Suck It and See

Suck It and See is the fourth studio album by English rock band Arctic Monkeys, released on 6 June 2011 by Domino Recording Company. It was produced by the band's longtime collaborator James Ford and was recorded at Sound City Studios in Los Angeles, with Ford and drummer Matt Helders promising to deliver a more "instant", "poppy", and "vintage" sound in comparison to the band's darker, polarising previous album Humbug (2009).[6]

Suck It and See
Studio album by Arctic Monkeys
Released	6 June 2011
Recorded	January–February 2011
Studio	Sound City, Los Angeles
Genre	Guitar pop[1][2] indie rock[3] psychedelic pop[4]
Length	40:04
Label	Domino
Producer	James Ford
Arctic Monkeys chronology
Humbug (2009) Suck It and See (2011) AM (2013)
Singles from Suck It and See
"Don't Sit Down 'Cause I've Moved Your Chair" Released: 12 May 2011 "The Hellcat Spangled Shalalala" Released: 15 August 2011 "Suck It and See" Released: 31 October 2011 "Black Treacle" Released: 23 January 2012[5]

Recording and production

Arctic Monkeys wrote the album throughout 2010, with Alex Turner writing the majority of the songs in New York, and the rest in London. Rather than repeat the heavily produced, studio production style, and darker sound of Humbug, the band's previous effort, much of the album was recorded in live takes with minimal overdubs, with producer James Ford in Los Angeles, California, over five weeks in January–February 2011. Alex Turner has commented that rather than going into the studio with only rough sketches of songs, and making heavy use of overdubbing, the band focused much of their time rehearsing written songs together, coming up with new ideas in the process.

The band settled on Suck It and See as the title after debating between titles such as The Rain-Shaped Shimmer Trap, The Thunder-Suckle Fuzz Canyon, The Blond-O-Sonic Rape Alarm, and Thriller, according to a band interview in the NME.[7]

The track "Piledriver Waltz" was first released on Alex Turner's debut EP, Submarine, where it was credited to Turner as a solo artist, featuring Ford on drums.[8] The version included on Suck It and See is a re-recording with the whole band involved.

Promotion

A music video for "Brick by Brick" was released shortly before the album details were revealed on 10 March. However, Matt Helders confirmed that "Brick by Brick" wouldn't be the lead single.[9]

On 5 May 2011, Arctic Monkeys began the Suck It and See Tour by playing their first live show in over a year in Stockholm.

On 13 May, Arctic Monkeys appeared on Later... with Jools Holland and performed four tracks from the album: "Library Pictures", "Don't Sit Down 'Cause I've Moved Your Chair", "Reckless Serenade" and "The Hellcat Spangled Shalalala".

Singles

Four singles were released to promote the album. The lead single, "Don't Sit Down 'Cause I've Moved Your Chair", was released digitally on 12 April 2011, and on 16 April three thousand 7" vinyl copies were released worldwide by the band as part of Record Store Day, backed with "Brick by Brick".[10] It was given a wider release on 30 May 2011, available on 10" vinyl and digital download with backed with "The Blond-O-Sonic Shimmer Trap" and "I.D.S.T.", and on 7" vinyl, backed with "I.D.S.T.".[11]

The second single taken from the album, "The Hellcat Spangled Shalalala", was released on 15 August 2011, backed with a new Death Ramps track featuring Miles Kane, "Little Illusion Machine (Wirral Riddler)". On 31 October 2011, the title track "Suck It and See" was released as the third single, backed with a new song, Evil Twin. The fourth and final single, "Black Treacle", was released on 23 January 2012, backed with a second new Death Ramps song, "You & I", featuring Richard Hawley.

