Hotly-anticipated concept album from Sheffield indie rockers the Arctic Monkeys! Fans have never had to wait more than 24 months for a new Arctic Monkeys record, but following the smash success of 2013’s AM, they’ve had to wait more than double that amount of time, and Tranquility Base Hotel + Casino was worth it and then some. The album was rolled out with minimal promotion and no lead single to speak of (our distributor even specifically asked us not to post any pictures of the vinyl prematurely for fear of some of the lyrics getting out). Truthfully, the band feel that TBH+C is best experienced in its entirety (as it’s a bit of a sonic departure from AM) and we couldn’t agree more: the concept of the Arctic Monkeys as in-house jazz band for a hotel on the moon isn’t easy to digest in 3 minutes. Alex Turner’s vocal delivery has slowed down a bit, and coupled with the band’s laidback grooves and loungey, piano-centric arrangements, tracks like “American Sports,” “One Point Perspective” and “Batphone” hint at some of Pulp’s finer moments (or maybe we can finally hear how similar Turner’s sleazy Sheffield accent is to Jarvis’). There’s no frenetic indie festival anthems; no “When The Sun Goes Down” or “Flourescent Adolescent,” but instead we get something along the lines of Ziggy Stardust (come to think of it, a few of these tracks actually sound quite a lot like Bowie), something fans will likely pour over and dissect for years to come. Highlights include “Golden Trunks,” “The World’s First Ever Monster Truck Front Flip” and “Star Treatment.” Black vinyl pressing housed in gatefold sleeve with 16-page booklet and download code, released by Domino.

• black vinyl pressing
• gatefold sleeve
• 16 page booklet
• digital download included
• music label: Domino 2018

reviewed by big dumb man 05/2018

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