SHREDnews

By: Jonny Drybanski

Cornerstone is the latest EP from English alternative rock band from Sheffield, England, the Arctic Monkeys. The band, currently consisting of Alex Turner (lead vocals, guitar), Jamie Cook (guitar), Nick O’Malley (bass guitar, backing vocals) and Matt Helders (drums, backing vocals), thump through these for tracks with purpose.

The songs seem to build in intensity through out the EP, beginning with the calm yet forward moving Cornerstone. Incorporating pleasing melody and reverberating echoes, The Monkeys show their affinity for the folk/indie side of rock on this piece.

Catapult ramps up the energy slightly, with more guitar distortion, more urgent sounding vocals, and a frantically circular repeating bass line.

The edgy and abruptly phrased Sketchead feels one again more hard hitting than the beginning of the EP. Vertical stabbing repetitions of drums and guitar punctuate Alex Turners’ accented growling.

Fright Lined Dining Room is the darkest sounding of these songs, ending the EP with raucous grandeur. The Arctic Monkeys impress with their ability to play songs in the hard rock and more subdued indie realm while maintaining a certain stylistic consistency and comfort in whatever intensity they commit themselves to.

For Listeners Of:

The Kooks

The Strokes

Kings of Leon

Top Tracks: Cornerstone, Fright Lined Dining Room