Lead singer of the
Arctic Monkeys, musical genius and international sex symbol; Alex
Turner is the figurehead of the alternative youth. In 2005, his
quartet of working-class Sheffield scallies were tearing up tiny
clubs with their raucous songs, later to be released on their debut
LP 'Whatever People Say I Am, That Is What I'm Not'. His Ray
Davies-like lyrics, narrating stories of modern day England set the
world alight, which continued into their second record, 'Favourite
Worst Nightmare'. Using the energetic punk of the Sex Pistols, the
articulation of The Kinks and the indie, careless attitude of Oasis,
the Arctic Monkeys accumulated all the positives in British music to
create a modern cocktail of fabulous indie-rock.
'Humbug' was a
transitional period for the band, experimenting with more polished
music and vocals and focussing on more, well, sexual lyrics. Many
people's least favourite Arctics album, 'Humbug' was crucial in the
transition into the regeneration of Alex Turner. 'Suck It and See'
perfected the more polished sound, Turner's more soothing vocals
carried from the previous LP, now supplementing his 50's 'Rocker'
quiff.
Capitalising on the
new image, 2013 saw the Arctic Monkeys release their (arguably)
self-titled fifth record, 'AM'. Turning up the sexy to eleven, the
band's new, ultimately poppier sound saw them recruit thousands, if
not millions of fans worldwide. 'AM' became a classic from very early
on and catapulted the band into the stratosphere.
Early on in the career
of Arctic Monkeys, Alex I, if you will, was the King of lyrical
ingeniousness. His tales of urban Britain and his in-depth character
cases were unrivalled. Their debut record, along with 'Favourite
Worst Nightmare' was finished with such musical quality and substance
that, despite the slightly poor recording, would fool you into
believing that the Arctics were an already established band. We begin
to see Turner's flare for particularly impressive lyrics, whether
narrative or, hm, horny! 'There's only one thing on your
mind' he snarls through Dancing
Shoes however When The Sun Goes Down tells the story of a girl, 'I
wonder what went wrong so she had to roam the streets... He told
Roxanne to put on her red light... 'Cus he's a scumbag don't you
know'. His lyrical prowess is
already on show from day one.
Enter Alex II. The
dance moves as he gyrates his hips suggestively, the velvety tones in
his voice, the love songs and sexy lyrics create the second legend of
Alex Turner. More subtly sexy, 'Be cruel to me, 'cus I'm a fool
for you,' he croons through
'Suck It and See'. AM sees the squealing riff of 'R U Mine?'
complimented with Matt Helder's falsettoed 'Are you mine
tomorrow, or just mine tonight?'.
Girls want him, boys want to be him. Like Elvis Presley, he has both
sexes in awe of him and his persona. He is the finished article. To
match such musical quality with such star quality, it must be said
that Turner is the consummate star of his generation.
Will the Arctic
Monkeys continue to pander to their new crowd's love of the R'n'B
tinged AM, or will they once again reinvent the sound of the band.
Whatever they decide to do, one must trust that it will be huge
success.
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