Tranquility Base Hotel + Casino Review

It seems that there will be two very distinct groups of people who will be reading this review. The first group is the small gathering of people I can rely on to read my articles regardless, the others may be die-hard Arctic Monkeys fans who will roll their eyes, close their web browser, and wish they could lob their can of Dark Fruits at my head when I say "I actually quite like this album."

If you want to know why, then read on! For those who just can't be bothered, I've already lost you, and that's fine. There is no clear consensus on Tranquility Base Hotel + Casino; opinions are as divided as the Red Sea at that time that Moses fellow waved his hands at it.

Since their mega-selling, mega-loud debut, the Arctic Monkeys have been at the forefront of British Rock music, selling out venues all over the UK and, more recently, America. Their fifth studio album, AM, launched them into the stratosphere. So, in a way, it almost makes sense that Alex Turner would be writing from the perspective of a man on the moon.

Don't get me wrong, TBH+C is a weird album. To say it is a departure from the traditional AM sound is an understatement. This much was obvious from the opening line of Star Treatment: "I just wanted to be like one of the Strokes." For a man renowned for beating around the bush, it's almost shocking for him to be so upfront.

As the title suggests, the album is written from the perspective of a hotel & casino based in the famous Sea of Tranquility on the Moon. It delves deep into science fiction and film exploring themes of technology, consumerism, religion and politics. It's occasionally good-humoured, and there's still some class AM material about coupling/uncoupling (albeit specifically in LA) and nostalgia, but for the most part, it's a tectonic shift from the Arctic Monkeys of old.

It is deeply layered, complex, and certainly baffling on the first listen. Turner's writing has elevated to a different level. Lyrically, it's some of his finest work in an already illustrious career. He's has taken his muse up into space and channelled it through the eyes of a musician performing in a retro-futuristic cocktail lounge. Thoughts are scattered; "Bare with me, man, I've lost my train of thought" he hazily attests on One Point Perspective.

The lack of (m)any hooks does feel like it hurts the album at times, making it not quite so easy to follow as it occasionally meanders through its' many great ideas and bold statements reflecting on the world we know today. The lack of promotional singles was also an odd decision, but to me, it was a correct one. This is a record that needs to be listened to as a complete piece to fully appreciate it, and you can't do that releasing singles out of sync with where they are on the album.

For those willing to give it a chance and dig deeper, Tranquility Base Hotel + Casino is incredibly rewarding, but (and I've avoided this until now) I can understand why people are put off by the sound of the album. In the short few days since release, TBH+C has been called many things: "elevator music," "weird piano music," "shit," the general reaction of an (almost) understandably outraged fan base.

The aggressive guitars have all but gone; replaced by a piano that Turner received as a gift. It's more contained, claustrophobic even. The rest of the band are still there, though repurposed, in unfamiliar roles that they perform brilliantly. AM have created something so lavish and indulgent, it's hard not to get swept up with it.

Whether you enjoy the music on this album or not, you simply cannot deny the production quality. It's been so carefully curated by Turner, he's your pilot, concierge, barman and everything in between.

Going into this review I was prepared to sign off by saying I liked the album, just not as an Arctic Monkeys album. Since then, I've changed my mind. I know people disagree, and that's fine. I'm not saying anyone has to like the album, but you do need to give it a fair chance. I am a firm believer all artists in all mediums should change things up, keep themselves and their craft fresh.

If you listen to the whole Arctic Monkeys back catalogue, no album sounds the same, but also sounds like them, that is important. There's been such a big wait between AM and TBH+C that to expect an AM2 or something reminiscing what's come before is silly. So much has changed since 2013, both for the world as a whole and for the boys from Sheffield.

To conclude, Tranquility Base Hotel + Casino is an incredibly divisive but rewarding album by being both what no one expected and possibly exactly what it should be. It transports you to another place and looks back at planet Earth through retro-futuristic lenses from the comfort of the taqueria on the roof of this wonderful hotel. It's not everyone's cup of tea up here, but the entertainment is a solid four stars out of five.

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