Arctic Monkeys - Humbug

Rating

: * * * *

Verdict

:

Sheffield's finest stop monkeying around and head into the deep dark desert

Ever since the Arctic Monkeys kicked and screamed their way out of Sheffield in 2005, with berserk single

I Bet You Look Good On the Dancefloor

, they've been jumped-up to the point of cocky.

If it was spoilt-brat, punky-dance-rock you were after then the band's first two albums, in particular debut

Whatever People Say I Am, That's What I'm Not

, was where it was at.

In contrast, on third album,

Humbug

, they've been beaten with a stoner stick and inspired by the desert rock boogie-woogie of

Queens of the Stone Age

leader Josh Homme, who produced most of the album at his studio in the Mojave Desert.

There are two ways you can look at this change in mood. For some, it might come across as if Homme has taken away the band's adolescent excitement. Or, and this is more the case, he has channelled their brazen enthusiasm and conjured up a more mature and, ultimately, more diverse record.

Yes, there is a niggling feeling that Homme's presence is a little too overwhelming, with the Queens' melodic heaviness, spooky soundscapes, and twisted time signatures a strong feature of the album on druggy Doors jaunt

Potion Approaching

, and the eerie

Dance Little Liar

, where Alex Turner croons as if he's high on cactus juice.

But the Monkeys' mischevious energy, punchy posturing, and cheeky lyrics (including lines like "my chances turned to toast" and stories about aggravating icecream men), are never far away on songs like first single

Crying Lightning,

with its creepy bass lurch and lofty melodic outbursts, and

Dangerous Animals,

which is sure to make your "head pirouette".

Perhaps rather appropriately the highlight of the album is

Pretty Visitors

because it brings together the best of both Homme's and the Monkeys' talents as it moves seamlessly between rampant punk, deep demented chords, and a frenzied all-in attack.

The three non-Homme tracks - dreamy opener

My Propeller

,

Secret Door

(with the lovely recurring line "fools on parade"), and the wistful

Cornerstone

- are produced by James Ford who did 2007's

Favourite Worst Nightmare

and are easily the most plaintive songs of the bunch. With these sprinkled throughout the menace of what the Monkeys came up with alongside Homme, it shows another side to the band's musical palette.

For those who found the Arctic Monkeys too jumped-up before, this album is for you, because Turner and his mates have pulled their heads in a bit without losing their catchy and energetic edge.

Scott Kara