Reception

Professional ratings

Aggregate scores
Source	Rating
AnyDecentMusic?	7.2/10[12]
Metacritic	74/100[13]
Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	[14]
The A.V. Club	C−[15]
The Daily Telegraph	[16]
Entertainment Weekly	B−[17]
The Guardian	[1]
NME	9/10[18]
Pitchfork	7.5/10[19]
Q	[20]
Rolling Stone	[2]
Spin	8/10[21]

Suck It and See received positive reviews from critics, with an average 74% rating at Metacritic based on 32 critics.[13] The album has also been successful commercially. In its first week of release, the album debuted at number one in the United Kingdom, selling over 82,000 units[22] and knocking Lady Gaga's Born This Way off the top spot. In its second week, the album sold a further 34,910 units in the UK. Overall, the album sold 154,000 units in its first week worldwide. NME named the album cover, an artwork free cream monochrome after the styling of The Beatles' White Album, as one of the worst in history.[23] In July, the album won Mojo award for the Best Album of 2011. Mojo placed the album at number 39 on its list of "Top 50 albums of 2011."[24] On 30 May, a week before official release, Domino Records streamed the entire album on SoundCloud.[25] Within a few hours of being made public, the first two tracks had reached over 10,000 listens each, and by the end of the week, each had accrued over 100,000 plays.

Censorship

In the United States the title on the cover sleeve was covered by a sticker in certain big-box retailers. In an interview with British radio station XFM, lead singer Alex Turner said, "They think it is rude, disrespectful and they're putting a sticker over it in America in certain stores, big ones."[26] The English idiom "suck it and see" means that something must be tried first, appearing, for example, in a 2010 The Economist headline[27] and (as "suck 'em and see") in the advertising slogan of Fisherman's Friend lozenges.[28]

Track listing

All tracks are written by Alex Turner, except where noted[29].

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Length
1.	"She's Thunderstorms"		3:54
2.	"Black Treacle"		3:35
3.	"Brick by Brick"	Turner, Matt Helders	2:59
4.	"The Hellcat Spangled Shalalala"		3:00
5.	"Don't Sit Down 'Cause I've Moved Your Chair"		3:03
6.	"Library Pictures"		2:22
7.	"All My Own Stunts"		3:52
8.	"Reckless Serenade"		2:42
9.	"Piledriver Waltz"		3:23
10.	"Love Is a Laserquest"		3:11
11.	"Suck It and See"		3:45
12.	"That's Where You're Wrong"		4:16
Total length:			40:04

Japanese edition bonus track

No.	Title	Length
13.	"The Blond-O-Sonic Shimmer Trap"	3:28
Total length:		43:37

Personnel

Credits adapted from liner notes.[30]

Arctic Monkeys

• Alex Turner
• Jamie Cook
• Nick O'Malley
• Matt Helders

Additional musicians

• Josh Homme – backing vocals on "All My Own Stunts"

Technical

• James Ford – production
• James Brown – engineering
• Sean Oakley – engineering assistance
• David Covell – engineering assistance
• Craig Silvey – mixing
• Morgan Stratton – mixing assistance
• Bryan Wilson – mixing assistance
• George Marino – mastering

Artwork

• Matthew Cooper – art direction, design
• Jason Evans – art direction, design
• Aaron Brown – photography

Charts

Chart positions Charts (2011) Peak position Australian Albums (ARIA)[31] 4 Austrian Albums (Ö3 Austria)[32] 12 Belgian Albums (Ultratop Flanders)[33] 2 Belgian Alternative Albums (Ultratop Flanders)[33] 2 Belgian Albums (Ultratop Wallonia)[34] 9 Canadian Albums (Billboard)[35] 12 Danish Albums (Hitlisten)[36] 2 Dutch Albums (Album Top 100)[37] 6 Dutch Alternative Albums (Mega Alternative Top 30)[38] 1 Finnish Albums (Suomen virallinen lista)[39] 34 French Albums (SNEP)[40] 7 Greek Albums (IFPI)[41] 38 German Albums (Offizielle Top 100)[42] 10 Irish Albums (IRMA)[43] 3 Italy (FIMI) 7 Japanese Albums (Oricon)[44] 12 Mexican Albums (Top 100 Mexico)[45] 27 New Zealand Albums (RMNZ)[46] 7 Norwegian Albums (VG-lista)[47] 4 Portuguese Albums (AFP)[48] 7 Scottish Albums (OCC)[49] 1 Spanish Albums (PROMUSICAE)[50] 10 Swedish Albums (Sverigetopplistan)[51] 33 Swiss Albums (Schweizer Hitparade)[52] 8 UK Albums (OCC)[53] 1 UK Independent Albums (OCC)[54] 1 US Billboard 200[55] 14 US Independent Albums (Billboard)[56] 4 US Top Alternative Albums (Billboard)[57] 5 US Top Rock Albums (Billboard)[58] 6 US Top Tastemaker Albums (Billboard)[59] 2

