Arctic Monkeys are never going to make another Whatever People Say I Am, That’s What I’m Not.  That’s a simple fact.  While their debut album and sophomore follow-up Favourite Worst Nightmare were rooted in Strokes-inspired garage rock revival with their own Sheffield touch, they threw a massive curve-ball with their third album, Humbug.  Abandoning the fast and rigid sounds of their first two albums, Humbug was a darker, slower, and heavier record.  The heavier sounds of Humbug can be attributed to stoner-rock pioneer and Queens of the Stone Age frontman Josh Homme co-producing the record (along with Arctic Monkey’s frequent collaborator James Ford) and removing themselves from England entirely and recording the album in the California dessert.

Following Humbug, Arctic Monkeys continued their “Americanization” with Suck It and See.  Their fourth album, while in the same vein as Humbug, brought a lighter side to things, containing some of lead singer Alex Turner’s most humorous lyrics and song titles (“That’s not a skirt, girl, that’s a sawn-off shotgun / And I can only hope you’ve got it aimed at me”).  Recorded once again in California, and featuring Josh Homme providing backing vocals to the track “All My Own Stunts”, Suck It and See was living proof that Turner and company had ditched the Adidas tracksuits once and for all, opting for the sleek coolness of leather jackets.

Fashion statements aside, on AM, Arctic Monkeys have managed to truly find themselves and the sound they’ve been working towards since Humbug.

As you can probably guess by this point, Arctic Monkeys headed back to California to record their fifth album, which features guest spots from Bill Ryder-Jones, Pete Thomas (whom played drums on “Mad Sounds” when the band’s drummer Matt Helders broke his arm), and (you guessed it) Josh Homme.

When asked by NME about how AM sounds, Turner replied by saying “It sounds like a Dr. Dre beat, but we’ve given it an Ike Turner bowl-cut and sent it galloping across the desert on a Stratocaster.”

Now while I can’t say that any of this record sounds particularly influenced by The Chronic, or 2001, the sleek and sturdy thumps and handclaps found on “Why’d You Only Call Me When You’re High?” bring to mind the intoxicating groove found on “Nuthin’ but a ‘G’ Thang”.  And “Fireside” certainly gallops its way across the desert in three minutes.

Elsewhere on the album, we find the Monkeys crafting unapologetic, piano-driven pop songs (“Snap Out of It”), ballads with misleading titles (“No. 1 Party Anthem”), and, well, a song that really sounds like Black Sabbath’s “War Pigs” (“Arabella”).

I’ve given every Arctic Monkeys studio album the same rating as I have this one, so if Arctic Monkeys continue to produce a new album of this same quality every other year, they’ll be the second most consistent band (behind Spoon) in indie music.  While that isn’t necessarily a bad thing, I think Turner and the boys should take some time off from their intense tour schedule, hole back up in England for a while, and take a well-deserved sabbatical (or, better yet, have Turner and Miles Kane release another record as The Last Shadow Puppets).

7/10