Arctic Monkeys - ‘Tranquility Base Hotel & Casino’: A Review a la Facebook Messenger

Juliette (@juletrwsll): My god I love this opening track. It’s got that weird fairground slightly sleazy sound that you could hear coming out on everything you’ve come to expect. Exactly what I wanted.

Mikhail: “I used to want to be one of the strokes, now look at the mess you made me make” is iconic. The second track is amazing omg.

I’m not there yet omggg. I love this opening track so much ahaha

Four Out Of Five is wonderful

That’s what I’m on. I really like this album. Think it’s exactly what I wanted from them. His vocals are so good

I think I’m like a minute or two ahead of you. Just finished the monster truck song. I think that’s my faav so far.

I’m on monster truck. Rate that. Really liked golden trunks

Why did the guardian only give this 3/5??? Would say it is a solid 4/5 so far

Tbf I can see why someone might give it 3/5. Feel like I’ve been enjoying it a lot but also I can only remember 3 songs so far

I know what you mean. But I think as album it works. Like there’s such a strong aesthetic running throughout it all if you get me?

I wish there were stronger standalone songs tho. I don’t hear a Do I Wanna Know or Why’d You Only Call Me here

I get you. But I think it’s important they did an album like this. Feels like they’ve really considered the album as a whole as, like, an artistic work and experimented a bit with that..

I like how much of Alex’s attitude/sense of humour comes across in the lyrics.

Ennit. He’s a funny writer. Very witty.

And also wasn’t expecting to get emotional about a song called “The World’s First Monster Truck Front Flip”.

Ahahah. Feel like that sums the album up well. Am on the final track.

Same. I need a second listen to collect my thoughts.

Same I think. It’s definitely missing some stand out bangers. I feel like it almost sounds like a soundtrack to some weird indie film

A lot of that tracks sort of do that thing where it builds up and does an on-purpose anticlimactic sudden ending. And it feels like the album is like that as well

!!! Was literally about to say. Why does the ultracheese just end? Like that last note is beautiful. But why does it end there

Yes ultracheese is good but also not an ending song. Like you’re just waiting for the one big banger.

The lack of perfect cadence on it is really bothering me as well ahaha, but maybe that’s like the point.

Yeah I mean Alex turner is a massive 1980s Matt Healy-style pretentious wanker so it definitely is on purpose, but still enjoyed it. Feel like it’s gonna be a grower too.

100% agree. I feel like it’s something you have to think about.

Feel like I’m cursed by the fact that I fucking love star treatment. Think that first track is my fave. Listening to it now again and it’s so fucking good

Oh don’t I said I was gonna listen to the first track again and now I’m on the second. It’s a bit of a trap

The transition between one point perspective and American sports is so seamless

Also lmao @ making a concept album about a dystopian moon society and including a song about the power of heavy handed science fiction

Ahaha. Only Alec Turner honestly. Gonna have to read all the lyrics online

I just finished a second listen and it did the opposite of grow on me. I think I agree w The Guardian tbh

Thought you were liking it? Think we all needs night away from it.

Tbf I’m listened to it again and it’s like I feel like I’m getting further away from it. I don’t mean that like I’m disliking it, but there’s something so inaccessible about it. It’s like what i just said to meg on the comment, feels like I’m watching a David Lynch film

And in the final scene all the characters have suddenly swapped identities and you have no idea what’s going on and you feel a bit lost and cheated that all your fave characters no longer exist because it was all just a dream and feel lost and confused

That’s what I feel this album does

So twin peaks

Honestly. I feel this album is the final episode on twin peaks series 3.

I feel like Alex turner has that “cool detached white boy cynicism” which isn’t quite in pace with the spirit of 2018

Like not everyone has to keep up with a “spirit of 2018”, but it is all very detached

I mean it’s like we’ve got past the point of snarky satire. People started taking the piss out of black mirror’s self-important social commentary. Our political engagement is done thru bizarre memes.

We’re getting stuff like Janelle Monae’s Dirty Computer and Childish Gambino’s This Is America which are both really socially conscious and clever without being pretentious and cynical about everything. And then you have Alex Turner coming in with really vague detached social commentary rooted in 1970s American imagery

Like?????

