Whenever I hear Whatever People Say I Am, That’s What I’m Not, Arctic Monkey’s first album from 2006, I am reminded of the chaos and craziness of college. There’s a sense of freedom at college that’s intoxicating and drives you a little bit wild. The sound of this album encapsulated college for me in its fury-filled, punk, and schizophrenic pace. As silly as it sounds to equate college with punk, I felt a sense of rebelliousness in the mistakes I was making free from the gossip and punishment that similar decisions would have created during high school. Alex Turner, one of my favorite lyricists, slyly sung of run-ins with the police, nights at the club, posers, and all sorts of girls. Turner is bitingly inquisitive and humorous. He is, as the Brits would say, cheeky.

Fast forward to their most recent EP - the phenomenal (and my #1 Album of 2013) AM - and the Arctic Monkeys now have two classic albums. AM sounded like everything their first album wasn’t. It was controlled, technical, sexy, and confident. “Do I Wanna Know,” the first track of AM (and of this Best of), slowly burns and purrs. “R U Mine” peels out of the driveway to make it in time to the strip club to hear “No. 1 Party Anthem,” possibly the greatest song about a strip joint I’ve heard (save for T-Pain’s “I’m in Love with a Stripper,” of course). The night ends as Turner attempts a late-night hookup in the crazy catchy “Why’d You Only Call Me When You’re High?” The album’s a vintage muscle car with nothing to prove. And the Arctic Monkey’s swagger remains evident on tour with their tight sets while Turner’s pompadour, leather jacket, and comb do the rest.

Along this ride of five albums, I’ve been able to whittle their discography down to my 16 favorites. But there’s one song that sticks out. “505” was always a “last track” song. I couldn’t imagine it placed anywhere else on an album. It’s one of my favorite final tracks of any album (recorded on their second album, the great Favourite Worst Nightmare) that I can remember (the other coming to mind is “Arizona” on Kings of Leon’s Because of the Times). It’s a love song of distance, longing, and lust. It begins with a searching organ (from Ennio Morricone’s film The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly) when Turner explains, “I’m going back to 505 if it’s a 7 hour flight or a 45 minute drive. In my imagination, you’re waiting lying on your side…with your hands between your thighs.” Then a guitar comes in, then the bass drum and a tambourine as Turner goads his girl, “Stop and wait a sec, when you look at me like that, my darling, what did you expect? I’d probably still adore you with your hands around my neck, or I did last time I checked.” Then the snare and other guitar join in, and finally the bass line and high hat all build on the sexual tension awaiting in what presumably is Room 505. Then an interlude…in Room 505? After the interlude, the climax of the song comes as Turner, now clear-eyed, screams, “But I crumble completely when you cry. It seems like once again you’ve had to greet me with goodbye. I’m always just about to go and spoil the surprise. Take my hands off of your eyes too soon.” Yet despite the difficulty, Turner ends the song as it began, “I’m going back to 505.” It’s such a beautiful song in all aspects and speaks to the hardships of long-distance relationships and the fragility, scarcity, and preciousness of time the two have together. And it’s the perfect way to end their Best Of.

The Arctic Monkey are the best English band of the past decade. Their first album was the fastest selling debut album in British music history. Turner’s lyricism and wit continue to improve as the band’s influences continue to vary. Their live shows are only getting better. And their fifth album is an exclamation point that the band has a lot left to do. I can’t wait to see what’s next.