|
Post by Fuggle on Feb 12, 2006 9:32:51 GMT -5
Arctic Monkeys: Whatever People Say I Am, That's What I'm Not 12.02.06 Reviewed by Russell Baillie
Herald rating: ****
Sooner or later, they'll probably regret that name. It sounds as if it was coined by a bunch of lads at a time when "long-term future" meant until the end of the school year or reaching the legal drinking age - not until the novelty of being the most feted band in Britain wore off.
All the same, it does allude to some brass-ballsiness, a quality which makes this debut a believe-the-hype kind of album.
It is excruciatingly English, care of frontman Alex Turner and his articulate voice about life on his local dead-end streets. But it's also universal in its sheer urgency.
It's punk strained through funk, the Mod-rock sensibilities of the Jam, the pop bite of the Buzzcocks, and some ska-derived wiriness. It's an album which suggests they've managed to sustain the livewire energy of Blur's Song 2 across a whole album.
After its feverish start, The View From the Afternoon, it barely lets up through the headrush fuzzpop of I Bet You Look Good on the Dancefloor, the time-signature-crunching Fake Tales of San Francisco, or the Rock-The-Casbah-ish Dancing Shoes.
Turner's best vignette is on the relatively sedate Riot Van with its tale of lads coming a cropper with some coppers. He further confirms himself as Britrock's answer to The Streets' Mike Skinner on Mardy Bum and the prostitute portrait When The Sun Goes Down.
Some of the later tracks among the 13 stop this short of being as wondrous a debut as it hints it might be at the start. But for the most part Whatever People Say I Am ... shows the Arctic Monkeys as a band who naff name is more than offset by a real sense of personality and one lyrical genius in the making.
Label: Domino/EMI
|
|
|
Post by Fuggle on Feb 12, 2006 9:35:08 GMT -5
NME Awards Tour, ft Arctic Monkeys
EMMA LEE
February 10, 2006
> UEA LCR, Norwich
You have to feel slightly sorry for the rest of the bands hitching the ride on the NME's tour bus to the UEA LCR last night.
There is only really one band the sold-out crowd was there to see - Arctic Monkeys.
We Are Scientists got the crowd moshing along - but when the Arctic Monkeys sauntered on to the stage they erupted into roars of approval. A couple of months is a long time in rock music - and between the line-up being announced and last night's gig the Arctic Monkeys have gone from being one-hit-wonder lucky chancers to a bona fide cultural phenomenon with their album becoming the fastest-selling debut of all time. There is no denying that as three-minute pop songs go I Bet You Look Good on the Dance Floor with its irresistible hook and chant-along chorus is pretty near perfect. At times I thought I was on a football terrace as the crowd joined in on tracks such as chart-topper When the Sun Goes Down.
As well as their witty lyrics and frontman Alex Turner's Noel Gallagher-style swagger it's their sheer ordinariness that's a huge part of their charm.
Which sadly for tour headliners Maximo Park meant that all their fancy stage lights and scissor kicks were really wasted on a slightly apathetic audience. With their Smiths-style guitar lines and dapper Paul Smith making an enigmatic frontman, on any other night the Geordie art rockers would have rightly been the star attraction. But some cheeky northerners came along and eclipsed them.
|
|
|
Post by Fuggle on Feb 13, 2006 19:23:05 GMT -5
Arctic Monkeys pen Mardy Bum sequelArctic Monkeys frontman Alex Turner has revealed he has written a sequel to their song 'Mardy Bum'. New track 'Do Me A Favour' is another story about Turner's ex girlfriend, who has been immortalised as 'Mardy Bum' on the band's number one album 'Whatever People Say I Am, That's What I'm Not'. He told icwales.co.uk: "There's Do Me A Favour, which I played to a friend and he's really gone for it. It's the further adventures of the girl in Mardy Bum - my ex." However the singer risked ruining his credibility in the same interview by announcing the first record he ever bought was by cheesy pop act PJ and Duncan. He added: "I found a right old tape at home the other week and I thought, I'll remember this when people ask me about my first record. "It was PJ and Duncan's 'Our Radio Rocks'. I remember properly loving 'Run Come Save Me' by Roots Manuva. 'Be Here Now' was a big record - we weren't old enough for the first two Oasis albums." Shit... now THAT makes me feel REALLY old!!! lol. Fuggle.
