鈥淭he Car,鈥� Arctic Monkeys (Domino Records)
Open the door and step into the epic film reel of the Arctic Monkey's dreamy journey, 鈥淭he Car鈥� 鈥� it's quirky, expansive and deeply soulful.
The British alternative rock group is two decades into its career and has forged an oxymoronic edgy path forward in a self-assured, cinematic behemoth of a seventh album.
鈥淭he Car" shouldn't work but it does and it's magic. It's reminiscent of '70s neo-soul/funk but incorporates a grand orchestra that builds into a conflicting burst of release throughout the album. It feels like uneven textures clashing against each other. Still, it allows itself to be playful and ridiculous, primarily due to lead singer Alex Turner's impeccable vocals and earnest but also sardonic lyrics.
The opening track 鈥淭here'd Better Be A Mirrorball,鈥� introduces the album's romantic and grand production with an upbeat but coy Arctic Monkeys sound. The 4-minute-long ballet builds like a movie soundtrack while Turner sings, 鈥淪o if you wanna walk me to the car/You oughta know I鈥檒l have a heavy heart. So can we please be absolutely sure/That there鈥檚 a mirrorball?"
The lead single, 鈥淏ody Paint," is a sultry examination of a lover鈥檚 potential infidelity. The song is soaked with longing and sadness as Turner sings, 鈥淚f you鈥檙e thinking of me, I鈥檓 probably thinking of you.鈥�
Each song on 鈥淭he Car鈥� is deeply romantic and intentionally grand. The heavy strings layered against soaring guitar solos from band member Jamie Cook on 鈥淏ig Ideas" push the band鈥檚 new sound to unknown limits.
Heavy-hitting songs like 鈥淪culptures of Anything Goes,鈥� sound like the dark, mysterious Arctic Monkeys that most listeners are most familiar with on their 2013 smash hit album 鈥淎M.鈥� But don't be fooled, the song builds and builds like a grandiose European noir spy thriller.
鈥淗ello You鈥� allows the band to have some romantic fun in a lounge-y ballad. Turner apologizes to a lover "Hello you/Still dragging out a long goodbye? I ought to apologize/For one of the last times."
In a perfect conclusion to a larger-than-life album, 鈥淧erfect Sense鈥� closes out 鈥淭he Car鈥� with a stunning, harmonic ballad that says goodnight to its listeners like a bedtime story or the peaceful resolution to a film.
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Nardos Haile, The Associated Press
