Mike Ragogna on Arctic Monkeys

"Looks like some Arctic Monkeys have been listening to Doors albums. And, reportedly, Jimi Hendrix riffs. After absorbing their new release Humbug's first track, 'My Propeller,' you immediately get the hypnotic, pseudo-psychedelic lay of the land for the rest of the album, which turns out to be quite a trip. Virtually gone are all of these Sheffield boys' post-punk affectations which have no relevance to the universe 23-year-old Alex Turner's lyrics creates. At times, those stanzas and their partnered melodies sound borderline art house in comparison to past Monkeyshines, though nothing comes off particularly pompous as much as risky. … It's refreshing that a young, promising group like Arctic Monkeys and its producers were smart enough to reinvent the brand before it got stale and formulaic, which this project absolutely is not. Though fans of Arctic Monkeys' early rockings and those enticed by the band's 2006 Saturday Night Live appearance with Matt Dillon probably are going to quote this album's title as their opinion of its content, they should be grateful Arctic Monkeys is taking its evolution seriously" ("Arctic Monkeys' Humbug," Huffington Post, 8/31/09).