We’re counting down our writers’ top 100 albums of 2013. See numbers 100-51 here, numbers 50-6 here and check back soon for the rest of the top 5 and the full list.
From the thrilling opening of Do I Wana Know? to the majestic conclusion of I Wana Be Yours, Arctic Monkeys’ fifth album finds the Sheffield four-piece in the form of their career.
AM is packed with some of the best songs the band have ever written, with tracks such as R U Mine?, One For The Road, Arabella and Why’d You Only Call Me When You’re High delivered with an unmistakable swagger. What’s more – as demonstrated perfectly by the infectious Snap Out Of It – the album is a lot of fun.
Then there’s the lyrics, which are positively bristling with sexual tension, as Alex Turner once again shows why he is regarded as one of the best in the business. Ultimately, AM is the compelling end result of an evolution that began when Arctic Monkeys’ joined forces with Josh Homme for 2009’s Humbug. At the time, many were unsure about their change in direction, but now, those doubters simply seem foolish. AM is an extravagant and fabulously dirty triumph, one more than worthy of the widespread acclaim that has been showered upon it.
What we said: “Fittingly, the album closes with I Wanna Be Yours, a typically majestic ballad that lifts lyrics from a John Cooper Clarke poem of the same name – with Turner previously citing the poet as a major influence. It feels like a perfect summation of where the Arctic Monkeys are at in their career, with AM marking the natural progression from Humbug and Suck It And See. While the days of the indie dancefloor hits from their first two records may be long gone, the Arctic Monkeys we’re left with now are undoubtedly at the top of their game.” – Andy Baber
Arctic Monkeys MP3s or CDs
Arctic Monkeys on Spotify
