Album Review: Arctic Monkeys - Suck It And See

Arctic Monkeys - Suck It And See

After a couple of years off, the Arctic Monkeys are back. Suck It And See is the band's fourth studio album, reuniting them with producer James Ford, the man responsible for their mega selling first two records.

It's taken me a while to grow to love the Arctic Monkeys, despite buying everything they have released along the way. Clearly everyone loves a bit of I Bet That You Look Good On The Dancefloor and Brianstorm, but it's only in the last year or two that I have really started appreciating their less instantly accessible music.

Suck It And See contains plenty of that. There's precious little effervescent guitar pop of the likes of When The Sun Goes Down or Fluorescent Adolescent here; indeed it's mostly slow paced indie rock. Whilst many have criticised this direction - Kitty Empire in the Guardian called Suck It And See 'lovelorn, crafted, elegantly played, but somehow unelectrifying', I actually really like it. Their songwriting has improved and while the more mature, well-rounded songs take a bit more time to sink in than their early work, they're no worse for it.

Saying that you like the Arctic Monkeys is hardly a contentious or controversial position to take. However, Suck It And See is yet another excellent record from one of the best British bands of their generation.