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Noisy Arctic Monkey Talk


08/14/2009
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(PR) British rockers Arctic Monkeys return with album number three, and sit down to talk desert inspirations, transatlantic living, and that sludgy new sound with John Norris, on Noisemakers on Noisevox.

At home they're unqualified superstars: not far behind Radiohead, Coldplay and Oasis in the running for honors as the UK's top band. In this country they've got a following that's more limited, but no less loyal � and the Arctic Monkeys remain one of Britain's most exciting outfits, one that took a detour for their third full-length album, Humbug. Partly recorded in Joshua Tree, CA with Queens of the Stone Age's Josh Homme on board, the record finds the boys in their heaviest place yet, channeling such stoner rock touchstones as Sabbath and Captain Beyond. That move was just one of the topics the oft-acerbic Monkeys discussed with John Norris for this week's edition of Noisemakers on Noisevox.

"I feel like there's something about this one, we all somehow feel it's more like 'ours' in a way," says front man Alex Turner about the record that includes the single "Crying Lightning" as well as the sludgy standout "Pretty Visitors" and the soaring Shadow Puppets-worthy "Secret Door". "Maybe it's just hindsight but before it felt like we were just always catching up with ourselves. There's more satisfaction this time."

Other topics tackled include that Dickensian album title, Humbug, which, besides being the name of a candy largely unknown to Americans, is also, Turner and drummer Matt Helders point out, a word with some "cracking" synonyms, including one they actually considered as a title, "dupery". Also in the running, they say, was a potentially more controversial name: Lesbian Wednesdays.

John Norris also asks Turner about his recent part-time relocation to New York, where the singer's girlfriend has been hosting the summertime MTV show "It's On�with Alexa Chung." (Norris knows a little something about MTV) Not surprisingly, the press-savvy Alex deftly deflects those queries.

On the heels of their appearances at All Points West and Lollapalooza, as well as those 'secret' gigs they've been playing � and on the verge of the August 25th release of a terrific new record, Noisemakers on Noisevox brings you an in depth conversation with the Arctic Monkeys, before anyone else. We got em. No humbug. Nor dupery.

Check out the Monkeys as well as previous Noisemakers episodes, including Animal Collective, Dan Deacon, Here We Go Magic and Japandroids, on a splash page of the forthcoming music site Noisevox, at
www.noisevox.org



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