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Arctic Monkeys |
| Whatever People Say I Am, That's What I'm Not |
| Domino | 2006 | Album |
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"Anticipation has a habit to set you up for disappointment" sings Arctic Monkeys’ front-man Alex Turner, and if anyone should know, its him. In barely a year, his band of Sheffield teenagers has gone from an unsigned garage band posting their demos online, to the biggest band in Britain, their debut "Whatever People Say I Am, That's What I'm Not" becoming the fasting selling British debut ever. The anticipation had been mounting even before the band signed to buzz-label Domino, their hometown gigs were sold out and attended by rabid fans from all over the country. With all the hype and interest surrounding the band’s rise to fame, its easy to forget the music, which in fact, does not disappoint.
The band is centered around Turner, and his poetic tales of the youth of suburban England. Turner’s words are sung with passion, and with the speed and precision of a rap artist, holding more liking to Mike Skinner than Alex Koppranos. Turner tells the angry tales of the teenagers of Sheffield, and the countless English towns like it. He’s angry at rude bouncers, girlfriends with less than sunny dispositions, and the countless unoriginal bands that are jumping into the scene. As Turner’s accented vocals are laid down thicker than molasses, the Monkey’s back him up with asshole-tight post punk that contains more hooks in one song than most bands can achieve in a whole album.
Last October, the Monkeys dropped their first single, "I Bet That You Look Good On The Dance Floor". This raucous and hook filled number, which debuted at number one on the British singles chart, gets the album into full swing in the number two slot. From there, the CD barely lets up its race car fast pace, with a string of solid songs that barely push three minutes. The combination of jittery power chords and swiftly picked riffs wins on almost every track.
But the Monkey’s save their best for last, and the last three songs end with a bang. "When The Sun Goes Down" is a grimy song about the guys and gals who roam the dark streets of the night. Turner’s wit is evident around every lyrical turn as he croons, "So who's that girl there?/ I wonder what went wrong so that she had to roam the streets/ She don't do major credit cards/ I doubt she does receipts/ It's all not quite legitimate." Next is the scornful "From Ritz to the Rubble" during which Turner angrily describes his failed odyssey into a night club, full with put downs to the ever condescending character of the bouncer. The album closes with the epic "A Certain Romance". This five and a half minute opus if full with bouncy ska rhythms, a poignant solo, and Turner’s constant stream of above par lyrics. Turner comments on the sunken state of small town England with striking clarity and verbosity. When the song, and the album comes to a close, the listener feels surprisingly satisfied.
The ultimate triumph of "Whatever People Say I Am, That's What I'm Not" is necessarily in the songs themselves, but the emotions they provoke. Every song is filled with the lust and passion of youth, the desirous rage that flows through the pumping veins of the teenage spirit. Its through these songs that the Arctic Monkeys claim their reign as the hottest young British band today. |
| Martin Black |
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