|
|
|
Post by Fuggle on Feb 13, 2006 19:27:45 GMT -5
New Releases: Arctic Monkeys UnleashedMonday February 13, 2006 By: ChartAttack.com StaffArctic MonkeysA phenomenon is coming. Its name: Whatever People Say I Am, That's What I'm Not, the debut album by the Arctic Monkeys. The LP first gained attention as a download released on the band's website and when it finally came out last month, it smashed first-week sales records in the U.K. Will it find similar success on these shores, or is this a case of NME hype driving British consumers to the stores? Find out next Wednesday. Magneta Lane have spent the last two years touring Canada on a regular basis in support of their debut EP, The Constant Lover. Their first full-length, Dancing With Daggers, is released on Paper Bag on Tuesday. Featuring production from much-discussed new team MSTRKRFT, Lexi Valentine, French and Nadia King are louder and yet somehow more polished than before. Matchbook Romance have decided the best way to come back is to ditch the emo sound that made them famous in favour of a more orchestral rock sound. See if their fans come back when Voices hits store shelves this week. Remember The Cardigans? They hope you do. Their new album, Super Extra Gravity is less alt.country than 2004's Long Gone Before Daylight, nor is it a return to their brilliant indie pop days, but one thing's for sure: Nina Persson is still very cute. Other releases this week include Young And Sexy's Panic When You Find It, Sergio Mendes' Timeless, Les Six's Clean Kills And Other Trophies and Paper Moon's Broken Hearts Break Faster Every Day.
|
|
|
Post by Fuggle on Feb 13, 2006 19:30:16 GMT -5
The Who, Kaiser Chiefs, Arctic Monkeys for TThe Who and Red Hot Chili Peppers are to headline this year's T In The Park festival. The Who and Red Hot Chili Peppers are to headline this year's T In The Park festival. The event, which takes place again at Kinross on the weekend of 8th/9th July, will also feature appearances from Kaiser Chiefs, Arctic Monkeys, The Ordinary Boys, Sigur Ros, Primal Scream, Felix Da Housecat and Slam. Tickets go on sale on 17th February at 9am.
|
|
|
Post by Fuggle on Feb 13, 2006 19:36:47 GMT -5
Whatever people say I am, that's what I'm not. The Arctic MonkeysReviewed by: Tom Beck [Mon, February 13, 2006]“The arctic monkeys changed my life” proudly declares a 50 year old man in a national newspaper a few weeks ago, and that in itself is something quite bizarre. While I recommend this gentleman seeks help and a better record collection, you can’t help but think there are several others renouncing this across the UK, maybe even the world. While many reviews and articles will inform you of how this frightfully young band from Sheffield has lived off word of mouth alone, and their ability to use myspace to its full potential, the music appears to have taken a back seat. However apparently the ‘Monkeys are the new voice of the people, and as lyrically blunt as they are genius. I can’t say I subscribe to this view however, as while they quip about prostitutes, drinking and rocking out, it’s not exactly rocket science. The general music buying public seem to mistake the sweaty and back street lyrics as musical greatness now, but in truth pick a reader of the Sun and ask their opinion on something and you’ve got the makings of an Arctic Monkeys song. While I’m harsh on the lyrics, the music itself is something quite fun indeed, and in my opinion justifies the hype completely. I can’t dance very well, but “I bet that you look good on the dance floor” is now a proven dance hall filler and deservedly so. It’s fast paced and beating, with enough sing a long opportunities to fill a whole Richard Ashcroft album alone. While that doesn’t say much for the once Verve front man’s latest release (see my last review) it’s credit to a band that, as everyone keeps telling us, have worked without the help of a label to be a big hit. It is immediately followed by another opportunity to dance as “fake tales of san Francisco” builds up before spiralling out of control in superb style with lyrics such as “the band was fucking wank and I’m not having a nice time”. Although