Whatever You Say I Am, That’s What I’m Not, Arctic Monkeys’ debut long-player, attracted journalistic plaudits and public affections with its combination of shrugging charm and bitter turn of phrase. But retrospect is a virtue and, peppered with duds and clumsily self-righteous socio-commentaries, the album was by no means the classic many lauded it as; rather, it was a promising introduction and little more.
If there is one thing Arctic Monkeys have mastered over the last year it is understanding the importance of retaining a certain level of mystique – an aspect thoroughly reflected in Favourite Worst Nightmare. Though Alex Turner continues to be crudely hailed as akin to Alan Bennett, the blunt narratives that garnered his band their initial acclaim have been softened in favour of more lyrical ambiguity. Whilst the standard gripes remain, such as Turner’s Yorkshire rasp turning its attentions to tactless attempts to be seen on nights out in ‘Teddy Picker’, the ‘Reebok Classic’ comments that littered the debut have been replaced with far more cutting witticisms.
Though the musicianship again adheres to a relatively basic formula, Favourite Worst Nightmare has an understated depth. James Ford’s production is appropriately uncomplicated yet detailed, washed with subtle doses of psychedelic distortion that seem to be in debt to The Coral's Beefheart-aping routine. Though ‘Brianstorm’ rampantly opens proceedings with by-numbers bombast, the finest moments on the record are those that seem to follow on from the Who the Fuck Are The Arctic Monkeys? EP, released between albums, as ‘If You Were There, Beware’ echoes in the same resigned manner as ‘Leave Before The Lights Come On’.
This is a far from flawless record. ‘Fluorescent Adolescent’ and ‘D Is For Dangerous’ are laden with laddish bombast, whereas retiring track ‘Only Ones Who Know’ possesses the same insipid mid-album croon 'Riot Van’ provided in Whatever.... However, the boyish charm that appealed to so many has transformed to something far more incisive: 'Do Me A Favour' details the resigned decline of a relationship in three of their finest minutes to date, bitterly concluding that "perhaps 'fuck off' might be too kind" in the guileless manner that warranted their initial acclaim.
Though inconsistent, this record is remarkably accomplished and immediate. Whereas Whatever... was preceded by months of hype with enthusiasts exchanging demos and live recordings, Favourite Worst Nightmare benefits from sounding so unfamiliar. Whilst it may disappoint factions who revelled in the easy-to-swallow lyricism and sub-Libertines romp of the debut, this bout sees Arctic Monkeys master their craft with a record that is both credible and accessible.
Agree that they've
definitely been listening to The Coral while they were making this record.
Disagree on 'Fluorescent Adolescent' being one of the weaker tracks though. I'd say it's possibly their best song since '...Ritz To The Rubble'.
Good review
however no mention of "Balaclava", which really stands out as a special track in my opinion.
i agree
good review.
i quite like the last song though...
Balaclava is the worst track.
Good review though. I'd probably give it an 8 too.
again agree
Balaclava is a quality song. It is about time to see a quality second album by a band and Arctic Monkeys deliver
Pointless review
Whoever 'reviewed' this clearly neither listened to it properly nor understood the concept.
Firstly, the turn of phrase that endeared Arctic Monkeys so much into the public and critical consciousness was one that romanticised the bitter things, not one which bitterly recalled them.
Every bar fight, taxi row or bouncer scuffle is told with a sense of 'it'll be alrate'.
Arctic Monkeys have the humour of Mozza with little of acerbicness.
So much of this review doesn't even make sense in basic English, look at the comments concerning Teddy Picker three lines up from the end of the second para, for example. What exactly are you trying to say here?
Also, the musicianship here is far from basic.
The kind of adventurous rhythms used here - the tempo changes, beat changes and dynamic changes - are miles beyond your Kaiser Chiefs. This is such a fundamental aspect of what the band do, it seems unbelievable that it would go without mention.
Reviews need to be done in context. Rather than just rattling off the same old lines about 'hype' and it being 'accessible', why not change the record and do a bit of homework?
what are you talking about, silly mister...
