Tranquility Base Hotel & Casino

I kept feeling like this was about to click for me, but unfortunately Alex Turner makes a pretty inferior Bowie no matter how hard he tries.

A band I just have not been able to get into. The lyrics are a little too clever (sometimes at the expense of metrical rationality) and too trending into "the woes of being a great big star" territory. While this neo-lounge music is a departure from what else I've heard it still didn't do a whole lot for me.

Yoooooo lets fucking go 5th favorite album of all time 5 Almost can't resist giving it 4 stars out of five, but that's unheard of

Used to have this on repeat. I remember reading about how a lot of people didn't like this AM album, but I think it's great. It was just a taste of the direction they were headed. Kind of heartbreaking scifi vocals, fun little space "opera" in a sense.

Channeling Bowie and T Rex really hard. Sounds like a fuzzy outer space lounge act. Just a Iittle too samey by the end to earn a full five from me

Yeah, I don't get this addition unfortunately, I think Arctic Monkey's work was best summed up by their debut.

Not bad. Not great either. Perhaps I'm missing something which would rank this among the more brilliant efforts from Artctic Monkeys, but I basically hear one single song of 40 minutes and 57 seconds.

I remember being disappointed with this one after a few skims on release, and while I have a deeper appreciation for the artistry on a re-listen, it still just doesn't sit right in the Monkeys' catalog for me. Following the massive success of the swaggering rock revival of 'AM,' this LP takes such a sudden left turn into crooner territory that you'd be forgiven for thinking this is a different Alex Turner project entirely. It's not that it's poorly done – the production is smooth and clean, and the instrumentals are perfectly executed. It's more so the stunning lack of the characteristic swagger, snarl, and cocksure attitude that's ever-present throughout Arctic Monkeys catalog, the band seemingly aged overnight and now singing to fellow geriatrics at the nursing home. Artists are allowed (and encouraged in my book!) to take big leaps and departures from their characteristic sound, but this changeover hits so poorly that it still leaves a bitter taste in my mouth today.

I unapologetically adore Arctic Monkeys, and TBH&C has only intensified this affection. Daring to create a concept album that completely transforms their well-known style—especially after having one of the most successful rock LPs in recent times—is a bold move. And for me, it works brilliantly. The ever-evolving Arctic Monkeys are truly one of the greatest bands of our time, and TBH&C is a testament to that. Unheard of.

I didn't expect to enjoy this so much, but I was almost instantly charmed by the mood of this album. Very different from their earlier output, which I'm somewhat more familiar with. I'd say this is a mature record, and I mean that as a compliment. It's not to say it isn't fun and playful - more that it has a refined production style and compelling arrangements. A pleasant surprise that makes me reconsider this band and their talents.

When I spent time with this album after it came out i remember liking, not loving it. I can't put a finger on why this is the case, but I loved it on this re-listen. I would have given it 5 stars, but i went with 4 stars out of 5 because I don't know if it could be better than a taqueria on the moon.

Divided opinion at the time. I am with those who didn’t rate it.

Rock

Fantastic album!

I can see why this is added to the list, but personally it would be my 5th maybe even 6th after the Car now, favourite Arctic Monkeys album. But I do agree it’s an important album for them, and should be on the list for that reason alone. I don’t agree with the hate it gets from Arctic monkeys fans complaining they don’t make music like what ever people say I am any more. The same people probably also moan that all Catfish and the Bottlemens albums sound the same.. but also I don’t think this is a masterpiece that die hard fans of the album make out to be. I admire they took and risk and tried something different. Overall I would give this 3 stars, but the temptation to give it four stars out of five was just too much. Id say that’s unheard of, but I won’t be the first or the last to make this joke…..

My only TBHC regret is that I liked it right away and the project isn't a great grower from there. The album does a lot of character work, though it's hardly a solo effort with the band's characteristic turn at three-quarters. The listed experiences are out there and familiar enough to feel by turns, and this time out there is literal space.

