Suck It and See
Encyclopedia
Suck It and See is the fourth studio album
by English indie rock
band Arctic Monkeys
, released 6 June 2011 in the UK and 7 June in the US, following their 2011 North American tour. The band worked with producer James Ford
on this album and promised a more "vintage" style. The music video for "Brick by Brick
" was released shortly before the album details were revealed on March 10. Drummer Matt Helders
, however, confirmed that "Brick by Brick" will not be the lead single. On 19 March 2011, in an interview with NME
Helders revealed that Suck It and See will feature "some songs a bit more instant. A bit more poppy, certainly, than Humbug
was."
It was revealed on 30 March that three thousand vinyl copies of "Don't Sit Down 'Cause I've Moved Your Chair
" would be released worldwide by the band as part of Record Store Day
on 16 April. The following day it was confirmed on the band's official website that the track would be the album's lead single and that it would be available with B-sides "The Blond-O-Sonic Shimmer Trap" and "I.D.S.T." from 30 May.
The band settled on "Suck It and See" as the title after debating between titles such as "The Rain-Shaped Shimmer Trap", "The Thunder-Suckle Fuzz Canyon", "The Blondo-Sonic Rape Alarm", and "Thriller", according to the NME
.
The track "Piledriver Waltz" was first released on Alex Turner
's debut EP, Submarine
, where it was credited to Turner as a solo artist. It has been confirmed that the Suck It and See version would be a re-recording with the whole band involved.
On 30 May, a week before official release Domino Records streamed the entire album on Soundcloud
. Within a few hours of being made public the first two tracks had reached over 10,000 listens each, and by the end of the week each had accrued over 100,000 plays.
On 25 August a teaser trailer for the Don Valley show DVD was released, it is unknown when it will be released.
With the song "Black Treacle" to be released in 2012 as a single, it will be the first Arctic Monkeys album to have 4 singles released from it.
and London
. Rather than repeat the heavily produced sound of Humbug
, the band's previous effort, much of the album was recorded in live takes with producer James Ford in Los Angeles
, California
, over five weeks in January/February 2011. Alex Turner has commented that rather than going into the studio with only rough sketches of songs, and making heavy use of overdubbing, the band focused much of their time on rehearsing together.
On May 13 Arctic Monkeys appeared on Later with Jools Holland
and performed four tracks from the album. "Library Pictures", "Don't Sit Down 'Cause I've Moved Your Chair
", "Reckless Serenade" and "The Hellcat Spangled Shalalala
".
, as well as being generally lauded as a "return to form", following the band's "more challenging" third album, Humbug
. The album has also been successful commercially. In its first week of release the album debuted at number 1 in in the United Kingdom
, selling over 82,000 unitsand knocking Lady Gagas Born This Way off the top spot, this also made Arctic Monkeys only the second band to have four straight number 1 albums. In its second week the album sold a further 34,910 units in the UK. Overall the album sold 154,000 units in its first week worldwide. NME
named the album cover as one of the worst in history. In July, the album won Mojo award for the Best Album of 2011.
the title on the cover sleeve was covered by sticker in certain supermarkets. In an interview with British radio station XFM
, lead singer Alex Turner said, "They think it is rude, disrespectful and they're putting a sticker over it in America in certain stores, big ones."
by playing their first live show for over a year in Stockholm
.
Studio album
A studio album is an album made up of tracks recorded in the controlled environment of a recording studio. A studio album contains newly written and recorded or previously unreleased or remixed material, distinguishing itself from a compilation or reissue album of previously recorded material, or...
by English indie rock
Indie rock
Indie rock is a genre of alternative rock that originated in the United Kingdom and the United States in the 1980s. Indie rock is extremely diverse, with sub-genres that include lo-fi, post-rock, math rock, indie pop, dream pop, noise rock, space rock, sadcore, riot grrrl and emo, among others...
band Arctic Monkeys
Arctic Monkeys
Arctic Monkeys are an English indie rock band. Formed in 2002 in High Green, a suburb of Sheffield, the band currently consists of Alex Turner , Jamie Cook , Nick O'Malley and Matt Helders...
