Review Summary: The Monkeys take one giant leap into the next dimension
A review of Tranquility Base Hotel + Casino
I remember telling a friend of mine a few months back "I hope the new Monkeys record is just ***ing madness for 40 mins just so it throws off those tumblr fan girls who latched on when AM came out". In hindsight, I was being an elitist. I was fine with the new commercial sound the band were going for. It was a nice return to roots almost after Humbug and SIAS. Still, subconsciously I was longing for something different. Not just another rock n' roll record. I got my wish by the looks of it. Tranquility Base Hotel + Casino is an interesting beast. On one hand it's an experimental leap forward for a band that started out as a group of roughhouses from Sheffield. On the other, it's ***ing insane. I don't know what I was expecting from this record. Maybe something a bit more garage rock, like Their first record. Maybe some more funk stylings like they tried on AM, hell even a return to the psychedelic stoner rock of Humbug and SIAS. I didn't expect a concept album about a 4 star hotel on the moon. I sat, I listened, I took it All In. And I got to work.
TBHAC is a hard record to pin down. It certainly isn't avant-garde but it delves far enough away from the traditional Monkeys' formula I could consider it Experimental. There's a large amount of jazz and lounge influence on this record, fitting of the setting. Opener Star Treatment is a 6 minute surreal lounge Doo-wop track chalk full of soothing echo laden vocals and vibraphone chiming. The lyrics are out there. There was a Blade Runner reference in there, amongst Turner's Stop and start falsetto. Standout track Four out Of Five is a anthemic glam rock, Diamond Dogs-esq foot stomper. The title track interplays shrill lead vocals, thick bass lines and an electronic sounding harpsichord, booming synth bass notes cutting in on the occasion. There's some humor in Turner's words. His surreal choice of words builds up a really odd album. Highlights include his cry of "cheeseburger" in the chorus of She Looks Like Fun, a goofy but thundering fuzz bass laden track and this insane line ('I feel rougher than a disco lizard tongue along your cheek') on Science Fiction. It's a nice welcome after the relative simplicity of AM's lyrics. Turner's lyrics touch on a variety of themes. Politics, religion and modern society's obsession and reliance on technology. Yet even amongst the lyric chaos of the album, the finale, the heartbreaking but nostalgic The Ultracheese, the idea of lost love and longing creeps through.
"Oh the dawn won't stop weighing a tonne
I've done some things that I shouldn't have done
But I haven't stopped loving you once" Turner croons before the album slowly yet rather anti-climatically ends.
In short, TBHAC isn't an album for everyone. It's nothing like their previous work, the heavy guitar work is kept to a minimum here, the piano and drums taking center stage. There's no rowdy lyrics about sex and lust. It's a mellow record, one with charm and humor, yet one that can make you smile and tear up too. One small step for the audience, one giant leap for the Monkeys.
Standout tracks:
Star Treatment
One Point Perspective
Tranquility Base Hotel and Casino
Four Out Of Five
The Ultracheese
Standout lyrics:
"There ain't no limit to the length of the dickheads we can be" - She Looks Like Fun
"I saw this aura over the battleground states
I lost the money, lost the keys
But I'm still handcuffed to the briefcase" - American Sports
