‘Tranquility Base Hotel & Casino’ 5 year retrospective

CHARLOTTE DAUES

Contributing Writer

May 11, 2018, the Arctic Monkeys set free their strangest album yet, “Tranquility Base Hotel & Casino.” A complete tonal shift since 2013’s “AM,” this retro-futuristic concept album invites the listener to take a trip to the Tranquility Base Hotel and Casino, a space-age resort on the moon where guests can gaze at the Earth from the comfort of a hotel room window. The 11-track album ushered in a new era of music for the band, rocketing the group from indie rock stardom to a completely different planet.

The album comes out of the gate swinging with an elevator music-like track accompanied by jazzy piano. This type of slow, smooth melody is not entirely new territory for the band, being vaguely reminiscent of such tracks as “I Wanna Be Yours” or “No. 1 Party Anthem.’’ However, “Star Treatment” possesses a certain flair that all previous releases have lacked. The lyrics are absolutely littered with references to movies, books and other forms of pop culture, as well as copious amounts of social commentary. In the first verse alone, we get allusions to Douglas Adams’ “The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy,” American rock band The Strokes, the 1982 film “Blade Runner” and more. This trend is carried throughout the rest of the album acting as an overarching theme, the album’s title itself being a reference to the site of the original moon landing. An incredible amount of details await to be uncovered within each song, encouraging intrepid listeners to spend time decoding every line.

The album’s lyrical emphasis on technology, society and science fiction makes perfect sense as songwriter and frontman Alex Turner reportedly drew inspiration from Neil Postman’s 1985 book “Amusing Ourselves to Death.” The book reflects on the dystopian novels “Nineteen Eighty-Four” and “Brave New World” and how they relate to what was at the time contemporary culture. Postman makes sure to distinguish between the two narratives – Orwell shows a world where information is suppressed by a totalitarian power and Huxley constructs a vision of self-imposed ignorance caused by overdosing on entertainment. Turner draws heavily from these ideas, even mentioning by name Postman’s concept of the “Information-Action Ratio,” the idea that there is an overwhelming amount of information available but limited ability to take action. Turner modernizes Postman’s original work by discussing the more relevant technological advances of the 21st century. He posits social media as a form of collective voluntary surveillance, an existence where there is constant threat of everyday actions turning into global spectacle by any passing individual with a recording device. Turner exhibits his vocal prowess on every song, allowing his dulcet tones to melt in listener’s ears, accompanied by hypnotic backing tracks. There is a distinct choice to eliminate the presence of the intense drum lines or highenergy guitar solos that had been so quintessential to other Arctic Monkeys albums. The result is a noticeable softness that lends itself to greater emotional vulnerability. The best example can be found in the final track, “The Ultracheese,” where Turner reflects on his past experiences with relationships, aging and songwriting.

Looking back to the reception, “Tranquility Base” was a divisive release among Arctic Monkeys fans. Many found themselves disappointed by the change in direction from garage rock riffs to something so esoteric. Such a large and unprecedented change left many fans understandably unprepared after five years of anticipation. Regardless, this shift is part of the band’s evolution. For them, it was time to try something new, but unfortunately not every listener agreed.

The Arctic Monkeys consistently release amazing albums, including some that are iconic pop culture touchstones themselves but none so special and yet underrated as “Tranquility Base Hotel & Casino.”