Pay attention to this Brit
Like so many others, I was captivated by the recent goings-on of a prominent British man in his early 30s. I simply couldn’t get enough.
No, I’m not referring to Prince Harry and his humongously high-profile marriage to Meghan Markle. They seem like nice enough people, but I don’t believe in the basic concept of royalty. Royals poop just like the rest of us, as far as I know, so I don’t grasp the fascination so many have with people of no particular talent.
The young British man of talent I’ve been captivated with recently is Alex Turner, who many critics and fans believe is the most talented musician in popular music today. Turner writes uncommonly melodic yet musically daring songs and may be popular music’s cleverest lyricist since Tom Waits. Turner is best known for his band Arctic Monkeys, which this month released its first album in five years, called “Tranquility Base Hotel & Casino.”
While rock music does not have the social impact it had a generation ago, Turner is, not even arguably, today’s biggest rock star. He’s been a huge public figure in the United Kingdom for more than a decade, and Arctic Monkeys broke big in the United States five years ago with the release of their hit album “AM.”
So what did Alex Turner, the world’s biggest rock star, do with the popular music world at his feet? Turner and his band mates released an album this month that even they describe as “lounge music,” featuring Turner crooning over synthesizers and other keyboards, with few of the crunching guitar chords or fiery guitar solos for which the band had become beloved.
Contrary, though, is who Alex Turner is. Arctic Monkeys’ first album was called, “Whatever People Say I Am, That’s What I’m Not,” and that credo has been followed every since.
While many of my students are more into pop, hip-hop or Norteño, many love Arctic Monkeys, too. Some, however, insist Arctic Monkeys were better in their early years, when their music was raw and jagged, when they sang about fighting with pool cues in hand and getting kicked out of nightclub lines by bouncers.
My counterargument is all musical artists destined for greatness grow and become much more than they were when they started. Look at The Beatles, Led Zeppelin, The Kinks, The Clash, David Bowie, Talking Heads and Radiohead: all went through musical experimentation and subsequent growth that made them the legends they are.
Turner and his mates are no longer frustrated suburban British 18-yearolds. They’re bona fide international rock stars in their 30s, I tell my students that Arctic Monkeys trying to go back to what they were would not allow the musical growth they need to be fulfilled as artists.
So, one must ask, is “Tranquility Base Hotel & Casino” any good? Well, because it’s Turner, it’s tuneful and funny. (For example, in “One Point Perspective,” Turner sings, “Bear with me man, I lost my train of thought,” then doesn’t sing anything for several bars.) Musically it sounds much like a 1970s Bowie album. For the first time, Turner wrote most of an album’s songs on piano, but the compositions are as melodic and hook-filled as ever. My one minor complaint would be the album is so thematically seamless that the songs run together a bit.
If you love great popular music, you should love Arctic Monkeys. To familiarize yourself with the band, you could take a couple routes. You could listen to the raw, edgy yet wondrous early stuff and work your way forward, or you could start with the smooth as silk “Tranquility Base Hotel & Casino” and work your way back.
Either way, Alex Turner is a rare talent a lot more worthy of your attention than seemingly nice Harry and Meghan.