'doesn't make sense in basic English'
If you were any sort of writer yourself I'd take such a comment seriously. No offence, likes.
'adventurous rhythms'
...you're havin' a larf mate! They're not exactly Tool are they? That said, the drumming on Brianstorm is fantastique
Context
No, they're not Tool, but don't be silly, you don't compare the piano playing of Bach with that on a Supergrass record.
It's about the context of what they're doing.
Compared to Libertines et al, it's adventurous and - as you say - pretty spot on.
Diver - it wasn't a personal attack on anyone. Make it so if you will - it's the typically immature thing to do, but the point is made.
"it wasn't a personal attack on anyone"
Er, yes it was...
Jesus
No, it simply pointed out that a particular portion of the review didn't make sense and also highlighted a couple of factual inaccuracies in it.
Ends.
Nah, it wasn't...
He even said; "whoever 'reviewed' this"... despite the reviewer's name being clearly stated at the head of the article.
I believe the point is that music should be reviewed on its merits, and that hype and accessibility needn't be a major point of focus.
Personally i thought the review was okay, but cannot judge whether i agree accurately, as have not heard the album nor the preceding EP.
'typically immature'
*sigh*
and also: LOLz.
8/10
is about right from my first couple of listens. I plan to listen to it repeatedly , very loud for next week or two, then I expect I'll get a bit bored of it.
With
The Libertines reuniting, what's the point of this band again?
cos
these lads are good and the libertines were, are and will be shit.
The libertines
were not shit, but i seriously doubt they will reunite, Doherty is hardly known for sticking meticulously to his word. As for this album, i think its great, i would even have given it a 9, they're clearly doing what they can to evolve fromvthe strokes/libertines sound of 'Whatever...'. As for flourescent adolescent, i agree with domgourlay.
fucking great album
good review.only ones to know, teddy picker and brianstorm are very good. also for some reason the drumming on brianstorm reminds me of zach hill from hella. id give it a 9 or 10 but thats just me
I perfer this record
to anything The Libertines ever done, thats the point :)
this is a strang review
"this is a strang review"
DAY JAH VOO
You're playing a dangerous game, Dowling.
im all about repitition
babeh
AWFUL!
It's a load of half baked songs put together by an over rated/over hyped band.
After about the 3rd single people will be bored like they were with Franz Ferdinand.
in fairness
you have shocking taste in music.
(lol)
this
review is weird, i've been listening and enjoying the album a lot recently and this review doesn't really put across anything about its magic or appeal
This coming from someone
who likes Hard-fi, the zutons, and bullet for my valentine, oh the irony.
505
Is stunning
decent review
and a good album. 8/10 is a fair score.
I still don't think Arctic Monkeys are capable of much more than this though.
you used 'bombast' twice
within two lines. and i'm not sure you know what it means if you're using it to describe 'fluorescent adolescent'. i'm glad this album has a bit more range; it seems like it was written to be played at glastonbury as well, which is nice.
i dont know
what inspired me to buy this record today. i just felt like i needed it which is slightly bizarre. but i'm really glad i did. it kind of gave me the feeling of being a teen and hearing something like 1977 for the first time. bit gay but it excited me a bit.
this house is a circus or do me a favour are killer tracks.
1977
shits all over this..
Spot on review
Totally agree with The Coral influences.
It's so good to hear unfamiliar Arctic Monkeys stuff. Reminded me of why they sounded so fresh 2 years ago.
Well...
I haven't heard the full album but from what I have heard it's a step up from their debut, which was ridiculously overrated - especially compared to the demos.
505 is fantastic, while Only Ones Who Know and (for what it is) Fluorescent Adolescent sound really good too.
But how Balaclava made it on there I don't know. Worst song they have done that!
writing credits
"Though Alex Turner continues to be crudely hailed as akin to Alan Bennett"
Isn't one of the songs credited to Turner/Bennett - and another to Turner/McClure? Who are these people - presumably not Alan n Doug of History Boys and Journey to Centre of Earth fame?
bf
McClure is Jon McClure aka The Reverend and Bennett is Alex's ex-girlfriend... I think.
ah
intresing thanks. I know nuffink
I feel such an idiot buying this shit
Got yesterday out of curiosity, I don't particulary like them but when I'd heard a clip of 'Brainstorm' it sounded ok on tv, and I didn't mind the ep so on my monthly shop as tradition I got the cd with my shopping.
