Arctic Monkeys

Tranquility Base Hotel & Casino Warner

CHECK into Tranquility Base Hotel

& Casino, the latest album by English rock band Arctic Monkeys. Longtime fans expecting another heartbreak album from lovelorn frontman Alex Turner will be disappointed as the new sixth studio album is anything but that.

This time, the album’s concept is inspired by the name of the site on the moon where Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin first landed back in 1969. Tranquility Base Hotel &

Casino sees the band adapting a more jazz-inspired spacey sound to accommodate the album’s ambitious sci-fi theme.

At first, the album does sound indulgent at times because some tracks like Star Treament and

American Sports seem to be going nowhere. But as we go into the haunting title track and the irrestible Four Out Of Five (a bizzare yet genius number that reads like a shameless review for, well, a hotel called The Tranquility Base), it’s hard not to get carried away by the album’s unique narrative.

There are also plenty of musings with lyrics like “I want to make a simple point about peace and love/ But in a sexy way where it’s not obvious...” to be uncovered; making the album a rewarding listening experience. Tranquility Base

Hotel & Casino is a major step forward for the Arctic Monkeys. Lyrically and musically, the band is boldly going where no one has gone before.