the cool kids are quick to label this band as NME fodder you can’t help but admire the ability to produce more than two smash hits on a debut album, as for me NME hyped albums often fall short quite early on. While the filler tracks are exactly that, the albums gets better with every listen and “when the sun goes down” is arguably the best track. Formerly known as “scummy” the tracks opens with a single guitar strum and quite frank lyrics. It’s a heavenly start for a drunken night out, as the beers empty out and the indie kids hit form. Having been blessed with a Pete Docherty in the making as a neighbour I know only too well that the song is well received and gets the atmosphere going nicely. Everyone knows, or should know if this band have changed your life, those three songs though, and on further inspection I believe there are a few potential hits left on the CD. “red lights indicate doors are secure” isn’t an instant classic, but the beating style grows on you and the long coming chorus (if there is one, as the song structure is far from straightforward) hits home nicely. “Dancing shoes” offers another chance for a quick dance as the title obviously suggests, before “Riot van” slows the pace down and is the closest you are going to get to a ballad. The album isn’t all hit after hit, but several rough gems that will be loved by those who take a deeper listen. Best described as the Libertines meets the distinctly British lyrical style of the Streets, the Arctic Monkeys are obviously fun and should be taken that way. I don’t feel they have the potential to change lives and I’m sure that the scene kids don’t think it’s cool to like them, but they are there to dance to and anyone that can’t see that should take their Clap your hands say yeah album to the corner of the room and never return. Expect them to follow in the same vein as Franz Ferdinand and rock out in every corner of the world possible. Rating: Very good. If you had to give a number out of 10 I’d say 7. For fans of: Prostitutes, drunken nights out at rock clubs, Pete Docherty, Sheffield , dancing. Seriously though, fans of the Libertines, Razorlight, Bloc Party etc are all loving this right now.
|
|
|
Post by Fuggle on Feb 13, 2006 19:44:05 GMT -5
Album hat-trick for Arctic MonkeysArctic Monkeys have notched up a third week on top of the album chart with their debut LP 'Whatever People Say I Am, That's What I'm Not'. The album, which smashed the record for the fastest selling debut album of all time on its release, saw off competition from James Blunt's multi-platinum 'Back To Bedlam' and Richard Ashcroft's 'Keys To The World'. The highest new entry came from indie darlings Belle & Sebastian with 'The Life Pursuit' at eight, while Johnny Mathis crept up six places into the top ten his Best Of collection. The UK top 10 albums for w/c February 13: 1. Arctic Monkeys - Whatever People Say I Am That's What I'm Not 2. James Blunt - Back To Bedlam 3. Richard Ashcroft - Keys To The World 4. Will Young - Keep On 5. Kelly Clarkson - Breakaway 6. Johnny Mathis - The Very Best Of 7. Kaiser Chiefs - Employment 8. Belle & Sebastian - The Life Pursuit 9. Daniel O'Donnell - From Daniel With Love 10. Jose Gonzalez - Veneer
|
|
|
Post by Fuggle on Feb 14, 2006 15:17:24 GMT -5
Review: Arctic MonkeysJoel McConvey DoseArctic Monkey's Whatever People Say I am, That’s What I’m NotArctic Monkeys: Whatever People Say I am, That’s What I’m Not (Domino) Kinda Like: Franz Ferdinand, Franz Ferdinand; Jet, Get Born The Deal: Sometimes, we like the idea of a band more than the musicianship itself. The Sex Pistol’s reckless, snotty, balls-to-the-walls attitude inspired a generation of anarchists, but Johnny Rotten wasn’t exactly a pitch perfect and Steve Jones’ wall of guitar noise was far from perfect. Nirvana unleashed a dirty brand of rock, single-handedly sidelining hair-metal and all kinds of late-’80s badness, but Kurt Cobain’s voice, albeit intentionally, often sounded like he was gargling rocks. Every once in awhile, people look to a band to change the face of music. Arctic Monkeys is one of those bands. This U.K. group, who are barely out of high