I think the space lounge thing is pretty cool, even if it wears a bit thin by the end of the album. 7/10

Well, so far I'm two for two on the user submitted albums. Another good one. I've always liked the Arctic Monkeys, but never delved too far into their catalog beyond their first album, so happy to have the opportunity to listen to this. It's mellow, but really nice and interesting. Strangely evocative of David Bowie at times. Will listen again. 4 stars.

This was a lot worse than the other Arctic Monkeys album that was already on the list. This really felt like discount David Bowie. Maybe it can work but here it really doesn't. My personal rating: 3/5 My rating relative to the list: 3/5 Should this have been included on the original list? No. Stick with the original.

I remember hearing this was an insane, left field turn by the Arctic Monkeys, but it really isn't. It's Alex Turner indulging his love of Scott Walker again and it is good enough, but not any more than that.

Not a bad record, but AM or Favourite Worst Nightmare should be way ahead, as they are not in the list

I can get behind some Arctic Monkeys

6/10. Was pretty good, but not super memorable. Maybe it's something that would grow on me. I liked "The Worlds First Ever Monster Truck Front-Flip".

A bit more sophisticated than most Arctic Monkeys I've heard. Star Treatment was surprisingly funky and had some interesting musical changes. I remember hearing Four Out of Five before. Overall it's a pretty good album, but for some reason it doesn't quite jive with me a ton. I think it's the vocal style, it just isn't my thing. Very close to a 4* though.

This was better than expected, and Four out of Five is a nice crowd pleaser.

I like the Arctic Monkeys, but not a fan of this album really. More of a cabaret vibe than what I enjoy from them. 2.5/5

Really quite dull. Someone said the Alex turner is like David Bowie but not as good, but a lot of this felt like a pulp cosplay but just lacking that pulp magic.

It was just kind of there. I didn't really get into it. The songs could have been edited down.

How the mighty have fallen.

... or when Arctic Monkeys went from being the best hope for classic rock, surpassing themselves with each album, to become a bland and uninspired group, trying to fulfill Alex Turner's goal of becoming a young crooner...

I remember listening this album when it came out. I don't really like this 'crooner'-version of Arctic Monkeys. And now, at the re-listen, it didn't change that much.

lol who chooses an Arctic Monkeys album when there’s already one in the official list? It’s ok, I mean they’re not a bad band. But this was your chance to show me something I’d never heard before, and instead you chose one of the most popular rock bands of the last 20 years. And from their “ageing coke fiend” period, by the sounds of things. Minimal guitars, all jazzy arrangements, self-indulgent, arrogant and drawn out. Definitely the worst AM album I know of. Ah well. 2/5.

I don't really like the more conventional Arctic Monkeys stuff, not much anyway. I knew this album was considered something of a departure for them so maybe it would be more up my alley. Nope. I actually hate this. Did Alex Turner stick is face in a pile of blow, hit record and then just start talking about whatever stream of consciousness bullshit popped into his head?

This feels completely unnecessary. Arctic Monkeys already have their biggest and best album in the original 1001 rotation, and this album is a sucky candy ass departure from that awesome sound. This suuuucks. Omg, it’s just the same song the whole way through. I will say, very very cool album artwork though. I’m digging it. I just wish I liked any one of these songs.

Arctic Monkeys are one of my favorite bands. I think this album is a real highlight in their creativity. It's super different for them but full of charm and a lot of whimsy. Turner's vocals are really at the top of their game here.

Love the Arctic Monkeys version 2

Arctic Monkeys had two other albums on the 1001 list, they were good, but this one is exceptional. I liked it much better than the others. I think every song is brilliant. Cheers to the submitter of this one! Standouts: Four out of Five, Tranquility Base Hotel & Casino, World's First Ever Monster Truck, Front Flip, Star Treatment, She Looks Like Fun, Golden Trunks, The Ultracheese Rating: 4.5

Rating: 9/10 Best songs: Star treatment, American sports, Tranquility Base Hotel & Casino, Four out of five, She looks like fun

Interesting. They went in a different direction than their early work and I miss it, but it was still a well constructed nice time

Enjoyable, but such a shame that they switched styles from that edgy sound in "Whatever People Say I Am..."

Big fan of the Arctic Monkeys!