, released 6 June 2011 in the UK and 7 June in the US, following their 2011 North American tour. The band worked with producer James Ford
James Ford (musician)
James Ford is an English musical composer, record producer and musician.-Biography:Ford was a founding member of the group Simian and currently a member of their spin-off duo Simian Mobile Disco...
on this album and promised a more "vintage" style. The music video for "Brick by Brick
Brick by Brick (Arctic Monkeys song)
"Brick by Brick" is a song by Arctic Monkeys from the band's fourth album Suck It and See. The song was the first track to be revealed from the album, on 4 March 2011, and was designed as a teaser for the album rather than a lead single. The lead single was instead "Don't Sit Down 'Cause I've Moved...
" was released shortly before the album details were revealed on March 10. Drummer Matt Helders
Matt Helders
Matthew Helders , is the drummer for English indie rock band Arctic Monkeys. He is the most comprehensive backing vocalist in the group, appearing on several tracks, including the majority of 'Humbug'...
, however, confirmed that "Brick by Brick" will not be the lead single. On 19 March 2011, in an interview with NME
NME
The New Musical Express is a popular music publication in the United Kingdom, published weekly since March 1952. It started as a music newspaper, and gradually moved toward a magazine format during the 1980s, changing from newsprint in 1998. It was the first British paper to include a singles...
Helders revealed that Suck It and See will feature "some songs a bit more instant. A bit more poppy, certainly, than Humbug
Humbug (album)
Humbug has received major critical acclaim, with many praising the band's newfound maturity. Billboard stated that the band "justif[ies] the hype by shifting its best qualities into different, equally dazzling shapes," while The Record Review noted that with Humbug, the Arctic Monkeys proved...
was."
It was revealed on 30 March that three thousand vinyl copies of "Don't Sit Down 'Cause I've Moved Your Chair
Don't Sit Down 'Cause I've Moved Your Chair
"Don't Sit Down 'Cause I've Moved Your Chair" is a song by the English indie rock band Arctic Monkeys. The song was released as the first single from their fourth studio album Suck It and See and was released as a digital download on 12 April 2011...
" would be released worldwide by the band as part of Record Store Day
Record Store Day
Record Store Day is an internationally celebrated day observed the third Saturday of April each year. Its purpose, as conceived by independent record store employee Chris Brown, is to celebrate the art of music...
on 16 April. The following day it was confirmed on the band's official website that the track would be the album's lead single and that it would be available with B-sides "The Blond-O-Sonic Shimmer Trap" and "I.D.S.T." from 30 May.
The band settled on "Suck It and See" as the title after debating between titles such as "The Rain-Shaped Shimmer Trap", "The Thunder-Suckle Fuzz Canyon", "The Blondo-Sonic Rape Alarm", and "Thriller", according to the NME
NME
The New Musical Express is a popular music publication in the United Kingdom, published weekly since March 1952. It started as a music newspaper, and gradually moved toward a magazine format during the 1980s, changing from newsprint in 1998. It was the first British paper to include a singles...
.
The track "Piledriver Waltz" was first released on Alex Turner
Alex Turner (musician)
Alexander David Turner is an English musician, best known as the lead vocalist, guitarist and main songwriter of the English rock band Arctic Monkeys...
's debut EP, Submarine
Submarine (soundtrack)
All songs written and performed by Alex Turner. Music written by Alex Turner and James Ford.-Personnel:* Alex Turner - vocals, piano, keyboards, guitars, bass, drums* Bill Ryder-Jones - guitar on tracks 2 & 4...
, where it was credited to Turner as a solo artist. It has been confirmed that the Suck It and See version would be a re-recording with the whole band involved.
On 30 May, a week before official release Domino Records streamed the entire album on Soundcloud
SoundCloud
SoundCloud is an online audio distribution platform which allows collaboration, promotion and distribution of audio recordings.-History:SoundCloud was originally started in Stockholm, Sweden, but was established in Berlin, Germany in August, 2007 by sound designer Alex Ljung and artist Eric Wahlforss...
. Within a few hours of being made public the first two tracks had reached over 10,000 listens each, and by the end of the week each had accrued over 100,000 plays.
On 25 August a teaser trailer for the Don Valley show DVD was released, it is unknown when it will be released.
With the song "Black Treacle" to be released in 2012 as a single, it will be the first Arctic Monkeys album to have 4 singles released from it.
Recording and production
Arctic Monkeys wrote the album throughout 2010, with Alex Turner writing songs in New YorkNew York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
and London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
. Rather than repeat the heavily produced sound of Humbug
Humbug (album)
Humbug has received major critical acclaim, with many praising the band's newfound maturity. Billboard stated that the band "justif[ies] the hype by shifting its best qualities into different, equally dazzling shapes," while The Record Review noted that with Humbug, the Arctic Monkeys proved...
