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The Album Effect episode 15 discusses Tranquility Base Hotel & Casino by the Arctic Monkeys, Random Access Memories by Daft Punk, First Ditch Effort by NOFX, and Rattus Norvegicus by The Stranglers, plus more. Hosted by Manny, Nick, Dave, and Britt.
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Episode 15 Albums:
Tranquility Base Hotel & Casino (2006)
Arctic Monkeys
When the Arctic Monkeys debuted in 2006, they were quickly heralded the biggest new Brit band since Oasis. The new definition of an overnight success story, the Sheffield indie band went from relative unknowns to certified UK chart toppers within about six months of online exposure.
Their sharp, witty tales of beer-drenched nights and underwhelming day jobs resonated with a burgeoning Brit-pop scene clamoring for new stars. After releasing the UK’s fastest-selling debut album in history, they went on to record four more studio albums before delivering 2013’s AM, the work which saw them finally catch fire in the United States.
Suffering from a bout of writer’s block while attempting to pen AM’s follow-up, frontman Alex Turner found inspiration in Federico Fellini’s surrealist film 8½. The story of a director similarly struggling in his attempt to create an epic sci-fi masterpiece proved the spark for Tranquility Base Hotel & Casino, a concept album about a luxury hotel located at the site of the 1960 moon landing. Having tired of writing love songs, Turner chose to focus on themes of commercialism, technology, and the present-day political climate.
The 2018 album turned out to be a far cry from the festival-ready anthems that made AM an international success. Though the band’s sound has shifted throughout each of their releases, their latest work was to be their most marked departure, stylistically more similar to Turner’s Last Shadow Puppets side project rather than previous Arctic Monkeys output.
The album trades crunching guitar riffs for leisurely piano melodies; jazz and lounge inspired pieces replace the indie anthems fans had come to expect. Tranquility Base Hotel & Casino was fairly well received by critics, garnering a nomination for the UK’s Mercury Prize, but proved more divisive and polarizing amongst fans.
Random Access Memories (2013)
Daft Punk
Electronic pioneers Daft Punk burst onto the scene in 1993 with a sound blending house music with funk, disco and rock influences. Two helmet-clad DJs who eschewed personal fame for robot-faced anonymity, the Parisian duo were introduced to many through the Spike Jonze-directed video for “Da Funk.” The memorable clip, in which a dog-man travels NYC carrying a beatbox blasting their house classic, launched a career that included a string of hits in the late 1990s and early 2000s.
2013’s Random Access Memories propelled the duo to a whole new level of success, however. Daft Punk’s fourth studio album was by far their most celebrated, picking up Grammys for Album of the Year and Best Dance Album, as well as Record of the Year for the ubiquitous Pharrell Williams-led track “Get Lucky.” It was also a huge commercial success, garnering Daft Punk their first Number 1 single in the UK, as well as setting Spotify streaming records.
Random Access Memories was largely the product of a desire to trade some of the faceless electronics for collaborations with a variety of the duo’s favorite musicians. An extensive list of iconic artists and producers were assembled, including the aforementioned Pharrell Williams, Giorgio Moroder, Julian Casablancas, Nile Rodgers, Chilly Gonzales and many others. 1970s and 80s influences are abound on the disco-oriented album, though the duo has pointed out that their goal wasn’t to evoke any certain era, but simply to explore what could come from an album hatched from real human connection.
First Ditch Effort (2016)
NOFX
Punk mainstays NOFX were formed amidst an early 80s LA scene known as much for chaos and violence as for the potent music it produced. Roughly ten years later, they broke through to the mainstream during the same year that bands like Green Day, Rancid and The Offspring took off. Never tremendously comfortable with fame, the band formed by vocalist Fat Mike and guitarist Eric Melvin steadfastly refused to sign to a major label and didn’t want their videos played on MTV – back when that was actually an issue.
The band’s most recent studio album, 2016’s First Ditch Effort, has its basis in NOFX’s punk, skate, and hardcore roots, but lyrically covers more serious ground than previous releases. Though the band has gotten political before, most notably on 2003’s anti-George W. Bush album The War on Errorism, First Ditch Effort covers much more intimate territory.
Recorded on the heels of NOFX’s tell-all autobiography being released, the album is filled with deeply personal lyrics Mike says wouldn’t have been written had he not already shared so much in that book. The singer’s well-documented drug use, struggles with medically-assisted sobriety and the death of longtime friend, No Use For a Name vocalist Tony Sly, all figure prominently into a remarkably confessional album.
Rattus Norvegicus (1977)
The Stranglers
UK band The Stranglers emerged in 1974, originally gaining attention in the British pub rock scene. After opening for The Ramones and Patti Smith, they were embraced by the growing punk community, where they would gain their biggest following. However, the band’s use of keyboard melodies and strong instrumentation set them apart musically from many of their contemporaries.
The Stranglers’ debut album, 1977’s Rattus Norvegicus, was a commercial success, going on to become one of the top-selling punk albums of its era. Produced in just a single week, it was largely a studio version of their live set. Though they were most strongly associated with punk at this point, Rattus Norvegicus introduced elements of goth rock and new wave that would weave throughout much of their later material.
The album was not without controversy, however, drawing significant criticism for lyrics perceived to glorify sexism and domestic violence. The Stranglers’ debut reflected the combative nature of a band that was to become as well known for wild altercations as they were for music that would influence generations of bands to come.
