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Paste Magazine

Arctic Monkeys collect their darkest impulses and put them on stark display; it’s another massive step forward in a career that seems marked for greatness.

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Entertainment Weekly

Three albums in, the lads from northern England continue to churn out spiky Britpop anthems, though they take a (relative) turn for the deeper and darker on their new album, Humbug.

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Billboard.com

Arctic Monkeys have captivated the post-Britpop scene since their 2006 debut, but Humbug finds the group justifying the hype by shifting its best qualities into different, equally dazzling shapes.

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NOW Magazine

[Alex Turner] and the lads put their trust in Queens of the Stone Age heavyweight Josh Homme to help craft a record that, though not completely successful, frequently surprises, takes chances and demands further listens.

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Observer Music Monthly

Something a bit crunchier that's been boiled up with producer Josh Homme in the Mojave Desert, but with the sweetener of Alex Turner's words.

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Mojo

Beyond the dirty talk, this is a beautifully balanced record. [Sep 2009, p.94]

Delusions of Adequacy

With Humbug, they have an album that can be fully enjoyed by anyone willing to give it a fair chance.

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Uncut

Arctic Monkeys were never comfortable as the ‘voice of a generation’. Humbug subtly shrugs off that unwanted mantle, and in the same deft movement, promises a much more interesting future.

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Rolling Stone

Their ace third album is full of Turner's snide observations on human behavior.

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The Guardian

You can either keep chasing an elusive past, relying on your fans' nostalgia, or you can press on, keeping your gaze fixed forward. The first option is easier, but Humbug admirably takes the second, with a confidence that suggests that if their days at the eye of the storm are behind them, Arctic Monkeys' best might be yet to come.

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musicOMH.com

Humbug is another intriguing step in the evolution of Britain's most exciting guitar band.

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cokemachineglow

The hooks don’t sink in quite as quickly as compared to prior Monkeys’ efforts, but there’s also a lot more going on, and the newfound emphasis on atmosphere prevents Humbug from having the Side-B blahs that were prevalent on "Favourite Worst Nightmare."

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MSN Consumer Guide (Robert Christgau)

Talented lad, Turner. Not on this evidence incapable of ever writing quick, clever, cynical little songs again.

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Prefix Magazine

Whether you call the Arctic Monkeys' evolving sound Britpop or Britprog, it's clear the album shows remarkable progress for the band.

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Pitchfork

Humbug isn't better than either of its predecessors, but it expands the group's range and makes me curious where it might go next.

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PopMatters

These are small quibbles with an almost uniformly excellent album. But at heart, Humbug fails to make that same connection the band once did, where musician and fan were one and the same. It just sounds too polished, too mature--too good.

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All Music Guide

Since so much of Humbug is about its process, it's not always immediately accessible or pleasurable to an outside listener, nor is it quite the thickly colored freakout Homme's presence suggests.

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No Ripcord

Turner’s defense mechanisms are as honed and as vicious as his rather formidable bullshit detector has proven to be in albums past, and whatever Humbug lacks in middle fingers, or even thematic continuity, it makes up for with sinister gazes and scathing ambiguities.

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Tiny Mix Tapes

Gradually revealing its strengths, Arctic Monkeys have pulled off a rare musical trick of their own; they’ve finally made an album that grows upon consideration, a record that feels accomplished and complete.

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Drowned In Sound

Humbug is a pretty good album that’s pleasingly incongruous amongst the pre-fab boredom of much modern Brit indie. It’s eminently not astounding but it is inventive, and likeably so.

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Sputnikmusic

If Turner can return to his best--and there's reason to suspect he can't--then the possibilities open to them are potentially limitless. Then, Humbug will be seen a stepping stone. That's certainly how it feels now.

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Spin

This is oval-shaped music, circling around the tracks; it’s accomplished, but not particularly infectious.

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Dot Music

Their strength lies in Turner's lyrical precision, his way of taking a scalpel to the minutiae of real life to make his heckling of fluorescent adolescents, weekend rock stars and scumbags seem like more than just booze-maddened ranting. Here, Turner's words aren't as direct.

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Alternative Press

Not every song hits the mark, but the Monkeys should be applauded for spreading their wings and not dropping like stones. [Sep 2009, p.100]

Under The Radar

Humbug ruminates, but doesn't quite offer an extraordinary reply. [Fall 2009, p.61]

The Onion (A.V. Club)

More often than not on Humbug, they sound like a less inspired version of themselves.

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What Our Users Said

The average user rating for this album is 8.3 (out of 10) based on 79 User Votes

Note: User votes are NOT included in the Metascore calculation.

Vinny G gave it a9:
At first I thought this album was a bit too slow, moody,and hohum and borrowed too much frrom Josh Hommes/QOTSA, but after about 10 listens I've completely changed my opinion. At first listen, it sounds like they lost all of their energy and traded it for a sound with phony "depth." However, this album actually has real depth and is overall quite solid and mature. My Propeller, Crying Lightning, Cornerstone, Dangerous Animals, and Pretty Visitors are standout tracks. This one's definitely a grower. My other favorite albums of 2009: Muse "the resistance", Julian Casablancas "phrazes for the young," and Passion Pit "Manners."

Bman gave it an8:
A little harder to get in to than their other stuff, but it's a good as the amount of time you're willing to give it. I'm confident that if the critics on this site had been given a few weeks to listen instead of a day or two it would have gotten an 80 on the metascore. I'm a huge Arctic Monkeys fan and I hated this album for nearly a month. I didn't like Crying Lightning for over a month when it was first released as a single. It's darker and not as catchy as their last two, but it's also more accomplished in terms of songwriting and musicianship. And My Propellor just cracks me up.

C G gave it a9:
Arctic Monkeys continue to progress and Alex Turner continues to show that he is one of the best songwriters going at the moment.

Wout N. gave it a7:
Good album, good album. Unfortunately it is less good than the first two albums. Whatever People Say was the best, good rock en pop too. Favourite Worst Nightmare was okay, but less than their first. And this one... where is the real AM? This one is too soft. Not that it's bad! No, eally it is okay... but it could been better!

Brian H gave it a10:
This entire album "Makes my head pirouette!!!".

Tsar gave it a7:
Well, I used to love Arctic Monkeys. And I got so excited for the release of this album. So I bought one after the release date. To be honest, I'm looking for the fast drum beats, and awesome riffs that i didn't get with this album. Favorite Worst Nightmare and their style is the best. They are quite boring this time. And sort of recreating some of The Smiths songs.

Mihai V gave it a9:
Might be their most consistent album.

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