Year-end charts Chart (2011) Position Belgian Albums (Ultratop Flanders)[60] 46 Belgian Alternative Albums (Ultratop Flanders)[61] 21 Danish Albums (Hitlisten)[62] 91 French Albums (SNEP)[63] 129 UK Albums (OCC)[64] 50

Certifications

Region	Certification	Certified units/sales
United Kingdom (BPI)[65]	Platinum	333,000[66]

References

1. Petridis, Alexis (2 June 2011). "Arctic Monkeys: Suck It And See – review". The Guardian. London. Retrieved 3 June 2011.
2. Rosen, Jody (7 June 2011). "Suck It And See". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 7 June 2011.
3. Empire, Kitty (5 June 2011). "Arctic Monkeys: Suck It And See – review". The Observer. London: The Guardian. Retrieved 6 June 2011.
4. Williams, Mike (6 April 2011). "Arctic Monkeys And The Best 'Return To Form' Albums Ever". NME. Retrieved 7 May 2018. eschewed in favour of quick-rattle British psych-pop, the next step on their seemingly endless evolution.
5. "Arctic Monkeys' Alex Turner: 'I'm getting into country music'". Retrieved 17 November 2011.
6. "Arctic Monkeys: Suck It And See' is more poppy than 'Humbug". NME.com. Retrieved 14 June 2015.
7. "Arctic Monkeys 'Suck It and See' – Exclusive album stream". thevine.com.au. 30 May 2011. Archived from the original on 17 July 2013. Retrieved 15 July 2013.
8. BBC – Music – Review of Alex Turner – Submarine EP
9. "Arctic Monkeys – "Brick by Brick" Surprise new song". Retrieved 11 March 2011.
10. "Arctic Monkeys Announce First Single From 'Suck It And See'". Gigwise. Retrieved 31 March 2011.
11. "Arctic Monkeys Announce New Single..." Archived from the original on 4 April 2011. Retrieved 31 March 2011.
12. "Suck It & See by Arctic Monkeys reviews". AnyDecentMusic?. Retrieved 28 December 2019.
13. "Reviews for Suck It and See by Arctic Monkeys". Metacritic. Retrieved 3 June 2011.
14. Erlewine, Stephen Thomas. "Suck It and See – Arctic Monkeys". AllMusic. Retrieved 8 June 2011.
15. Rytlewski, Evan (7 June 2011). "Arctic Monkeys: Suck It And See". The A.V. Club. Retrieved 1 May 2012.
16. Perry, Andrew (2 June 2011). "Arctic Monkeys: Suck It and See, CD review". The Daily Telegraph. London. Retrieved 3 June 2011.
17. Anderson, Kyle; Wood, Mikael; Wete, Brad (27 May 2011). "Albums: June 3, 2011". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved 3 June 2011.
18. Nicolson, Barry (18 May 2011). "Album Review: Arctic Monkeys – Suck It And See". NME. Archived from the original on 14 January 2016. Retrieved 30 May 2011.
19. Hogan, Marc (9 June 2011). "Arctic Monkeys: Suck It and See". Pitchfork. Retrieved 15 July 2013.
20. "Arctic Monkeys: Suck It and See". Q (300): 104. July 2011.
21. Kandell, Steve (18 May 2011). "Arctic Monkeys, 'Suck It And See' (Domino)". Spin. Retrieved 30 May 2011.
22. "Archive Chart". Official Charts Company. 18 June 2011. Retrieved 16 September 2011.
23. "Pictures of The 50 worst album covers ever – Photos". NME. 20 April 2011. Retrieved 15 July 2013.
24. "MOJO's Top 50 Albums of 2011". Stereogum. 2 December 2011. Retrieved 16 December 2011.
25. "Arctic Monkeys stream new album 'Suck It And See' online". NME. 30 May 2011. Retrieved 15 July 2013.
26. "Arctic Monkeys' 'Suck It And See' censored in America | News". NME. 1 June 2011. Retrieved 16 September 2011.
27. "Testing drugs: Suck it and see". The Economist. 29 November 2010. Retrieved 15 July 2013.
28. "UK television adverts 1955–1990: Medical products". Retrieved 15 July 2013.
29. "ACE Repertory". Retrieved 6 October 2020.
30. Suck It and See (booklet). Arctic Monkeys. London: Domino Recording Company. 2011. WIGCD258. Retrieved 6 June 2018.CS1 maint: others (link)
31. "Australiancharts.com – Arctic Monkeys – Suck It and See". Hung Medien. Retrieved 23 January 2014.