We’re getting so many socially charged albums which feel genuine and this leaves me so empty. The best are the ones which were personal or emotional. Like monster trucks and ultracheese

Yeah but you can’t compare arctic monkeys to childish gambino though

Soz I’m using this as a draft. Might be chatting shit

Would really disagree with you here though like

Don’t get me wrong I’m not saying that the high-browness of the lyrics is a plus or in any way accessible, but just because it’s 2018 that doesn’t mean every song has to be This Is America. And arctic monkeys have never really done that. Alec Turner’s for the past few albums anyway have often featured pretty out there imagery

I’m not saying every song has to be this is America. But I’m saying that Alex turner is putting on a highbrow aesthetic but I don’t think what he’s saying is particularly important or meaningful

I mean that’s a fair comment

And when you compare that to the general unpretentious but genuine and socially-dense stuff that’s come out this year it makes AM look a bit like they’re the annoying intellectual posh kids in school who thought they were above everyone else’s problems and only worried about the “big abstract issues of society yk”

I mean maybe part of the problem here is that I like the pretention “high brow” kind of art that you’re referencing here

And I probably am that posh intellectual

Printing that out and framing it

Well I wasn’t kidding

Realistically (and I am not saying that I don’t think the album is detached) But I don’t think it’s an option here of one or the other. There is room for both of these here.

I feel like you’re trying to be harsh here for the sake of it a bit. Like I don’t mean that in a salty way.

No tbf the second time I was reading the genius lyrics at the same time. And like it seems like they’re trying to be highbrow without backing it up with enough substance and relying on aesthetic and attitude.

Idk I’m into a few of the songs quite a lot but to me at least the album as a whole just comes off as disingenuous

I think I just take things all a bit personally when people start throwing the whole “pretentious” cars around when it comes to art things

I mean yeah I’m normally you. But also I think there is a bit of a line

I do feel this album is trying to be / is all a bit postmodern, which I think is actually an interesting discussion to be had

Ok listening again and there are like 4 memorable melodies on the entire album

My point to that would be: I think this is an album to be listened to in its entirety start to finish. This isn’t a “singles” album, but I don’t think that’s a bad thing.

I don’t think it has to be. Like Bon Iver’s latest album wasn’t and I loved it

But also i don’t know if there’s enough here to judge it on anyway. Like the commentary is half-baked. His lyrics are really witty and he’s got some great lyrical turns, but they’re also clearly not as clever as he thinks they are.

And I think you can have both. Like you can have a strong concept with a consistent thematic through line without sacrificing melodic strength and “single potential” bc it’s not mutually exclusive. Blonde

Blonde is so different though. Again you can’t compare this with blonde at all

No yeah obvs not the same. But it’s an example that you don’t have to sacrifice melody and accessibility for theme and metaphor and whatever.

But blonde very much has distinct singles and songs on it, which I think Alex T was purposely trying to reject here.

Idk maybe I just have a lower tolerance for artsiness.

Ngl they sound miles apart but the album reminded me in a really weird way of ‘I like it when you sleep for you are so beautiful ..’; the outsized sense of importance; tenuous links to modern culture; avery specific type of English boy humour. But difference is I love that album

I love that album bye

Lmao

At the end of day, I do find “interesting” simulating.

Yeah but also: Donald Trump’s presidency is “interesting”

………

………………….

….

lol

The only reason it’s interesting is because it’s a lounge album from a band that got big making catchy indie rock. Like it’s a self-aware statement on the expectations on them and so Alex turner put out this album with no catchy songs, and that makes it interesting.

I think it does add a different dimension to the music. Because like half of art is context. But still. What else????

I mean I would disagree. I don’t like it because it’s arctic monkeys doing something different. Like I’m not saying I think it’s amazing. This album is the musical version of twin peaks. That’s all I’m saying

Gonna listen to it again tomorrow in the morning. But it’s definitely a night time album

Though tbf I’ve put like 3 songs on a playlist and been listening on repeat. Idk why I like monster trucks so much. And the whole of one point perspective. Four out of five.

This is why I don’t think you can do a for/against thing of it. I think if we did a for against if it, it makes either of us have to fight a side. And it’s not like you hate it,and it’s not like I’m saying it is a historic life changing album. It’s an album which is kinda refusing to be pinned down. And it is complex and there are good bits and there are bits which are slow and leave you frustrated, and I don’t think you can do it justice really by coming down on one side.

This is true. Although I’m starting to feel it has 3/4 good songs but is overall not a good album. Like the overall quality of the music is ok, but I’m starting to get quite annoyed at it lmao

I almost think the opposite. Like the songs are ok but it’s a better album than its songs if that makes sense idk? Like it has it’s own weird logic and charm to it as a whole, but listen to some of the tracks our of context and it’s like

This is a bit meh. Maybe that’s a bit harsh, but think they all prop each other up.

Like it’s vague enough an album that you could argue it’s great or shit and probably both be equally right

Tbh

But I’m landing on the side of “it’s vague and I don’t think it’s actually saying anything worthwhile but using that vagueness and a charming/annoying personality to get by”

I think time could do this album well. Like if they make another album with a load of bangers on, people might appreciate this one a bit more for being its own separate entity maybe where Alex turner just did his own thing a bit.

But we’ll see.

Can we just pretend that batphone doesn’t exist lmao