school, shot to the top of the British charts before they had an album, a record deal or even management, and after being picked up by Domino (Franz Ferdinand's record label), the band’s disc became the fastest-selling CD in U.K. history when it dropped there early this month. While that in itself is amazing, what’s more impressive is that the Monkey buzz was spread solely over the Internet and by the group itself by handing out endless demos. Say hello to the first band of the iPod age, a band that can skip the major labels all together and top the charts, a band that proved the myspace theory right. It’s hard not to get behind that concept. But what about the music? Well, it’s good. It’s got that slinky, simple guitar-driven, garage sound with just the right amount of sass and a foot-tapping tempo. “Still Take You Home,” has a gang-vocal, slightly campy Franz feel, while “I Bet You Look Good on the Dancfloor” channels a heavier ‘70s sound that’s updated Strokes/Jet style with a little looser smash, smash, smash. It’s all very in tune with what’s happening in music right now, but not it’s particularly revolutionary. So, are the Arctic Monkeys deserving of instant adulation or the way NME has turned itself into a variable Monkey fan zine? Probably not. But the idea is. Quick Quote: “I Bet You Look Good On The Dancefloor’ is a bit shit. The words are rubbish. I scraped the bottom of the barrel. I’d hate to be just known for that song because it’s a bit crap,” Arctic Monkeys frontman Alex Turner said of his own single, the Mirror reports. “Even the songs that are more personal are done in that observational way, because it’s not as close to the bone.”
|
|
|
Post by Fuggle on Feb 14, 2006 20:38:50 GMT -5
More plaudits for Arctic MonkeysColdplay and Kasabian are the latest acts to jump on the Arctic Monkeys bandwagon. Coldplay singer Chris Martin told Radio 1 he was a huge fan of the chart-topping Sheffield four-piece, when asked about his favourite British bands. "Obviously the Arctic Monkeys are the greatest band in the world," he replied, before begging DJ Chris Moyles to play one of their records. Meanwhile, Kasabian frontman Tom Meighan insisted he has been a fan of the group for a long time and tipped them to pick up a Brit Award on Wednesday evening. He said: "They've got to win British Breakthrough. I remember talking to my mates about them before they were signed and now look at them. "That guy (Alex Turner) is a poet, and I'm a proper fan of everything they're about. It's amazing for British music what those lads have done and I'd love to meet them."
|
|
|
Post by Fuggle on Feb 14, 2006 20:42:33 GMT -5
These Monkeys are really cool
SEAN DALY Published February 14, 2006
With the exception of the Spice Girls, Chumbawamba and that seizure-inducing Crazy Frog, U.K. kids have had a pretty keen ear for killer music over the past decade. I'm talking mostly about the moneymaking export of Brit-pop, which was huge over there before it was huge over here. You know, Blur and Oasis, Radiohead and Coldplay, Travis and Doves. All those sad guitar boys with broken hearts, bad teeth and the kind of gotcha hooks that can make you pose like a rock star and/or swerve off the road and sob like a ninny.
Except for hip-hop - in which we rule almost exclusively - I've learned to trust rock fans overseas more than I do stateside tastemakers, who often seem more obsessed with midriffs than hot riffs. If the Brits are flipping out about something, then I usually take notice. That's why I was ready to fully embrace the Arctic Monkeys - a ragtag band of 19- and 20-year-old chums from the blue collar English city of Sheffield - before I listened to a single note.
As it turns out, my premature euphoria was justified.
The Arctic Monkeys' first album, Whatever People Say I Am, That's What I'm Not, released in Britain in January, is the fastest-selling debut in British history, topping previous champ Oasis.
Fronted by lead singer/guitarist Alex Turner - who also pens the band's bar stool poet lyrics about working class weekends in smoke-stained pubs - the group sold almost 400,000 copies of its debut in its first week alone.
