Landing in a very common crisis…
[Video][Website]
[5.17]
Scott Mildenhall: The Arctic Monkeys have done very well for themselves. Pretty much all big bands who’ve been around long enough to have past glories live off them, but few to the extent that they have. This is the first single from their fifth album — just how many of the millions of people who watched their Glastonbury performance on TV knew anything from the last three? If those who didn’t weren’t sure why that was, then upon watching they’ll have realised: post-2007, MySpace’s finest got boring. “Do I Wanna Know” has the same clompy turgidity that’s characterised much of their singles output since then, and it’s still hard to get beyond that. The lyrics are great (even just for “settee” and “simmer down”), but that doesn’t make the song much more engaging a listen on its own.
[6]
Iain Mew: The quickfire observational poetry that they began with has pretty much been reduced to Alex Turner artfully stretching out lines past their intuitive ends. The way that he carefully places the word “summat” like a lyrical Jenga champion is still something to behold, but it’s a minor detail amongst the song’s heavy rock stomp. Which is something that Arctic Monkeys have become increasingly good at, and the sludgy climax is powerful stuff. As much as I can appreciate years studying that craft, though, it still doesn’t get to me in the same way as they used to while appearing effortless.
[6]
Patrick St. Michel: A plodding affair that teases something interesting — especially when Alex Turner’s voice gets all fluttery during the chorus — but never actually arrives anywhere.
[4]
Alfred Soto: Garrulousness at a methamphetamine pace was their strength, and after an incomprehensible third album they recovered in 2010. Now they’re back to forcing us to listen to Alex Turner.
[3]
Brad Shoup: Grim, sticky turnarounds played on the saddest guitars; assonance carefully threaded into an interrogation; a half-crusher of a baroque chorus. Even when they don’t quite pull something off, it seems like design.
[8]
Crystal Leww: This sounds like a last ditch attempt to hook up with you after no girl would bite at last call. It’s trying to be sexy with the come ons (the bassline) but just ends up sounding sad (oh baby, I just keep coming back to you). Go home, Arctic Monkeys.
[4]