Every song sounds identical! It's simplistic shit. Every song seems to have a bit where they pound the drums in that simple bang, bang style in the chorus. Every baseline has the same crappy four/five note riff sound and every song merges into one.
I found myself predicting the bits where guitar would stop and that dreadful shitty bass would wimply annoy me with it's familarity. Lyrics terrible, singing crap, not profound at all. Why oh why did I buy this, I feel such a fool
How about I buy it off you...
...for a quid incl P&P? I can do paypal.
TIA!
Alex's...
ex missus was called Alan. Crikey!
teddy picker
'turning its attention to tactless attempts to be seen on nights out in 'teddy picker"
This songs is clearly a fantastic swipe at the crap reality tv shows such as pop idol and the morons who lap that shit up. If you'd listened to it more than twice you would have realised this.
It really makes me wince...
...whenever I read a review where the reviewer has so clearly missed the point of a song. I winced this time, obviously. The majority of review's OK, though. Did Dom Gourlay lose out in the contest to post a review? I hope it wasn't a premium rate competition run by Opera.
Level-headed review..
this a decent album's but like the debut can be filed under E for ephemera.
Please keep it simple...
...I had to google that E word before I knew what you was banging on about. We haven't all been through an expensive education, you know.
The drugs reference
went over your head, but at least you learned a new word. Are you Alex Turner?
Please tell me that I'm not the only person
who just doesn't care at all. To me, they're another one of the endless indie-alikes.
The very thought that Alex Turner should be compared to Morrissey, as someone has in the comments, among other sources, is simply shocking. Never mind not in the same league, he's barely playing the same game.
I don't understand the fuss about the playing either. It's nothing special. Every song of theirs tends to follow a fairly strict formula:
Riff - bash hell out of one, or two if you're lucky, barre chords - optional chorus - break - riff - barre chords - repeat over the course of an album.
You care so little....
...you not only read the review and all the comments but also decided to post one of the longer diatribes on this page. Don't undersell yourself, you clearly DO care. It's a dead giveaway, you know it. LOL.
Of course I read the review
The reviews are one of the main reasons I visit this site.
I read most of the comments, I picked the general (predictable) gist of them.
And of course I care. I care about music.
Now you're confusing me...
...you care about music but you don't care at all about this band but you read the review and all the comments and indeed have now provided 2 comments yourself....so far? What you actually DO care about is making sure everyone knows you don't care, isn't it? I'm sure there's at least 5 years work for a psychologist there.
Heard Teddypicker on the radio and thought...
'well blow me down if this jaunty little tune doesn't half sound like Good Charlotte and 'Keep your hands off my girl''...
Which in it's turn...
..sounds like more or less anything by She Wants Revenge.
I'm liking...
Surprised that they managed to make such a strong second album! Thought they'd drown under all that praise but fair play!! Enjoyed the review and the fact that there's so many repsonses shows how much people have been looking out for this album (even if they wouldn't want to admit it!!)
i was a little dissapointed
as i saw them live last week and the songs had much more energy. good album though, much more variation than the debut. liverpool influence comes from the little flames who they are touring with not the coral. cant believe nobody has mentioned old yellow bricks, i cant get that riff out of my head!
But there's no memorable tunes
Lyrics are pretty good, playing style...well, it sounds like them. But there's nothing here to match Dancefloor, or Scummy, or (personal fave) Fake Tales. I didn't expect Total Genius(tm). But I did expect a handful of standout songs, and this record just doesn't have them.
Have to disagree
505 is outstanding, while Teddy Picker and Fluorescent Adolescent are also pretty great. 8/10 seems fair to me.
not a fan
i'm sorry i cant take this album seriously at all. it sounds far to much like reverend and the makers, who supported them last year, for my liking and i can't stand them. there are some quite nice musical ideas at times and if you put them all togeather there would be 3 or 4 awesome songs. i do like if you were there beware i'll give them that. i can appreciate them trying to get away from the standard pop songs of the genre theyre in but there is so much better stuff out there though. also that accent cant be real! thats my opinion anywho
I would be interested in...
