Arctic Monkeys

Wow! Where to start with this one? Alex Turner and the Arctic Monkeys, hailing from Sheffield, South Yorkshire, have gatecrashed UK culture like the fella on the album cover barging into a genteel cocktail party and demanding to shag the hostess. Said album, the audaciously titled Whatever People Say I Am, That's What I'm Not is literally rammed full of high energy tunes that come as close to punk as anything since 1981. And what's more, it's F***ing excellent! Their first single I Bet You Look Good On The Dancefloor, accompanied by a whirlwind tour of Northern England, came out of nowhere and catapulted them to number one in the charts with barely no hype at all, other than that generated by demos on their website. Since then you can't escape it, and who wants to? Their tracks have been used in commercials and promos everywhere, on the Olympics coverage and on any and every music station nationwide. Officially it is the biggest selling debut album in history this side of the lake, and it's only been out 2 months. So, what's all the fuss? Well, there's an honesty about it for sure, and an intelligence that belies both the band's collective age and the lager swilling, casual sex sensibility that hovers on the surfice, terrifying anyone who's a parent of a teenager. Lyrically it is way ahead of its peers, demonstrating an ironic humour that stands up to analysis as more than just cheap puns and throw away one liners. It has a social relevance that both celebrates, denounces and accurately reflects the place and time it comes from - prompting some critics to cynically believe the forces behind the band must be hard-edged musos in their 30s and not a bunch of lads with guitars... But I don't buy that for a minute - it's just one of those happy accidents that happen all too rarely, when ideas, energy and talent all merge to hit exactly the right tone, filling a niche in the market and satisfying a primal need while it's at it. From tracks like the beautifully tender Mardy Bum, to the spot-on observation of Still Take You Home and Riot Van, through to the raw edge on Dance Floor, this is practically pitch perfect. Musically sound, often surprising and not too polished, just as it should be. Buy it twice! 10/10 Kx