, the band's previous effort, much of the album was recorded in live takes with producer James Ford in Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
, California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
, over five weeks in January/February 2011. Alex Turner has commented that rather than going into the studio with only rough sketches of songs, and making heavy use of overdubbing, the band focused much of their time on rehearsing together.
On May 13 Arctic Monkeys appeared on Later with Jools Holland
Later with Jools Holland
Later... with Jools Holland is a contemporary British music television show hosted by Jools Holland. A spin-off of The Late Show, it has been running in short series since 1992 and is a part of BBC Two's late-night line-up, usually at around 11pm to 12 midnight...
and performed four tracks from the album. "Library Pictures", "Don't Sit Down 'Cause I've Moved Your Chair
Don't Sit Down 'Cause I've Moved Your Chair
"Don't Sit Down 'Cause I've Moved Your Chair" is a song by the English indie rock band Arctic Monkeys. The song was released as the first single from their fourth studio album Suck It and See and was released as a digital download on 12 April 2011...
", "Reckless Serenade" and "The Hellcat Spangled Shalalala
The Hellcat Spangled Shalalala
"The Hellcat Spangled Shalalala" is a song by the English indie rock band Arctic Monkeys, released as the second single from their fourth studio album Suck It and See and was intended to be released as a 7" vinyl on 15 August 2011....
".
Reception
Suck It and See has received positive reviews from critics, with an average 74% rating at MetacriticMetacritic
Metacritic.com is a website that collates reviews of music albums, games, movies, TV shows and DVDs. For each product, a numerical score from each review is obtained and the total is averaged. An excerpt of each review is provided along with a hyperlink to the source. Three colour codes of Green,...
, as well as being generally lauded as a "return to form", following the band's "more challenging" third album, Humbug
Humbug (album)
Humbug has received major critical acclaim, with many praising the band's newfound maturity. Billboard stated that the band "justif[ies] the hype by shifting its best qualities into different, equally dazzling shapes," while The Record Review noted that with Humbug, the Arctic Monkeys proved...
. The album has also been successful commercially. In its first week of release the album debuted at number 1 in in the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
, selling over 82,000 unitsand knocking Lady Gagas Born This Way off the top spot, this also made Arctic Monkeys only the second band to have four straight number 1 albums. In its second week the album sold a further 34,910 units in the UK. Overall the album sold 154,000 units in its first week worldwide. NME
NME
The New Musical Express is a popular music publication in the United Kingdom, published weekly since March 1952. It started as a music newspaper, and gradually moved toward a magazine format during the 1980s, changing from newsprint in 1998. It was the first British paper to include a singles...
named the album cover as one of the worst in history. In July, the album won Mojo award for the Best Album of 2011.
Censorship
In the United StatesUnited States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
the title on the cover sleeve was covered by sticker in certain supermarkets. In an interview with British radio station XFM
Xfm
Xfm is a brand of two commercial radio stations focused on alternative music, primarily indie pop, and owned by Global Radio.-History:Xfm was created in London in 1992 by Sammy Jacob, who later co-founded NME Radio in 2008. Xfm subsequently expanded to a network of four stations; there are...
, lead singer Alex Turner said, "They think it is rude, disrespectful and they're putting a sticker over it in America in certain stores, big ones."
Track listing
Personnel
- Alex TurnerAlex Turner (musician)Alexander David Turner is an English musician, best known as the lead vocalist, guitarist and main songwriter of the English rock band Arctic Monkeys...
– lead vocals, guitar - Jamie CookJamie CookJamie Robert Cook is the lead guitarist for the British indie rock band Arctic Monkeys.He is the most outspoken member, going on record as saying he "fucking hates the [print] news" and defending the band's numerous successive records by saying, "I couldn’t see us being like Coldplay, it’d just be...
– guitar - Nick O'MalleyNick O'MalleyNicholas O'Malley , is the bass guitarist of Sheffield-based band Arctic Monkeys.- Biography :O'Malley was drafted in as a temporary replacement for bassist Andy Nicholson when the latter announced he would not make the band's North America tour in May 2006...
