It's been a long time since an alternative band has inspired such enthusiasm with each successive release. The Arctic Monkeys are now eight years on from the release of their debut though and the heat doesn't seem to be dying down. With that in mind and the announcement of their July show at Phoenix Park (tickets on sale tomorrow), we've decided to rank the band's albums:
5) Humbug (2009)
It's the strange and murky album that never quite caught on. For all its oddities and gloomy repetitiveness however, Humbug will surely be an album that future Arctic Monkeys' scholars will enthuse over. It's different. It's progressive. It's on a whole plain of its own. Without it, I daresay they may never have broken through and made the great AM.
Standouts: "Dance Little Liar," "Crying Lightning" and "Cornerstone"
4) Suck It and See (2011)
Like other Arctic Monkeys' albums, this contained a reoccurring sound; that of classic LA rock guitars. It was a bit obscure on the side of singles ("Don't Sit Down Cause I've Moved Your Chair" anyone?) but this album has an enduring quality in their canon. It grows and grows on you, unlike any of their other, more immediate releases. It's slow but hynoptic, calm but with moments of extremities- a simple rock album in a time of hip-hop, some might say.
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Standouts: "Suck It and See," "The Hellcat Sprangled Shalalala" and "She's Thunderstorms"
3) Favourite Worst Nightmare (2007)
It's like the first album; more of the same. With a band like this however, moving on only a year after their debut, that was most acceptable. From the sonic-speed of "Brianstorm" through to the slow-closer "505," it showcases a developing band. While its slightly more abstract themes and lyrics wouldn't quite prepare us for Humbug, it did more than enough to satisfy the fans.
Standouts: "Fluorescent Adolescent," "505" and "Brianstorm"
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2) AM (2013)
While Alex Turner felt that SIAS had its "moments," he felt it ran thin after touring for awhile. The plan was to make the band's most exciting record since 2005/6. What emerged was something fairly familiar but altogether, a different beast to their previous output. With elements of Dre-inspired hip hop and falsetto backing vocals throughout, this has proved to be their most successful album, critically and commercially, in awhile.
Standouts: "Do I Wanna Know," "Arabella" and "Snap Out Of It"
1) Whatever People Say I Am, That's What I'm Not (2006)
Albums of a generation: Sgt Peppers (1967); Never Mind The Bollocks (1976); Thriller (1982); Definitely Maybe (1994) and this? Well, it's a big claim to make and many would debate on it but the Arctic Monkey's first album made an immediate impact upon release. It was an album the youth could relate to, about nights out, taxi ranks and scummy men. Today, it seems a world apart from what they're doing now but this album's anthems will always have a place in their setlists.
Standouts: "When The Sun Does Down," "Fake Tales of San Francisco" and "A Certain Romance"
