From the Ritz to the Rubble?

From this...

To this.

It was late 2005 when the Arctic Monkeys burst out of High Green with their first single since signing with Domino, 'I Bet You Look Good on the Dancefloor.' That was the song that defined a generation, that was the song that became basically everyone's childhood theme tune, that was the song that still gets people dancing at 18ths all over the country no matter what walk of life you may have come from. Then came the album, full of teenage tales of drinking cider in parks and getting thrown out of clubs weekend after weekend. It was as if the Arctic Monkeys came as a refreshing break from the over produced bands, bands that they provided a much needed antidote for. This band famed themselves on not being 'famous' and this is why we loved them. However, in recent years, the Arctic Monkeys have taken a blatant turn, whether it be for better or for worse, they are worlds apart from the spotty teenage lads they once were, ranting about wannabes and dodgy parts of town.

'Favourite Worst Nightmare' didn't come as much of a surprise. The girtty lyrics of 'flicking through a little book of sex tips' and 'running off over next doors garden' still remained along with fast paced guitars and catchy riffs. However, a new side to the band was shown, especially on tracks like '505' and 'Only Ones Who Know.' Nothing drastic though, just a mature and grown up edge to their music that they once lacked in their earlier EPs and of course 'Whatever People Say I am, That's What I'm Not.' 'Favourite Worst Nightmare' still strikes me as some of their most credible work to date, especially tracks like 'Do Me A Favour' and 'If You Were There Beware.'

A long two years went by until the Arctic Monkeys released their third studio album, 'Humbug.' That large chunk of time the boys deprived of us new material came as a catalyst for a total revamp of the Arctic Monkeys. Not only had Turner's hair got slightly bigger but the sound of the Arctic Monkeys as we knew them had completely changed. They sounded even maturer and much like a product of their influences rather than the odd-balls in a world of musical clones they once were which could simply have been a result of the input Josh Homme had on this album, or maybe Miles Kane influenced Turner during his time working on side project, Last Shadow Puppets.

Although the bands image and musical style had undergone a slight refurbishment, the Arctic Monkeys had definitely not lost their mojo. In my opinion, 'Humbug' is neither better nor worse than either of it's predecessors but it definitely did showcase the bands musical range and if anything, it made me eager to hear the next chapter in the Arctic Monkeys' story. That chapter came in the form of well received fourth album, 'Suck It And See.' The Arctic Monkeys had adopted a vintage, almost sixties style to their music on this record, heavily apparent on tracks like 'Black Treacle' and 'Piledriver Waltz.' This album was definitely the turning point for the Arctic Monkeys. 'Humbug' was like the warm up for what was to come. Now tracks like 'A Certain Romance' and 'Mardy Bum' sound like they could be the work of an entirely different band.

It has now been 2 weeks since the release of AM, the 5th helping of Turner, Helders, Cook and O'Malley and it is safe to say that the Arctic Monkeys have changed their sound yet again. A much more rock'n'roll vibe has been adopted on this record but it seems as though they have lost their sense of attack. Alright, 'Arabella' has some pretty heavy riffs, but its no 'View From the Afternoon.' The album is certainly not a bad effort but I feel like it's passed its sell-by-date. It pains me to say this but the Arctic Monkeys are nowhere near as unpredictable and plain exciting as they were 6 or 7 years ago. AM was not a shock to the system, and neither was Turner's new rock star approach to everything. I mean, he even forgot the words to '505' at Itunes festival. The question is, have the Arctic Monkeys got too big for their boots despite not having much to boast?