22012014 - Arctic Monkeys "AM"

This album has been voted one of last year's best releases by the international music press, so it was time to take a listen. Obviously I had heard some of the songs here before, like the enjoyable and heavily Black Keys-influenced album opener "Do I Wanna Know". I have never listened much to this band before, but when track two also resembles the aforementioned Ohio duo more than just a little bit I get curious. Is this pretty damn good or too derivative? Five tracks that are very Keysy listening (see what I did there?) go by - and I'm liking them - before they turn down the tempo with the soulful "No. 1 Party Anthem" - a song title that belongs on a LMFAO album, but a song that reminds me of the classic British bands from the mid-nineties. In a good way! The last half of the album has some forgettable songs, but the last track, "I Wanna Be Yours" is just lovely, and in general I found myself really enjoying this record.