Are they the embodiment of the promise that 'the next big thing' was always supposed to deliver on? Setting a record for albums sold in the first week by a debut artist in the UK would seem to indicate that the Arctic Monkeys might just be the band that breaks the indie scene wide-open and delivers it unto the big-time. Then again, England was always a little...well, you know.
Just in case you were immediately concerned for the overall wellbeing of some poor, coat-less monkeys that had been dropped off in the frigid Arctic environ by some sick, twisted researchers, let me reassure you: there are no monkeys in the arctic circle. I mean it...it is a simian-free region. Where would they get their goddamn bananas from, anyway? Sheesh! Personally, I'd never had any doubt in my mind that the British Isles were rife with talent the likes of which the States just couldn't match on a per-capita basis. So do I think that the Arctic Monkeys, on the strength of Whatever People Say I am, That's What I Am Not, will bring about a renaissance of the 'scene'? No, that scene was always doing alright. Do I think this will restore peoples faith in the validity of rock as an art form? Maybe, but one could strongly argue that Green Day's American Idiot was the seminal, watershed album that helped bring rock back into the fore. Do I think that these boys with their cockneys and their punk ala pop sound are going to be as huge as everyone seems to think they should be? Fuckin' A right I do. The buzz around these newbies is stronger than that that surrounded the The's (Strokes, Hives, etc), Interpol and the Yeah Yeah Yeahs combined, so they've got a lot of pressure to live up to.
What makes this band any better than the other bands dropping their debuts this year? What about the Arctic Monkeys is deserving of the fervent adulation that has befallen them? Well, the single “I Bet You Look Good On The Dance Floor” is a good start. It's got a hard charging intro that establishes a ripping up-tempo beat, only to settle into a snappy punk/ska rhythm that should make just about any rude boy's heart palpitate with anticipation for what else is to come. It's the lyrics and vocals on this track that, in my opinion, are responsible for a good amount of the trumpeting all of the critics seem to be doing...this song is sex, and not just any old missionary-style ugly bumping, either. This is raw, dirty, one-night-only fucking. Secretly, this is something that almost everyone of a certain disposition is looking for, and this song delivers in spades. If this song alone made up their entire album, just repeated over and over again, it would sate people. But guess what? It's not the best song on the album...not even close.
Whatever People Say I Am, I Am Not starts off with a rip-roaring track called “The View From The Afternoon” that leans more toward punk with it's dueling guitars and simple, driving low-end. Lyrically, it's fast-paced and very nearly anthematic with it's chorus. Further exhibiting their stylistic range, “Dancing Shoes” is a hip-shaking, bass-driven number that jumps around at a feverish pace, and like most of the songs on this album, it clocks in well under the 3 minute mark. Rolling through the next few purely Brit-punk cuts, we land on the languid number “Riot Van”, a song that details a game of hide and chase following a riot (perhaps of the football fan variety?), evidencing that the Arctic Monkeys are everything the Libertines were and more (minus a certain penchant for self-destruction that a certain individual has). Many songs are thematically focused on relations with the female of the species, and “Red Light Indicates Doors Are Secured” will not disappoint if this is the kind of song that brought you to this party. Honestly, I could blow-by-blow this whole album...there really isn't a single bad song to be had. But everyone likes a little surprise, so I'll just let you know that the absolute best song on the album is “When The Sun Goes Down”...this is the kind of track that makes me want to crush a Red Bull and get my ass busy.
What started out as an album that I was afraid to even listen to (buzz (typically) != realization of promise) turned into an album that I would have regretted missing out on. Am I sold on the fact that they might save some form or music or another? Not at all. Do I think that they'll explode in a world-wide-way? Fuckin'ell! I very much hope to see these boys when they come around because I'm pretty sure they put on the kind of show that leaves bruises.