32. "Austriancharts.at – Arctic Monkeys – Suck It and See" (in German). Hung Medien. Retrieved 23 January 2014.
33. "Ultratop.be – Arctic Monkeys – Suck It and See" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved 23 January 2014.
34. "Ultratop.be – Arctic Monkeys – Suck It and See" (in French). Hung Medien. Retrieved 23 January 2014.
35. "Arctic Monkeys Chart History (Canadian Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved 23 January 2014.
36. "Danishcharts.dk – Arctic Monkeys – Suck It and See". Hung Medien. Retrieved 23 January 2014.
37. "Dutchcharts.nl – Arctic Monkeys – Suck It and See" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved 23 January 2014.
38. "Alternative Top 30" (in Dutch). dutchcharts.nl. Retrieved 25 June 2004.
39. "Arctic Monkeys: Suck It and See" (in Finnish). Musiikkituottajat – IFPI Finland. Retrieved 23 January 2014.
40. "Lescharts.com – Arctic Monkeys – Suck It and See". Hung Medien. Retrieved 23 January 2014.
41. "Greekcharts.com – Arctic Monkeys – Suck It and See". Hung Medien. Retrieved 23 January 2014.
42. "Officialcharts.de – Arctic Monkeys – Suck It and See". GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved 23 January 2014.
43. "GFK Chart-Track Albums: Week 23, 2011". Chart-Track. IRMA. Retrieved 25 January 2014.
44. "CDアルバム 週間ランキング-ORICON STYLE ランキング". Oricon. Retrieved 16 September 2011.
45. "Mexicancharts.com – Arctic Monkeys – Suck It and See". Hung Medien. Retrieved 23 January 2014.
46. "Charts.nz – Arctic Monkeys – Suck It and See". Hung Medien. Retrieved 23 January 2014.
47. "Norwegiancharts.com – Arctic Monkeys – Suck It and See". Hung Medien. Retrieved 23 January 2014.
48. "Portuguesecharts.com – Arctic Monkeys – Suck It and See". Hung Medien. Retrieved 23 January 2014.
49. "Official Scottish Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 23 January 2014.
50. "Spanishcharts.com – Arctic Monkeys – Suck It and See". Hung Medien. Retrieved 23 January 2014.
51. "Swedishcharts.com – Arctic Monkeys – Suck It and See". Hung Medien. Retrieved 23 January 2014.
52. "Swisscharts.com – Arctic Monkeys – Suck It and See". Hung Medien. Retrieved 23 January 2014.
53. "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 23 January 2014.
54. "Official Independent Albums Chart Top 50". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 23 January 2014.
55. "Arctic Monkeys Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved 23 January 2014.
56. "Arctic Monkeys Chart History (Independent Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved 23 January 2014.
57. "Arctic Monkeys Chart History (Top Alternative Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved 23 January 2014.
58. "Arctic Monkeys Chart History (Top Rock Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved 23 January 2014.
59. "Arctic Monkeys Chart History (Top Tastemaker Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved 23 January 2014.
60. "JAAROVERZICHTEN 2011: Albums". Ultratop (NL). Hung Medien.
61. "JAAROVERZICHTEN 2011: Alternatieve Albums". Ultratop (NL). Hung Medien. Retrieved 25 June 2014.
62. "Album-Top 100: 2011". Hitlisten. IFPI Danmark& Nielsen Music Control. Archived from the original on 23 January 2012.
63. "Top de l'année Top Albums 2011" (in French). SNEP. Retrieved 21 January 2021.
64. "End of Year 2011" (PDF). UKChartsPlus. Retrieved 25 June 2014.
65. "British album certifications – Arctic Monkeys – Suck It and See". British Phonographic Industry. Select albums in the Format field. Select Platinum in the Certification field. Type Suck It and See in the "Search BPI Awards" field and then press Enter.
66. Myers, Justin (11 May 2018). "Arctic Monkeys' Official biggest songs and albums". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 14 May 2018.