The band's staggering success in Great Britain is being credited to a grass-roots Internet campaign and, more important, a head start via online digital music store iTunes, where five songs from Whatever People Say I Am have been available for weeks. That explains why lots of U.S. kids are already buzzing about the Monkeys, too: The entire album won't be released here until Feb. 21, but iPod users - an influential group to be sure - are already championing the feverish first single, I Bet You Look Good on the Dancefloor.
And with good reason: Dancefloor is a take-notice coming-out party, a song that is sexy and nasty like Courtney Love used to be sexy and nasty. It's set in one of those urban dance clubs where all the social classes converge, and you can almost smell the perfumed girls, the cig-lipped boys and restrooms that reek no matter how clean they are. The song has slam-dancing punk power and damn-the-nuance rage. But keep listening, and you'll hear a subtle pop propulsion (the catchy chorus, the funky bass from Andy Nicholson, the driving drums from Matt Helders) and a whole lot of smarts, as Turner tries to woo a woman out of his league, dropping clunky Shakespeare references to try to impress her.
For such young rapscallions, these dudes sure are smart. Endearing influences, either overt or sneaky, are everywhere, from the Clash to Elvis Costello to the ska-pop silliness of Madness. On the sublime Fake Tales of San Francisco - also available on iTunes - the cut commences with an old-school Stonesian groove, hips-forward white-boy blues. The band gets great percussive oomph from all the instruments - addictive beats might be the band's secret weapon - and an arena-appropriate call and response gives the song an epic finale.
The Arctic Monkeys like loud noises to be sure; there are moments of such pure power-chording metal, you just know that there's an Angus Young poster hanging in their rehearsal space. But the album does slow down on occasion, especially for Riot Van, which is all lush guitar and morning-after melancholy. Here, Turner is both bemoaning the end of a brutal night and celebrating the strange primal beauty of law-skirting hooligans. "They got a chase last night, from men with truncheons dressed in hats," he sings. "They didn't do that much wrong, still ran away though, for the laugh." In its own way, the song is just as subversive as anything by N.W.A., but it's also just as lovely as anything by Coldplay. That's not an easy trick.
If you're wondering why the Arctic Monkeys will have U.S. success while such garage-bound bands as the Strokes and the Hives are still fighting for a commercial foothold, it's their ability to please a diverse swath of music fans without looking like they're trying too hard. They are crowd-pleasers despite themselves. For instance, Dancing Shoes has a jackhammer guitar line, messy transitions and a misogynistic streak; at the same time, with its natural boogie groove, it's destined to be "remixed" as a rave-worthy club hit and adored by Paris Hilton.
|
|
|
Post by Fuggle on Feb 14, 2006 20:50:04 GMT -5
Who, Kaisers and Monkeys in the ParkWyndham KingThe Who in their heyday... (like we're too fucking stupid to know that)MegaStar says: 'Cup of T for the old-timers.' Rock gods The Who are joined by the new breed of indie guitar-thwackers who hope to be gods of the future in an intriguing T In The Park line-up. July 8 and 9 are the dates for your diary for the mammoth festival at Balado Park, near Kinross, Perthshire, where the Who legends that are Pete Townshend and Roger Daltrey share the bill with no less than the Arctic Monkeys and the Kaiser Chiefs, along with the mouthwatering presence of the Red Hot Chili Peppers. To have a chance of nabbing some tickets, though, you're going to have to move pretty sharpish; there are 69,000 of the beggars, which go on sale on Friday February 17 and are fiercely predicted to be sold out by early that afternoon. The Who, who shook things up in their usual fashion at last summer's Live8 festival in London's Hyde Park, are tipped to be the major draw - so rare are their shows (although they are embarking on a major tour this year). Speculation is rife, too, that Franz Ferdinand will also be added to the mouthwatering bill. It's also reported that the terrestrial telly is being tapped up with a possible view to broadcasting the concert. Get a shift on for those tickets on Friday at www.tinthepark.com, or by giving Ticketmaster a buzz on 0870 169 0100.
