ARCTIC MONKEYS
"Tranquility Base Hotel & Casino"
BOTTOM LINE: A stunningly ambitious concept album of sci-fi soul from the unpredictable mind of Alex Turner
Some musicians need a bit of distance when they want to reveal their truths.
Sometimes, they create characters to make sure people don't confuse what they sing with who they are. Sometimes, they change their names. For their first album in five years, the Arctic Monkeys created a concert residency in outer space.
The songs on "Tranquility Base Hotel & Casino" (Domino) may take place on the moon _ or maybe a simulation of the moon _ but their focus is most definitely life on earth, rolling the story out like a science fiction novel from the near future.
"I just wanted to be one of The Strokes," Alex Turner sings to open "Star Treatment." "Now look at the mess you made me make ... . I'm a big man in deep space."
He takes us through the results of escapism _ even confiding, "Maybe I was a little too wild in the '70s" _ over a space-tinged soul background, with Turner's lounge-singer delivery making it all feel that even escapism has its consequences.
The music of "Tranquility Base" is more piano-driven than ever from the Arctic Monkeys, though its lushness does seem like a natural progression from their comeback "AM" album. What's changed here is that Turner is using his lyrics to consider broader themes and using his voice to convey a wider range of emotions.
He gives us the full "Young Americans"-era Bowie treatment on "Four out of Five" as he gives us the most thoughtful Yelp review for a gentrified "taqueria on the moon." There's more than a little "Pet Sounds"-era Beach Boys bittersweetness in "Golden Trunks," where he worries "the leader of the free world reminds you of a wrestler wearing tight golden trunks."
But the trippiness of "Batphone" shows that this is still most definitely the Arctic Monkeys, trying to make sense of their place in changing times and creating a classic.
CHARLIE PUTH
"Voicenotes"
BOTTOM LINE: Bridging new and old with his own definition of pop
Charlie Puth proves himself to be the real deal with his sophomore album "Voicenotes" (Atlantic).
Sure, it's hard to argue with his success from "See You Again," the "Furious 7" tribute to the late Paul Walker that remains the second-most-viewed video of all time. But any questions about whether he could field more pop hits was answered with the string of radio-conquering singles that came before the release of "Voicenotes" _ the sleek R&B of "Attention" and the '80s-drenched "How Long," which are both included here.
That winning streak should continue with the new, personal single "The Way I Am," which adds a bit of rock guitar to the mix, and "Done for Me," where Puth and his falsetto ride a throwback R&B groove until the great Kehlani drops in to shake things up.
His bid for longevity comes, though, in a pair of ballads _ "If You Leave Me Now," a soulful pop collaboration with Boyz II Men, and the folk-tinged call for inclusion "Change," with James Taylor. Those songs show Puth can build a song for the ages as easily as he can roll out one for right now.
