British alternative rockers Arctic Monkeys have released a new song, and it's definitely a song of the year. "2013" was unleashed on YouTube and will be the B-Side to current single "Do I Wanna Know?"
The two minute, 29 second song begins with a heavy, loaded guitar riff, sludgey bass and light cymbal and drum taps in order to keep time.
"It's two-thousand and 13, all across the galaxy," singer Alex Turner sings with a deliberate staccato in the chorus. Though enunciating heavily hasn't always been Turner's strongpoint, every word in this new B-Side is sang with purpose. A slight pickup in tempo after the first chorus gives the song new, interesting life. A spacey, acoustic bit near the end gives a spacey, futuristic vibe despite
"2013" will not appear on the Monkeys' upcoming album AM, and that's probably for the best. Though the song does fall in line with Arctic Monkey's heavier, more mature sound, the track simply isn't up to par with previously heard songs such as the stomper "Do I Wanna Know?" or fan favorite "R U Mine." The constant tempo changes make for an uneven song and the lyrical material makes for a song that will eventually get stuck in time.
Though the instrumentation is classic hard rock, the song may worry about becoming dated at the year's end. Turner mentions, for instance, Instagram and Twitter. Though the social networking sites are booming in popularity right now, these things do have a shelf life. Though Ruben Studdard's "Sorry for 2004" this is not, "2013" still expires in five and a half months.
Arctic Monkeys' new album AM will be released on Sept. 10 in the US.
