Arctic Monkeys will perform at Liberty Hall in Lawrence, Kan. on Monday, April 12
Much like Oasis and The Beatles before them, the Arctic Monkeys were being billed as Britain's next great rock band in 2005. In the five years since, the alternative rock quartet from Sheffield has recorded its first three albums and has amassed a huge international fanbase.
Arctic Monkeys will perform at 8 p.m. Monday, April 12 Liberty Hall in Lawrence, Kan.
St. Joe Live was given the opportunity to talk to Arctic Monkeys bassist Nick O' Malley before the big show. Here's the conversation...
St. Joe Live (SJL): Just to break the ice, who were your biggest musical influences growing up? Who were the bands that made you want to be in a band?
Nick O' Malley: Um, I suppose that from a very early age, you listen to what you parents listen to. So, like The Beatles and stuff like that. You know, it's probably the same for everyone (laughs). And I also like The Kinks and bands like that. And at about the same age, everyone at my elementary school were mad Oasis fans. Everyone at my school knew every word to every song. But I never wanted to play guitar, I just liked singing along with it. When we got to 15 or 16, we were all at the same college. And we used to really be into The Strokes and The Vines and used to play their songs at dinner time or recess. We'd cover their songs and stuff. We thought they were really cool and I guess they made us want to be in a band.
SJL: I'd like to start off talking about the new album. "Humbug" sounds pretty different than "Favourite Worst Nightmare" and "Whatever People Say I Am, That's What I'm Not." With "Humbug," were you out to prove anything about your capabilities?
Nick: I don't think we necessarily wanted to prove anything. I think we just wanted to do some things different, I suppose, to albums one and two. And we went to the desert, and we were just into the whole experience of not trying to make it sound like the first two -- not trying to make them sound as instant and as necessarily poppy as albums one and two. We all wanted to do a bit more musically. A bit more (with) instruments, I guess. The first and the second, we recorded quickly and we could play them straight away whereas with "Humbug" we added a lot more parts. So, it was a lot more dense. Not in the stupid sense, but in the thick sense (laughs).
SJL: You touched on this already, but what artistic risks did you feel you took with "Humbug"? What new things did you try? Like, I heard some eerie organ sounds and I know that you worked with Josh Homme (lead singer/guitarist for Queens of the Stone Age) so I did notice kind of his signature, dirty guitar and bass sounds, too.
Nick: Yeah, he definitely jolted the sound a bit there. And, like you mentioned, the organs and the harmonies and backing vocals had this eerie quality in all our songs. And choral response harmonies -- we had never really done that before. You know, you just shout it. We'd just shout back the vocals. Also, with our arrangements, we'd try not to go for the usual arrangements and tried to make them a bit different.
SJL: Right, and this album had a lot fewer hooks than the first two albums, which had very catchy songs like, say, "Flourescent Adolescent." And it did turn off a few fans. Is this an indication of the musical direction you will continue to head in? Away from those hooky pop songs?
Nick: Um, I don't know. Obviously, we knew this one wouldn't be as poppy because of the way the songs were. But I don't think we're never going to want to write (another pop song). We love writing good, popular songs. But I think a lot of bands like to think that "pop" is a negative term. Whereas, I don't think so. I think every band wants to write a great pop song. That's what it's all about. And if you do it right, you can do it with your integrity intact. We're not going to continue to move as far away from pop music as possible. It just depends on what songs we come up with next and how it sounds. But, yeah, we're not purposely trying to steer away from that or anything.
SJL: One song from "Humbug" that stood out to me was "Cornerstone." From what I can tell, It's about this guy who stumbles from one pub to another, running into girls who remind him of the one girl he's trying to forget. Do you what inspired that song? It seems to have the same mentality of misery that many other Arctic Monkeys songs have, but it's a little more grown up.
Nick: I suppose that's just it. It's Alex writing lyrics about someone that he misses, I guess. But apart from that, I don't know what to say (laughs).
SJL: Fair enough (laughs). We touched on this already, but Josh Homme produced "Humbug" and recorded it in his studio in the Mojave Desert. What did he bring out of you as a producer and what was the vibe like in the studio like compared to the previous two records?
Nick: He pushed us further to not do the easy thing, I suppose. And with stuff like guitar solos and drums and vocal melodies and everything, he'd just give you the confidence to try something a bit more difficult that you might not have tried. So yeah, he was of great help in that sense. It was like having a coach, I suppose, in sports terms. They're giving you the belief in yourself. And the vibe, it was just pure comedy. He was making us laugh all the time. He was one of the funniest people I've ever met.
