Arctic Monkeys
"Basically you get room for three attempts on a tape reel and then you have to pick the best one. It really forces you to make decisions, because you can record over it, but then you have to pick which one you'll lose." Matt Helders has grown a lot more philosophical since the last I talked to him five years and four albums ago. The drumming, singing powerhouse behind Arctic Monkeys is no longer out to be the loudest, fastest man in the room. Instead, he and his band decided it was high time they made "a grower, or whatever that means," and the result, 'Suck It And See' is perhaps the best indication of how the band have matured under a harsh industry spotlight; well-crafted, multi-layered and effortlessly unravelling, "just like a good film." The most discernible singles upon 'Suck It And See' don't sound like singles at all, and certainly the swaggering cut Brick By Brick, on which Helders sings lead for the first time, favour riffs and repetition over quick changes and lyrical wisecracks. "I think this time we were trying to write poppier songs and maybe do it in a darker way," he explains in his endearing Sheffield brogue. "Not like on 'Humbug' - but we kind of noticed different ways of doing heavy tunes without necessarily making it as loud or as fast as possible. You can almost get a bit of weight behind the rhythm of it, like Black Sabbath or something." Those references aren't for nothing, many of the stronger tracks on the album like opener She's Thunderstorms and the bass-driven Reckless Serenade have a decidedly late '60s rock feel to them, just the way Helders likes it. "We tried to make it detailed and think of it as an actual vinyl record, you know, two halves, Side A, Side B, hoping that people will listen to it in that way and obviously knowing very few of them do," he laughs. Everything Arctic Monkeys have ever done has led up to this point: ignoring more lucrative deals to sign with Domino, because founder Laurence Bell "obviously thought 'good music, good songs' not just 'will it be a big seller?' or whatever"; instating stalwart James Ford to the role of solo producer; and taking a year off from playing live - their longest break ever - to write songs the old-fashioned way, in a cold London rehearsal room. "We had them to the point where we could play them all the way through without changing things, and that meant when we came to the studio we could just worry about he sound of it and getting a good performance," says Helders. This is what Arctic Monkeys have always dreamed of being, eschewing the easy route of replicating the same sound four times over by writing an album which demands a more long term investment, like in the good old days when most fans of the band weren't born. It's why, for instance, frontman Alex Turner rarely strays near that upper register that used to define the band's sound anymore, settling for consistency over histrionics. And it's the reason you won't hear a lot of Helders running his way around the toms like a kid who forgot his Ritalin anymore. "For me, it's always been about playing tastefully for the song," he says. "I think it's a fine line for a drummer between just being there to keep time or going off. In a way it's probably harder to stick to a beat, without wanting to show off or go a bit mad." Despite coming to prominence in the age of the quick musical fix, Arctic Monkeys are now seemingly more interested in making music with more of a lifespan. Many of the hooks really only sit well the third listen, the lyrics aren't as snappy and the sound is warmer, fuller almost, from Jamie Cook's guitars right down to the kick of Helders' bass drum. "Before 'Suck It' we'd have a few ideas that we'd put together; a riff, a drumbeat and we sort of mish-mashed it all together into making a tune. But we sat down and listened to other amazing songwriters and thought 'These songs are good for a reason.' So that's why we're happier with a more traditional or 'classic' approach." It may be a long way from betting that you look good on the dancefloor, but Arctic Monkeys are finally starting to feel comfortable in their own skin. 'Suck It And See' will be released on Fri 3 June through Domino/EMI.  |
Issue 521
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