Link: Arctic Monkeys
The Inside Pulse:
Tickets to sold out dates for their first US tour are fetching $90 online, and while the debut album is only available via import until February 21st, the advance sales have pushed it to #18 on Amazon’s top seller’s list in the first week of February. The album broke the single week sales record in the UK. A wide range of media outlets are calling this album an audible slice of heaven. Could anything possibly live up to that kind of hype?
Yes. It is that good. It’s a Guns & Roses/Stone Roses-like debut that calls foul on what other people celebrate as good rock music. It also has a “unite the tribes” quality in that it takes the best of the British dance rock — the precision, tempo and expresionistic instrumentation — and adds real energy, street poetry and raw instability. It’s for Nirvana fans, the Darkness fans and Franz Ferdinand fans (and God knows who else).
That’s not saying it’s a lock on album of the year or even that it’s the best album this band will put out (but didn’t we all hope Guns & Roses and the Stone Roses would only get better with time). There are some spots where the spark fades, but on the whole, if you think you might like this, rest assured, you are right.
Positives:
– It’s rare to hear something that has this much edge be so accessible. The single “I Bet You Look Good on the Dancefloor” is all you need to start to get it. Even when things slow down, it’s edgy and unpredictable. “Riot Van” is nearly a ballad about police baiting and the accompanying brutality.
– The lyrics are beside the point, but they’re actually very good. Picking lines to cite seems wrong because they are so consistently entertaining/insightful/funny. Pick your favorite online lyrics source and read them all.
– Every instrument is played to the hilt and the band is super-tight. This is a fully-formed band at its peak and it’s only the beginning. The 19 and 20 year olds play as well as a unit as early U2 or Bends-era Radiohead.
Negatives:
– Perhaps filler is a bit strong, but… There are songs we don’t need to hear to get the point.
– It’s not the band’s fault, but all of the British Gang of Four disciples currently getting some attention make some of this seem very familiar. Then again, there was metal pop before Guns & Roses and danceable new wave before the Stone Roses (and I realize that’s the third time I’ve mentioned those two bands — starting to get it yet?)
Cross-breed:
Franz Ferdinand’s pop sense with Nirvana’s edge and the Darkness’s sense of fun.
Reason to buy:
With buzz like this you will soon know if you’re in the market for this CD. If you find yourself in the market for this CD, buy without reservation.
