Following in the footsteps of such bands as Pulp, The Clash, Oasis and The Smiths the Arctic Monkeys emerge from the UK. The band is composed of four members all hailing from Sheffield, England. The band has managed to generate a loyal fan base, and a good deal of media buzz, from their rocking live shows and making their music widely available on the internet. Alex Turner is the band’s lead singer and guitarist, Jamie Cook is a guitarist as well, Andy Nicholson is the band’s bassist and Matt Helders is the drummer.
The band’s long-awaited debut album, Whatever People Say, That’s What I’m Not, hit shelves in the US on February 21st, 2006, and is already being hailed by some critics as one of the top five albums to come out of the UK. In other words, keep your eyes on these boys, they’re going places. Their singles I Bet You Look Good on the Dancefloor and When the Sun Goes Down have been released as radio-friendly play, and are hooking new fans. To their credit both singles feature songs not released on the main album. I Bet You Look Good on the Dancefloor features the new tracks “Bigger Boys & Stolen Sweethearts” and “Chun Li’s Spinning Bird Kick” while When the Sun Goes Down features “Stickin’ to the Floor” and “Seven”
Whatever People Say, That’s What I’m Not
- The View from the Afternoon
- I Bet You Look Good on the Dancefloor
- Fake Tales of San Francisco
- Dancing Shoes
- You Probably Couldn't See The Lights But You Were Looking Straight At Me
- Still Take You Home
- Riot Van
- Red Light Indicates The Doors Are Secure
- Mardy Bum
- Perhaps Vampires Is a Bit Strong But …
- When the Sun Goes Down
- From the Ritz to the Rubble
- A Cretain Romance
Although all their songs feature a very UK rock feel, they vary greatly in their influences and sounds. “Mardy Bum” has a reggae sound which actually compliments the vocal stylings quite nicely and comes off as a nice, unique track. “Bigger Boys & Stolen Sweethearts”, one of my personal favorites, draws on both pop and punk influences that remind me a little of the band Generation X. “Riot Van” is the mellowest track I’ve heard from them and has a definite Beatles’ influence. Although the band would probably be classified as indie or alternative, they bring a fresh new sound to the music scene with some very poignant lyrics.
An excerpt from “From the Ritz to the Rubble”
So step out the queue
He makes examples of you
And there's nowt you can say
Behind they go through to the bit where you pay
And you realise then that it's finally the time
To walk back past ten thousand eyes in the line
With all the praise and hype around the band it will be interesting to track their musical progress. I suggest hitting up http://www.myspace.com/arcticmonkeys and http://www.arcticmonkeys.com to check out the band for yourself.