I keep trying to place the vocals. At first I was thinking Bono, but now I think it's more of a cross to Geoff Tate's lower register and Elvis Costello. I dig it, though. The more I listen to it, the more I enjoy it. I do think it's good. Seriously, I liked the one AM that was in the original list, so sure, more of this. please. Top songs: "The Ultra Cheese," "Four Out Of Five," "One Point Perspective"

Overall positive thoughts about the album. For me, no great standout track, but substantial reason for me to listen to more

It’s a long way from the dancefloor but a great album in its own way. Just not quite a master

first listen this annoyed me but it grew on me after a couple more

Clear evidence that mid-career reinventions are possible, though exceedingly rare. This is delightful, even if one doesn’t buy into the full story and narrative (another artist exploring stories of prog-rock-esque complexity), which really should be left to the novelists anyway. But the dry sense of humor and assured thoughtful (and occasionally glimmery) playing. That they continued on with their next album, too, confirms that they were up for this shift. One once conceived of them as the British Green Day, but this record (and the next) prove that that’s a far too narrow a comp. One knows it's divisive among AM fans, but it brought in at least one new fan, who'd be happy to see it replace the existing AM album (which is strong) on the list proper (but this one is a bolder statement with a higher degree of difficulty). Good choice recommender.

Reminds me a lot of Pulp's "This is Hardcore:" sleazy lounge music delivered with a northern twang. Not sure it quite reaches the lofty heights of Pulp's dirtiest album, but it's still interesting and diverting.

July 7, 2025 HL: "Star Treatment", "American Sports", title track, "Four Out of Five", "Batphone" Orbital's version of "The Saint" played after this and I completely believed it was a bonus track. Kooky 60's melody and everything. I've never been THAT big on Arctic Monkeys, despite them having the greatest band name on Earth. However, between this, The Car and The Last Shadow Puppets, they have more range than I initially gave them credit for, back when all I knew them for was "R U Mine" and "I Bet You Look Good On the Dancefloor". (Also I really loved "Do I Wanna Know" in high school but that's besides the point.) Tranquility Base doesn't really have the element of surprise if one listened to The Car first, but its flirtations with retrofuturism and languid art pop mesh really well. Next to The Age of the Understatement and Whatever People Say I Am, That's What I'm Not- ehh, it's redundant on the list. But it's also some of the best tunes I've heard from Alex Turner & co.

Lots of loungey atmosphere but it retains that trademark Arctic Monkeys swagger. Good times.

Like "This is Hardcore" by Pulp, it was a huge departure following a highly successful album. Sounds like a band bored of churning out the same old stuff, but taking their first steps into a new world of sound. Very Bowie and Scott Walker influenced, and very self-indulgent, and sounds more like Last Shadow Puppets than AM - did Alex get confused who he was writing for? I liked it but didn't love it at first listen (seven years ago now), and fully expected this to change over repeated listening. Unfortunately, it never did.

A more mature monkeys

Put this on for a long walk and so it looped around and I listened to it twice. Then I had to go back and listen to selections from Whatever People Say, That’s What I Am Not because this did not sound anything like I was expecting. Turns out this is a very different sounding iteration of Arctic Monkeys. I loved the strange, spacey, easy sound. It grew on me more and more as I got further along. I can see why someone might suggest this in addition to the album from the original list.

This album isn’t like previous arctic monkeys albums which definitely was a shock first time listening to it. It’s a unique lounges rock album but the lyricism is vastly different. I still prefer AM to this album but this is still solid. Its uniqueness makes it its own but this is pretty good. Very fittingly 4 stars out of 5. 8.2/10

I just wanted to be one of the strokes

One of the albums after the Arctic Monkeys slowed the music down and Alex Turner became a smooth operator. I has a chique plastic mood making me almost feel guilty about loving it.

Not my favorite AM album, but it is good. I am giving them 4 stars because of them, not because of the album

Not bad at all. This album has a lounge feel with some doo-wop through a British alternative framework. The result is an album with a sense of movement and mystery. It’s fitting that I got this album on the 55th anniversary of the moon landing.

