Album artwork –

This entry was inspired whilst I was packing up mr precious CDs, but also from other people complaining about album artwork. Enjoy.

Album artwork –

What is all the fuss?

Here is question that I would to have answered. When have you ever bought an album based on the front? My answer based on my own opinion is never. Surely you buy your music based on the concept that you actually bloody like it, or is that just a stupid statement. Whenever a new album comes out from highly anticipated artist, there is always criticism about the album artwork. If that is something that you are concerned about then is it not the age old statement of do not judge a book by its cover?

There are a few numbers of artists who have recently come under scrutiny for the uninspired album cover, or the lack of so to say. Even the album covers that people delve further into so see if it means something more than they are being told. Nine tines out of ten though there is nothing else behind it, other than they liked the look and it seemed a fitting cover. So why all the controversy then? Could it be that the album is that amazing, they need something to pick at (it is not often you find an album that is track for track stupendous)? Or is it that people want to delve into the minds of the artist further? The answer is probably none of these. In this day an age people enjoy picking the tiniest fault with anything. This is the job a critic is it not. Yes we are here to praise the product, but also we need to find fault also. Nothing is ever absolutely perfect in life so it won’t be in music.

One of the controversial album covers that brought a lot of media attention to it was that of Hard-Fi second album “once upon a time in the west”. This caused many tongues wagging as the outer sleeve of the album was designed as colour it in your self kind of project. Now this was just the outer sleeve, the inner case actually had how the cover should look, which again brought criticism towards it. It was thought that design was not original and very uninspiring. Again you’re not going to go into a record store and refuse to buy the album on principle that its album artwork is not up to scratch. So why is there big problem with it? It is how the musician wanted it, how they wanted it to be seen so shouldn’t we just accept it.

More recently the Arctic Monkeys have come under fire for simply having their name on the cover. Again there were cries of why have they done this? But I found that it stood out more in the shop. You don’t have to try and search for the small text to see if it is the band you are wanting. It is simple it helps you save time and effort in the long run. “Suck it and see” is not the first album of the Monkeys to come under scrutiny. If you remember the debut then you will remember that concerns were raised with the image of a guy smoking on the cover. It was said that they were promoting that smoking is acceptable. But that image has stuck in your mind has it not. Soon as you see that image then you know what album it is and what band it is.

 So the concept of having a simple image or no image actually does work, you just don’t realise it, you are more concerned with why they haven’t put any thought into it, when in reality they have. What they set out to achieve has worked. They have got you interested in the album, and you are now probably thinking I will buy it just to see if it is actually any good. In my opinion it doesn’t matter what is on the outside it is the content on the inside, that grabs my attention. So keep that in mind when you are listening or reading something about a bands artwork.   

Arctic Monkeys - Suck it and see quite literally

Hi everyone,
                    After extensive listening and forming my own opinions, I decided to write a review on the album so enjoy.

Arctic Monkeys –

Suck it and see,

Quite literally.

I love it when a new album comes out. I get all excited and giddy, when I go to purchase it. So this was even more so the case when, the new Arctic Monkeys album came out. I have to say I was hoping that this would be better than Humbug, and by does it beat the last album hands down. It’s about time we heard Alex and the boys back to there normal selves.

Don’t get me wrong Humbug is a great album, but it lacked what the Arctic Monkeys are all about, and that is the quick witted lyrics that come from Turner, mixed with fast paced beats from the rest of the guys. Humbug was a different direction and was met with a lot of bad comments and opinions but strip it away and it is a great album. It is good that a band experiments, you don’t want to be hearing and buying the same thing over and over again, it gets tiring. So I will still give them 10 out of 10 for effort of Humbug. So as many critics didn’t like or believe in Humbug, a lot was riding on the next album.

Suck it and see, does not disappoint. “She’s Thunderstorms” leads you into what you think that it is going to be another Humbug inspired track, but as it gets going you soon realize that the boys are back. Turner’s quick witted and poetic lyrics come alive with the melodies. It is also nice to hear Alex’s voice back to how it was in the first 2 albums rather than the dark sultry pitches he undertook on the last album.

Although the album does seem dark it still has that toe tapping feel that, the Arctic Monkeys always seem to give a record. “Black treacle” is a prime example of this. You can’t help but keep to the beat of Matt Helders. It also seems that they are sticking it too the man, so to speak with the lyric “and you talk the talk alright, but do you walk the walk or catch the train?” insinuating that this album is to push into the critics face and ask, do they even know what they are talking about.

“The hellcat spangled shalalala” takes you back to the “Whatever people think” album. The poetic concept that runs through this song so strongly, that you can’t help but sing and smile at “sing another fucking shalalala.” This is the type of song you would want to here midway through a night out to sing-along with your mates.

The title in its self is, instructing you to just get on with it. Overcome your fears and just taste what is inside this album cover. You will not be disappointed in this album. From start to finish, you will love it and then repeat the process again.

These boys seem to have incorporated all previous 3 albums, into this wonderfully pleasant record, and it has worked. They have carefully selected the best parts of its predecessor. Although “Whatever people say I am” is flawless, find a problem with that album and we will see how many people actually agree with you. From a band that in 2004 and 2005 were playing the tiniest venues and even the unsigned stages at festivals, and now they are on their fourth album. This band has come under as much scrutiny and criticism that a band of their age would only ever get after a few decades. This though shows how in demand they are. People should really just listen to this amazing album and let them take you on a journey of sarcasm and wit, which only these lads can get across. You really should just “suck it and see” with this album, no doubt you will fall in love with it.