I’m Not, and experiences explored in their sophomore album Favorite Worst Nightmare could only be characterized as an Arctic Monkeys album (does that make sense??). Something about those four boys from Sheffield playing together created immediately enjoyable tunes to which only could be delivered by this band. However, Humbug departed from those tales of bars and parties yet still remained distinctly Monkeys-esque. Something about these ten tracks has Arctic Monkeys written all over them, whether it be Turner’s intricate lyrics or the mature musicianship of the four young men. This fact proved to me their ability to grow and change, yet still keep true to what made me love them when i first listened to Favourite Worst Nightmare in early 2011: good songs. They are good in a different way, not as immediate as the ones that came before but even more deep emotionally and interesting musically. There is nothing I love more than a band that remains true to themselves as artists and that is exactly what Arctic Monkeys bring to the table with Humbug.
Although I did not have the honor of seeing Arctic Monkeys live until the fall of 2011, I have thoroughly briefed myself on all available performance footage and audio from the Humbug era and conclude that some of the best shows they have played were during that time. Trading sweatshirts for heavy coats and short haircuts for long curls, Arctic Monkeys clearly stepped up their game when performing their new tracks. Accompanied by John Ashton on keys, the boys breathed new life into old tracks like Still Take You Home and wowed crowds with new ones such as their cover of Red Right Hand. More than once have I become enraged at my freshman self for not making myself aware of this band at a time when their live performances amazed crowds from Tokyo to right here in San Diego.
So nine paragraphs later, here we are. What have we learned today? Well for starters, I think we now all know the extent to which I am irrevocably in love with Humbug. I think we’ve also learned I have spent a little too much time contemplating the intricacies of this album. But can you blame me? What Arctic Monkeys have created is something that will stay with me forever, and I am eternally grateful for the influence this album and the rest of their work has had on not only my music taste, but my growth as a person as well.
I hope you’ve all enjoyed this week of favorite albums!! Stay tuned for an announcement concerning next week’s theme!!
-Nicole :3
Anonymous
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