...hearing which tracks you think sound specifically like Reverend? I personally can't think of one, but I'll happily re-visit on your recommendation. I know McClure co-wrote Old Yellow Bricks but that sounds nothing like Reverend, either. TIA.
PS What accent? LOL.
this band
makes me shrug my shoulders, in a shrug-my-shoulders kind of way.
it's 5.30am, shut up.
I don't really like this band
A lot of their stuff is samey and I'm past the point of caring about what it's like to be working class and british in the 00's. This album, imo, is near identical to the first one, and although I can appreciate that fans of the band will lap it up it seems to confirm, for me, that they're one trick ponies.
Why oh why oh why....
...couldn't this band have been a Maximo Park-size success story, then all us indie snobs could have proper loved 'em without looking like we're losing our credibility. Woody Allen really WAS right - life IS shit and then you DO die.
Personally
I think Maximo are a better band, I enjoy their music more. Arctic Monkeys, for me, came about 3 years too late.
It's not a question of what's cool, it's what you like.
Of course......
....it is. And if AM had come 3 years earlier they may have missed a lot of schooling.
PS Aren't Maximo Park working class and British?
Maximo Park
Maximo are fronted by a former art teacher. Their stuff is mostly about girls and failing relationships. Their songs seem a lot more earnest, with far less forced bombast. They're a world away from AM, both musically and lyrically.
You can't compare the two as easily as that.
Yes, Maximo are very....
....'bookish' IMO (certainly comb-over man is)and *tend* to appeal to a more self-proclaimed 'discerning' crowd. It really all comes down to what sort of music you like, I suppose, my original point was not particularly aimed at you but remains salient; it's 'easier' to be a fan of Maximo Park or some other moderately successful indie band of their ilk and still retain your 'credibility' on the inet. Talking of girls and failing relationships, the day that Maximo Park write songs on that subject to rival 505 and Do Me A Favour will be the day I will be converted.
We're all so fickle
I saw the NME tour last year (and I'm an old git, right) when both bands played.
Despite 80% of the people around me not even watching or listening to any of the bands, concerned as they seemed to be wish the level of dishevelled glam they were achieving and the functionality of their mobile phones, I did manage to come to a conclusion about these bands.
AM were good, BUT their sound was totally lost in the venue. It was kinda tinny and limp. The old bass player wasn't too tight either but they still entertained. I wished I could have seen them in a small sweaty club when I was ten years younger but frankly, despite loving the first CD, I was underwhelmed.
Maximum Pork on the other hand came on and did a proper show. They filled the room and they looked interested. Shit, I think I even recall one of them even smiling. I truly beleive that they will prove to have greater logevity than the Monkeys.
Best thing about it is, I don't really care either way because they're both going to have to get a lot worse before I stop buying their records. Its sure beats having the Libertines around, any way.
-
why do we have to compare every indie/rock album to the libertines.
this is a good album in its own right, not as good as the first but strong enough to show they have enough sense to ignore the hype thats surrounded them.
the libertines were great in their own right but can we stop comparing any punky/rocky/indie-y band to them ffs.
It's an 8 or 9 for me
I dig it utterly.
dogger
really thought this album was dogshit to begin with, but after a few plays (loved the 1st one) there's some keen numbers on this.
Of all
these revivalist fucktard bands this lot are easily the best. I still find it fucking tedious though.
Melody
It is a good album, just a minor point though, has anybody noticed the shockingly similar melodies from the first album? That was the first thing that hit me, for example, listen to D is For Dangerous and sing the verse lyrics from When the Sun Goes Down. Quite funny.
I do think theyre a good band, just i think theyre limited musically, i can't imagine that a third album will detract much further from this already established form of laddish jibes at society, with an acoustic song here and there added for 'balance'.
Oh and Old Yellow Bricks is highly under-rated.
no mention of 505?
For me the highlight...one of the best songs they've ever done.