(Single from album, “AM”)
I think there’s a tendency with the music of Alex Turner, to be drawn in by the ferocious long-windedness of it all and the way this is smartly juxtaposed by a sub-3-minute half-pop/half-indie-psychadelia sound, whose 'edgy' topic and physical devotion to the concept of the B-side give the release a classier feel than the next, imminently download-only #1 that will plague the airwaves in the coming week. Unwittingly, you love it regardless of the content – hey, even I caught on to that vintage vibe that the band now can’t help but exude, having rollicked their way through over a decade of music-making to land here in 2013, clinging to an original sound, a loyalty that is rarely seen amongst other contemporary acts whose evolving musical themes become as much a dramatic aesthetic of their existence as the music itself.
Arctic Monkeys have avoided that and continue, quite admirably, to release songs with names that stretch to unholy Morrissey-like lengths and which incorporate Cobain-esque vocals that follow a lead guitar line. It’s nothing short of cool on the indie scene, and it has pretty much always seemed and sold that way. But, as I said, you love it because it’s different, regardless of the content, and what you get here materially, is a pretty humdrum, nothing all-that-special-pop-song-about-drugs. All right, there’s a clobbering guitar-lick or two, but what of it in the long run? There just isn’t an abundance of phenomenal factors here –the awesome part really, is the rock ‘n’ roll swagger that are more a part of the image than a strong, standalone sound. In fairness to the band, it’s not a bad UK Top 40 track and certainly, it’s one of the strongest re-hashings of the “Whatever People Say I Am, That’s What I’m Not” formula – it’s just that, if we're honest, we’ve heard it all before.
★★★
Versions of "Why’d You Only Call Me When You’re High?”
Album/Single Version - 2:41