Arctic Monkeys
Humbug

"The Arctic Monkeys have changed"

No statement made after the release of the third album by the monkeys was truer. The eternal "Next Big Thing" is back, and this time they've made a mark. More than two years after their last studio album ("Favourite Worst Nightmare"), "Humbug" was released in August 2009, whose name already hints at some signs of change.

The career of the Arctic Monkeys can be traced in three phases: childhood with "Whatever People Say I Am, That's What I'm Not" (a brilliant title), a record full of energy, yes, raw, but still leaves few disappointed, because the technique of these barely 20-year-old lads is already good with a monstrous potential for improvement; then there is the teenage phase with "Favourite Worst Nightmare", showing a clear maturation visible in various tracks (505, Do Me A Favour, Only Ones Who Know).

And now we reach adulthood, with "Humbug" being the brightest demonstration of it. The flair of the band's leader, Alex Turner (who showcased excellent work last year with his side project The Last Shadow Puppets), unleashes once again, and the talented Andy Nicholson and Matt Helders (bassist and drummer respectively) once more confirm themselves as good musicians, the former with some breathtaking bass lines and the latter with the tireless rhythm that he gives the album with his sustained hammering on the drums.

The CD opens with "My Propeller", and never was a better start: over 3 minutes of psychedelic energy, a fully renewed voice (for the better), and endless drumming that already gives the listener an idea of what the album must be like and how much these guys have changed who are writing the new history of English music. With "Crying Lightning", we reach the driving single, an initial bass line, and a hypnotic guitar riff takes you into a new dimension unexplored so far for a band fan, accustomed to the raw and dirty sound of the early years. "Dangerous Animal", with that spelling chorus makes you sing and stomp your feet, and with "Secret Door", you stop to reflect, along with the whispered and pleasantly new voice of Sir Alex Turner.

"Potion Approaching" picks up a bit of the style that had characterized the group in the early years of their career (a very short career so far, considering the early years mean 2006 and 2007) in a psychedelic key. The melancholic "Fire And Thud" is accompanied by the choirs and the bass, while the second single "Cornerstone", one of the best, is the album's most adolescent track, yet very successful. The final trio ("Dance Little Liar", "Pretty Visitors", "The Jeweller's Hands") does not disappoint, particularly "Pretty Visitors" can have a kind of palm like a new "I Bet You Look Good On The Dancefloor".

In any case, we are very far, light-years away from the Arctic Monkeys we left at the end of 2007, namely a pure 100% garage band: today we can also say goodbye to the likes of "Fake Tales Of San Francisco", "Brianstorm", and "From The Ritz To The Rubble", because the Sheffield band has returned more mature and more ready than ever to give a twist to their career. It is still a transitional album, without a precise and defined identity, but one that gives good hope for the future.

An album highly recommended to anyone, even to those who always turned their noses up at the band in question: with the new sound, more stoner rock than British hype, you will be particularly amazed by the band's evolution, which is undergoing an interesting change in sound.