Every now and then you come across an album that feels like it was
written especially for you, almost tailor-made. That's how I feel about
AM.
Let's start with how it sounds. It's catchy pop
mixed with heavy rock mixed with deep dark raunchy sex mixed with
longing mixed with amazing hip hop beats yet it's not hip hop. Then
you've got songs like Fireside which sound like something you've heard
before but you can't quite put your finger on it. And even the lyrics
seem to reflect that feeling of nostalgia, That place on memory lane
you liked still looks the same but something about it's changed.
Everything seems so carefully thought out on this album. With each
listen you find a new little gem that you hadn't noticed before.
It starts off with Do I
Wanna Know?, with its slow thumping beat which gets more and more intense
as the song goes on. The lyrics, about something I'm sure everyone can
relate to, that infatuation and despair you feel at the beginning of any
kind of relationship when you don't know what it is, if it's love, if
it's lust, if it's nothing, does the other person feel what I'm feeling? Have you no idea that you're in deep? I dreamt about you nearly every
night this week. Then the line, How many secrets can you keep? which
seems to suggest this is some kind of secret affair or that the person
involved doesn't want to admit their true feelings to the other person.
The next two songs express this same feeling of longing and doubt, but
in different ways. Then there's Arabella, the heaviest track on the
album, which everyone has been saying sounds like Black Sabbath. But try
not to get too caught up on that and pay attention to the incredible
lyrics! And a Helter Skelter round her little finger and I ride it
endlessly. Who else but Alex Turner could express the idea of being
wrapped around someone's little finger so eloquently? Absolute genius.
The chorus too, it's easy to not notice the lyrics because of
that heavy groove that all you wanna do is rock out to, but listen: My
days end best when the sunset gets itself behind that little lady
sitting on the passenger side. It's much less picturesque without her
catching the light. The horizon tries but it's just not as kind on the
eyes. Now come on, how beautiful is that?! :')
The ironically titled No. 1 Party Anthem, which evokes imagery of a lonely old man playing piano in the corner of a smokey bar, with lyrics like It's not like I'm falling in love, I just want you to do me no good, and you look like you could, which are sort of reminiscent of similar lyrics from Suck it and See on their previous album of the same name (You've got that face that just says "Baby, I was made to break your heart"). It's that feeling everyone knows, of giving yourself to someone, of letting yourself be vulnerable to another person, knowing this person is capable of doing so much damage to you (and probably will), but you almost want them to. Fireside I think is probably my favourite song off AM, just because of its unique sound; you listen to it and feel like you're in a beautiful movie scene, where you're driving a convertible around steep cliffs, hair blowing in the wind and the crashing waves below, reminiscing about love lost. You listen to it and you feel like you've heard it before, it takes you to a place you've been before but you don't know where/what it is. Snap Out of It - gotta admit that I WISH Alex Turner would grab my shoulders and shake me. And Knee Socks, which I can't say I was much of a fan of at first, but that's because I hadn't realized how sexy it is. The ghost in your room that you always thought didn’t approve of you knocking boots, never stopped you letting me get hold of the sweet spot by the scruff of your knee socks. Ahh!! Alex, stop it!! And then when the instantly recognizable voice of Josh Homme comes in at the end... Just perfection. And that last track, I Wanna be Yours, don't even get me started. The slow sexy RnB with those incredible (and hilarious, at times) lyrics. Beautiful. And it seems to sum up the entire album in one simple sentence. Maybe I just wanna be yours. Perfect. PERFECT.
It's been so long since I've loved an album this much; that's why I had to write this "review". The whole thing is absolute perfection from start to finish. 10/10. Please do yourself a favour and give AM a listen. :)
