CURIOUS, GEORGE?
A test: Ask a friend/co-worker/stranger if he or she has heard of Arctic Monkeys. If they know that you're referring to a band, there's a strong chance that he'll volunteer additional info: That they like them, but they're so sick of hearing the hype. Sick of hearing their name. Sick of hearing the tales of their DIY rise to the top. Sick of "I Bet You Look Good on the Dancefloor"-their first single. So sick of not being able to get tickets to their shows.
Regardless of your friend's fickle opinions, the Monkeys' first full-length, Whatever People Say I Am, That's What I'm Not has been out for about two months, spending three weeks on the Billboard charts, reaching #24. In the first week after its release, it took honors as the fastest-selling debut in British history. Earlier this month, they were the musical guests on SNL, effectively solidifying their place as buzz gods about a year after they first started playing gigs.
Whatever People Say opens with "The View From the Afternoon," a song that starts with a storm of drums & guitar only to become poppy less than a minute in. The final song on the album, "A Certain Romance," does the exact same thing. In the 35 or so minutes between the two, they squeeze in 11 (mostly) quality songs built from the same formula of straight-up guitar rock and catchy hooks. Rock pop. Buzzworthy. Loved. Hated. Arctic Monkeys are all these things, but here's what they're not:
The Libertines: For a quite a spell, NME looked at the Libertines as if Pete Doherty was pooping golden Jesus statues daily in an Abbey Road crosswalk. Then came the whole flat robbing/dependency/Babyshambles/Kate Moss thing, Pete was out of the band, and it wasn't about the music (or the Libertines) so much any more, leaving a gaping void in NME's "Best North England Band" category.
Enter Sheffield's Arctic Monkeys, who embrace a good portion of the sound and energy of the Libertines without as much song-to-song variety or Brit-pop perfection. Whereas you'd have to hide Pete Doherty from your mum (and in turn, her purse from him), you'd bring that cute lil lead Monkey (Alex Turner) straight home to her, and he'd have her rustling her fingers in his hair by the end of dinner, all the while winking at you out of the corner of his eye.
They do things like have We Are Scientists' Keith Murray pose as a member of the band to accept their British Breakthrough Act Award at this year's BRITS. At the same time, it's a fact of life that kids have more energy, and this youth lends itself well to an energetic, slightly frantic live performance.
Groundbreaking: In recent times, there have been a number of bands in the same vein as Arctic Monkeys. Weezer. Foo Fighters. Pre-MTV Modest Mouse. Music that isn't afraid to kick ass and/or be catchy or poppy. Lyrics that aren't entirely cheese toast. Nonetheless, creating something original is a dead art form, and while most of the songs from Whatever People Say are damn good, they're not particularly groundbreaking.
Journalists/bloggers have, time after time, made sure to include this caveat amongst all their gushing. There's truth to it, but I wonder if all these writers might just be remembering high school by holding in their excitement and feigning cool to avoid being seen as a spazz. I mean, not me of course. No, never.