Comme un mauvais cover band de Steely Dan qui aurait malencontreusement tenté de sortir un album original, ce qui selon moi n’est pas une si mauvaise chose

I'm fine with a band changing their sound or trying something new. The problem here is this is boring. And the Arctic Monkeys were never boring.

It’s pretty good but I prefer their earlier stuff

Not bad, but they have better albums

Not as good as debut but still solid

Un rock moderno, suave y elegante, cercano al indie. Agradable de escuchar, sin mucha intensidad ni canciones especialmente épicas. Me ha gustado, pero no me ha llegado.

Not as good as their previous album, but not as bad as their next. It’s just a shame how boring it is given what we know they can do. I appreciate they’re trying a new direction, but it feels like they don’t know what the goal is. Again, that’s more true on their next album, but it’s evident here as well. Genuinely hope they can pull out something exciting next time. 3/5

Honestly, probably the best album in this genre I've listened to, and easily the best Arctic Monkeys album. Hell, it would have actually been good if it was instrumental only.

Why is it that all the best bands decide to try their hand at Lounge-Pop? In all seriousness it really does sound like Alex has changed into a Lounge Lizard but then I'd probably slag him off for copying the formula that gave him a Los Angeles pad so he can't win.

Nothing against artists growing and changing, evolving their sound. Nothing against Arctic Monkeys pushing beyond the styles of their first decade. But much of the style they developed during and after "Tranquility Base Hotel & Casino" doesn't work for me. The lounge pop vibe, in particular, feels pretentious.

I had a pretty strong negative reaction to Arctic Monkeys the first time I got them on this list, and my reaction to this album is similar, if a bit more muted. I think that liking this band must depend to some level on liking the lyrics. I don't find them meaningful, but I think I would enjoy this a lot more if I did. As it is, this album feels self-indulgent to me, and I didn't get very far through it before abandoning the effort. I don't think this album is bad like I did with the previous album, but this was clearly not for me 3/5

The style shift here was the thing I liked most. I appreciate when artists take a new direction, and Arctic Monkeys certainly did that. But Tranquility Base Hotel + Casino feels more like an Alex Turner solo project than an Arctic Monkeys album. I really tried with this album on several occasions since 2018 and I appreciate the ambition and the inventive arrangements. There are beautiful melodies and clever moments, but it never really connects for me. The charm of the opening line “I just wanted to be one of The Strokes. Now look at the mess you made me make.” starts to feel too true by the end. It all sounds too forced. I like laid-back albums, but this style has been done better by others.

Ecstatic to see an Arctic Monkeys album on the user list, furious that it is Tranquility Base Hotel & Casino. It's a drag and should have been an Alex Turner solo album, 100%. Best track (and title) is 'The World's First Ever Monster Truck Front Flip'. What really grinds my gears though is that Matt Helders is a fucking generational talent behind the drums, and he gets close to zero opportunities to show this on the record. Ranking of Arctic Monkeys albums: 1. Whatever People Say I Am, That's What I'm Not 2. Favourite Worst Nightmare 3. AM 4. Humbug 5. Suck It And See 6. The Car 7. Tranquility Base Hotel & Casino

Good record. Not sure why I don’t listen to more of them.

Trading in some rock for smoothness, but I still can’t quite get there with Arctic Monkeys

Art rock, psychedelic pop, lounge pop, space pop, glam rock. Ni fu ni fa.

Art rock, psychedelic pop, lounge pop, space pop, glam rock. Demasiado glam. Bonito, aburrido ... no sé, me esperaba más. Además, ya hay un disco de ellos en la lista original. ¿Necesario 2?

Alex Turner being arch is OK but is so much more interesting with the energy of the early stuff

A far cry from the early days of Arctic Monkeys, this album sounds like it's trapped in another dimension of space and time (not unlike the album cover). As fascinating as the production is, it gets a little tired after a while as I was waiting for something to pick up the slack. It certainly isn't vocalist Alex Turner, who's poetic waxing actually detracts from much of the vibe. This is an album with heaps of potential but needs a bit more work to be fully realized. CONTENDER FOR THE LIST: Not really a highlight for the genre or even the band. AM might be a better pick.

