‘Mad Sounds’: the song that predicted the Arctic Monkeys’ future
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(Credit: YouTube)
Despite the teddy-boy haircut and collar-popped leather jacket, Arctic Monkeys‘ critically acclaimed fifth album, AM, was a statement record that planted their flag firmly in the future. Gone were distorted riffs and lyrical musings on adolescence; in their place were sultry West Coast rhythm sections and harmonies capable of flying through LA canyons with the Eagles and Crosby Stills & Nash.
The band’s first two albums were born on the rugged streets of Northern England, while the follow-up two flirted with the glittering stardom of West Coast America. On the fifth, a beautiful mutt of both sensibilities was born, and the band were injected into a level of rock and roll stardom they could never return from.
The AM tracks that live firmly in the memory of Arctic Monkeys’ fans are rooted in the record’s new-found love affair with rhythm. ‘Do I Wanna Know?’ and ‘Why’d You Only Call Me When You’re High?’ slide through the heavy sludge that this record’s palette is built upon and, in turn, endear themselves to listeners whose sensibilities are more rooted in pop culture.
Exploration of so many R&B grooves could have veered the band’s sound too far into the contemporary, so it was important for Turner to inject something more alternative into the melodies, as he explained to Under The Radar. “There’s a sweetness to those melodies, but then it’s kind of like it’s up to something, as well. There’s that sweetness, but you’re a bit frightened by it.”
But the album’s middle track, ‘Mad Sounds’, provided respite from the late-night aesthetic. A more glittering melody gave way to the record’s most delicate harmonies and shimmering guitar solo, turning the record’s twilight seduction into an arm-in-arm singalong for the dawn chorus.
“I actually wanted the whole record to have a bit of a Transformer thing about it,” Turner told NME when citing The Velvet Underground as an inspiration. “Like you’d need to have a shower after it… For me, that tune brings you back to life. That tune’s a song about songs, you know? So it’s about when you’ve got those sort of tunes that energise you somehow, or evoke something from inside you [like]… ‘Walk On The Wild Side.’”
But how did ‘Mad Sounds’ predict the future of Arctic Monkeys records?
While the prowling rhythm of most of the album gave way to a sort of patient sonic delivery, ‘Mad Sounds’ was a first glimpse at an Arctic Monkeys who would follow a more cautious and patient melodic lead.
Turner was sharpening his ability to be as profound as he always has, but with fewer words and using them to punctuate more spaced-out melodic verse sections that a shimmering guitar line from Jamie Cook would then elevate. However, perhaps more notable is Matt Helders’ role on the track.
Nicknamed the ‘Agile Beast’ for good reason, his relentless energy on the tubs has always been a major draw for Arctic Monkeys fans who revel in the moments when he is unleashed on a fill. But his role on ‘Mad Sounds’ is far more muted, subservient even to the overall direction of the song and acting as the band’s responsible designated driver. And as they moved onto their sixth and seventh albums, it’s a job Helders would take more seriously as the more complex lounge club aesthetic required a tamer and focused drummer who could ground all the separate flourishing melody parts.
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