– bass, backing vocals - Matt HeldersMatt HeldersMatthew Helders , is the drummer for English indie rock band Arctic Monkeys. He is the most comprehensive backing vocalist in the group, appearing on several tracks, including the majority of 'Humbug'...
– drums, backing vocals, lead vocals on "Brick by Brick" - Josh Homme – backing vocals on "All My Own Stunts"
Charts
| Charts (2011) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Australia (ARIA ARIA Charts The ARIA charts are the main Australian music sales charts, issued weekly by the Australian Recording Industry Association. The charts are a record of the highest selling singles and albums in various genres in Australia. ARIA commenced compiling its own charts in-house from the week ending 26 June... ) |
4 |
| Austria (Ö3 Austria Top 40 Ö3 Austria Top 40 Ö3 Austria Top 40 is the name of the official Austrian singles chart, as well as the radio show which presents it, aired Fridays on Hitradio Ö3. The show presents the Austrian singles, ringtones and downloads chart. It premiered on 26 November 1968 as Disc Parade and was presented by Ernst Grissemann... ) |
2 |
| Belgium (Ultratop Ultratop Ultratop is an organization which generates and publishes the official record charts in Belgium, and it is also the name of most of those charts... ) |
1 |
| Canada (Canadian Albums Chart Canadian Albums Chart The Canadian Albums Chart is the official album sales chart in Canada. It is compiled every Wednesday by U.S.-based music sales tracking company Nielsen Soundscan, and published every Thursday by Jam! Canoe and Billboard, along with its sister charts the Canadian Singles Chart and the Canadian BDS... ) |
3 |
| Denmark (Hitlisten) | 2 |
| Finland (Finland's Official List) | 34 |
| Germany (Media Control Charts Media Control Charts The official music charts in Germany are gathered and published by the company Media Control GfK International on behalf of Bundesverband Musikindustrie... ) |
4 |
| Ireland (IRMA Irish Albums Chart The Irish Albums Chart is the Irish music industry standard albums popularity chart issued weekly by the Irish Recorded Music Association and compiled on its behalf by Chart-Track. Chart rankings are based on sales, which are compiled through over-the-counter retail data captured electronically... ) |
3 |
| Italy (FIMI) | 7 |
| Japan (Oricon Oricon , established in 1999, is the holding company at the head of a Japanese corporate group that supplies statistics and information on music and the music industry in Japan. It started as , which was founded by Sōkō Koike in November 1967 and became known for its music charts. Oricon Inc... ) |
12 |
| Netherlands (MegaCharts MegaCharts MegaCharts is responsible for the composition and exploitation of a broad collection of official charts in the Netherlands, of which the Mega Top 50 and the Mega Album Top 100 are the most known ones. Mega Charts also provides information to the Stichting Nederlandse Top 40, of which the Dutch Top... ) |
2 |
| New Zealand (RIANZ Recording Industry Association of New Zealand The Recording Industry Association of New Zealand is a non-profit trade association of record producers, distributors and recording artists who sell music in New Zealand... ) |
1 |
| Portugal (AFP Associação Fonográfica Portuguesa The Associação Fonográfica Portuguesa is currently the only recording industry association in Portugal. Created in 1989, it succeeded GPPFV and UNEVA .... ) |
7 |
| Spain (PROMUSICAE) | 3 |
| UK (The Official Charts Company UK Albums Chart The UK Albums Chart is a list of albums ranked by physical and digital sales in the United Kingdom. It is compiled every week by The Official Charts Company and broadcast on a Sunday on BBC Radio 1 , and published in Music Week magazine and on the OCC website .To qualify for the UK albums chart... ) |
1 |
| US Billboard 200 Billboard 200 The Billboard 200 is a ranking of the 200 highest-selling music albums and EPs in the United States, published weekly by Billboard magazine. It is frequently used to convey the popularity of an artist or groups of artists... |
14 |
Tour
On 5 May 2011, Arctic Monkeys began the Suck It and See TourSuck It and See Tour
Suck It and See Tour is an ongoing worldwide concert tour by English band Arctic Monkeys in support of their chart-topping, fourth studio album Suck It and See....
by playing their first live show for over a year in Stockholm
Stockholm
Stockholm is the capital and the largest city of Sweden and constitutes the most populated urban area in Scandinavia. Stockholm is the most populous city in Sweden, with a population of 851,155 in the municipality , 1.37 million in the urban area , and around 2.1 million in the metropolitan area...
.