Quite nice

The lyrics one the first track are kinda wild. Like most Arctic Monkeys work, watch it as it goes way waaaaaaaaaaaaaaay over my head.

It’s not my fav

The album on which Alex Turner finally discovers that his true passion lies in LARPing as a 50s crooner. Much more of a grower than the other Arctic Monkeys albums, especially since everyone's first thought when hearing this is: "What the fuck is this. Why are they doing this." But it's not that bad and actually has some very nice songs like the opener and title track. This is them mid-air doing a somersault while jumping the shark. The shark only gets fully jumped on their next album, "The Car", because what the fuck was that. Why are they doing that.

Funny lounge vibes here and there

Only heard the first 2 AM albums and this feels light years away. At times it feels like French lounge chanson type stuff. It may be brilliant, it may be really indulgent. The overall production is sumptuous. Prob needs more than one listen..not 4 out of 5 for me.

Mellifluous.

Sounds very typical of their music. I didn't really get too much of the title track. Seems like it was difficult for them to make it flow with title.

Surprisingly boring. It isn't a collection of songs as much as just a arctic monkeys vibe going on for forty minutes. Subdued somewhat non-descript music with a talky singy voiceover. One stops and the next track is pretty much the same thing. The best track, Four out of Five, is amazingly similar... it just seems to add a little more melody/inflection into the title of the song that makes me anticipate and want to single along with that line. Wish there was more here.

For coming out in 2018, this sounds quite a bit like a Covid album. Stripped back production with the lead singer just singing about whatever problems they see in the world. Wasn’t a huge fan of this and honestly am just waiting until AM shows up.

Góð tónlist, textar oft ekki að ná pari.

Arctic Monkeys have had a fun career trajectory, huh? From garage rock, to an album clearly indebted to Bowie and lounge music. I find this one more of a curiosity, than anything. I was very into early AM, but fell off shortly after the second record, and it's crazy to come back and find them here. It's good, it's just... Nothing spectacular. It does work as space-age lounge music, floating lazily over the anti-gravity cocktails. Don't forget to tip your waitstaff. Favorite track: "One Point Perspective"

Art rock, psychedelic pop, lounge pop, space pop, glam rock. Ni fu ni fa.

Fair play to Arctic Monkeys for radically changing their sound. With the lounge music stylings and lyrics such as "quantitative easing" it is difficult to avoid an impression that Alex Turner is doing a parody of his own voice. Rating: 3.5 Playlist track: Tranquility Base Hotel & Casino Date listened: 05/10/24

Well-crafted and richly arranged. I would not have guessed Arctic Monkeys had this kind of album in them, so this is a pleasant surprise. The shtick wears a bit thin by the time all is said and done, but I enjoyed it. Fave Songs: Four Out of Five, Star Treatment, One Point Perspective, American Sports, Tranquility Base Hotel & Casino

Never hit the heights of their first album again 2.9

Good lyrics and poetry as usual. Much more subdued musically from the fun guitar pop and rock normally associated with the band.

Does this guy want to be Morrisey? Like, that shouldn't be something to aspire to.

The album where the Monkeys forgot hooks and memorable melodies. It's really bland. Old Monkeys are fantastic, newer Monkeys not so much. BUT at least they're trying to mix things up a bit it just doesn't work for me. Best Tracks: Star Treatment; Tranquility Base Hotel & Casino; Four Out of Five

It wasn’t bad but I didn’t like it. Found it a bit dull.

I'm a big fan of their debut album as well as A.M so I was excited for this since I hadn't heard it yet. Now I know why I haven't heard it. Sorry. This was really boring.

Trying too hard. Just sounds pretentious

Jag har aldrig förstått mig på Arctic Monkeys.

Still not really into this version of the Arctic Monkeys. AM was the right amount of mixing their old sound with this lounge singer thing they're doing in this album. So I find it hard to give this album a good rating, unfortunately because of the band name attached to it. It's a decent album l, but just not the sound I'd expect when listening to the Arctic Monkeys.