SJL: Yeah, I've heard that from other guys who have worked with him, like Dave Grohl.
Nick: Yeah, he's hilarious. He's constantly making you laugh 24/7. Yeah, it was a very good atmosphere and a very enjoyable experience.
SJL: (Arctic Monkeys lead singer) Alex Turner's lyrics describe very vivid details about growing up, partying and chasing girls in Sheffield, which is often seen as this dreary working-class town. How much do you relate to his lyrics and why do you feel it's important to paint such a detailed picture of where you guys grew up?
Nick: I suppose the fact that it's personal to him makes his songwriting a lot more honest. And people hear that. And people can relate to it. You know, there are dreary towns all over the world in every country, so everyone can relate to that. And I think because he's writing about his experiences and situations, people see the honesty in it and connect with that. That's what I get from it, anyway, when he writes. I can see what he's getting at, what he's describing. Obviously, he does it in a very catchy, clever way. That's how I connect.
SJL: Before "Whatever People Say I Am" came out, you had this mountain of hype building around you based on the demos you gave away at your shows. It's like you guys were these 19 and 20 year-old kids who were pretty much being anointed Britain's next great band. What was that like for you guys? I'm sure it was somewhat overwhelming.
Nick: Yes, it was just quite mind-blowing. Like, you never expect it to happen to anyone you know. But at the same time, it was a great time in our lives. It will always be treasured fondly in our memories. It's just really surreal. You think you'll wake up from a dream, or you were in a car crash and you're in a coma. You think you're dreaming the whole thing. And then you wake up and you'll have to go back to your normal job. It's like a film. It's like a movie.
SJL: Since most of the pressure that came with the hype of your debut is off, where does the pressure come from now? Do you put it on yourselves?
Nick: Yeah. We always kind of learn to ignore the pressure. So, I think the only pressure if from ourselves and the fans that we don't want to disappoint. But with the general kind of media pressure, you could spend years letting it worry you and stuff like that. Like with the third album, there was a lot of pressure to follow up and make a better one than the first two. But we were like, 'let's just make this for us.' Let's not give in and make the album the media wants us to make or that certain people want us to make. And I think that's the best way. I don't like to live my life making the same album over and over again just to keep people happy.
SJL: What do you feel Arctic Monkeys are bringing to the alternative rock genre that other bands aren't?
Nick: Hmm, that's a difficult question (laughs). I like to think we have this own unique sound, rhythms and drum beats and riffs. We just try to sound a lot different than anyone else, I suppose.
SJL: And maybe your background? You come from Sheffield and have this very unique experience there that certainly no American bands have experienced.
Nick: Yeah, I guess that sets us apart in the alternative rock genre (laughs).
SJL: OK (laughs). Aside from touring, what are your plans for the rest of 2010?
Nick: I think this is going to be our last tour of this year. So we're headed to Mexico in a couple of weeks, which will be a great way to end the tour. And then we get a couple of months off from the band. I don't whether people are going to do other things. I'm not sure. But that'll be an option because we have like three months off. Then, towards the end of the summer, we're going to go away somewhere and start writing songs for a new album.
SJL: Have you started anything for a new album?
Nick: Absolutely. Alex is always constantly, constantly writing. And then in sound checks, we'll throw a few riffs around and drum beats. There are always ideas floating around.
SJL: I know it's preliminary, but how might it differ from everything else you guys have done?
Nick: It's really difficult to say, so far. We've been thinking about making an album that's all completely fast all the way through with no slow songs. But
there's always a wacky idea like that and it probably won't happen. But hopefully it will. I kind of want it to be like that. But, yeah, it's quite aggressive and fast -- the ones we've been working out. But it's nowhere near being finished.
SJL: For those Arctic Monkeys fans in the St. Joseph area who haven't seen you guys live, what can those people expect from your concert in Lawrence?
Nick: A lot of energy, I suppose. We take a lot of pride in the way we play live. We don't like to be one of those bands that turns up and they're completely wasted and plays terribly (laughs). We always pick the favorite songs from all three albums and do 'em justice. And hopefully, we'll get the crowd involved and get everyone dancing.
SJL: Is there anything else you'd like our readers to know?
Nick: Just that we're looking forward to coming and playing. We hope you enjoy it.
Source:
http://www.stjoelive...arctic-monkeys/
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