The fans have already made their decision on which is the best Arctic Monkeys album. All six of them went to number one, but as the band made their way back to the spotlight in recent months with Reading and Leeds Festival appearances and two new singles, it’s the manspreading rock of AM, from 2013, that has returned to the top 10.
Notably, the eccentric, high-concept easy listening music of their last long-player, Tranquility Base Hotel & Casino, continues to baffle the masses, which means this follow-up will also frustrate those who long to hear Matt Helders pound his drums with abandon once more. Strings are still in, guitars still out, unless you count the wiry funk style adopted on I Ain’t Quite Where I Think I Am. The huge success of AM hasn’t painted songwriter Alex Turner into a corner. His band has their ackowledged classic. Now they can explore.