|
|
|
Post by Fuggle on Feb 15, 2006 20:32:36 GMT -5
ARCTIC MONKEYSWhatever People Say I Am, That's What I'm Not(Domino/Outside)Holy shit, people! It's this year's Franz Strokenand! Legendary British music tabloid NME has done its best over the years to make famous bands we would never care about if we didn't somehow know every single move they made. Remember Kula Shaker? How about Razorlight? Even better, in three months, tell me how much you still spin your Kasabian disc. Throw Arctic Monkeys on the crap heap. There has never been a wave of NME slobbering so big as the one that's following these Libertine wannabes. They can't play their instruments, their lyrics are embarrassing and they don't have one truly memorable song. Don't, under any circumstances whatsoever, believe the hype. Noah Love
|
|
|
Post by Fuggle on Feb 15, 2006 20:44:05 GMT -5
Arctic Monkeys Record Brit Acceptance Speech A day ahead of the event...
by Scott Colothan on 2/15/2006
Those cocky Sheffield lads Arctic Monkeys have reportedly already recorded their acceptance speech for tonight’s Brit Awards.
The band are thought to be well ahead of the likes of Editors and The Magic Numbers in the Best British Breakthrough Act category, voted by Radio 1 listeners.
The Arctics won’t be able to attend the ceremony because they’re on tour in Portsmouth, so according to The Star they’ve done the acceptance speech in advance.
Our advice is to vote for Editors or another act in your droves – it would be the biggest upset since Belle and Sebastian beat Steps!
|
|
|
Post by Fuggle on Feb 16, 2006 17:02:18 GMT -5
Arctic Monkeys Gain Mystery Fifth Member During their Brits speech...by Scott Colothan on 2/16/2006Those cheeky Arctic Monkeys managed to baffle most of the Earls Court audience at the Brit Awards last night. In the film of the acceptance speech for the Best British Breakthrough Act the Sheffield lads somehow managed to acquire a mystery fifth member. In fact, they had drafted in We Are Scientists frontman Keith Murray just to confuse the audience. Funny guys. Photo by: Shirlaine Forrest
|
|
|
Post by Fuggle on Feb 16, 2006 17:05:12 GMT -5
Arctic Monkeys
By mike usinger Publish Date: 16-Feb-2006
Whatever People Say I Am, That’s What I’m Not (Domino)
The brilliance of the British music industry is that it eliminates all guesswork about who will become bigger than God. Or at least those two cavemen in Oasis. So, where in America the White Stripes and Death Cab for Cutie spend years toiling in obscurity, UK rock stars are minted long before they’ve released their first albums, which explains how the Arctic Monkeys have rocketed out of nowhere. Whatever People Say I Am, That’s What I’m Not was an instant hit in the land of nonexistent dental hygiene and royal inbreeding, flying off shelves to become the fastest-selling debut in British history. The hundreds of North American indie acts currently crammed into windowless panel vans should be so lucky.
How irritating, then, for the unwashed masses on Matador that Whatever People Say I Am takes exactly three songs to justify the blizzard of hype. “Fake Tales of San Francisco” is two monster smashes in one, the first half offering up a bass line so disgustingly danceable it’s hard to believe it comes from a group of pasty Sheffield punters, the second unleashing the most stunning walls of fire-squall guitar noise you’ll hear this year. Singer Alex Turner sneers his way through lyrics such as “All the weekend rock stars are in the toilet practising their lines.” There’s plenty more where that comes from, with the furious “From the Ritz to the Rubble” sounding like Mike Skinner of Streets auditioning for Franz Ferdinand, and “A Certain Romance” headed with a bullet to a Britpop night near you. The middle of the 13-track Whatever People Say I Am drags a bit, but in the end you’ve still got a good seven keepers, which is five better than the Bloc Party managed with its debut. Two weeks from now, the NME will have turned on the Arctic Monkeys faster than you can say Robbie Williams, but for now there’s no denying there’s a new group of kings in the jungle.
|
|