Advertisement

Album reviews Music

ARCTIC MONKEYS

Rating: NNNN



buy this at amazon.ca!

So how do the Arctic Monkeys top the lead-off home run of their first single proper going straight to number one on the UK charts? They release the fastest-selling UK debut album ever. Even more impressive is that the slouchy Sheffield roughnecks’ phenomenal success wasn’t sparked by media-manufactured hype. It was set up by Internet downloads and sound file sharing – y’know, the stuff that’s supposedly destroying the music biz. For a first crack, Whatever People Say is a snappy set in which producer Jim Abbiss cleverly employs a Nirvana-inspired harsh/soft dynamic to create the sonic impression of a raunchy punk attack, then cuts out the bash ‘n’ crash to make way for Alex Turner’s distinctively weedy suburban snarl. Tricky. Their riff-heavy songs are brashly delivered – favouring attitude over technique – but it’s Turner’s keenly observed vignettes of bored text-messaging teens that really connect. Like Paul Weller and the Streets, Turner’s social studies may come off too British to resonate in the US, but they’ve clearly got years ahead of them to crack that nut.

Advertisement

Exclusive content and events straight to your inbox

Subscribe to our Newsletter

This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.

By signing up, I agree to receive emails from Now Toronto and to the Privacy Policy and Terms & Conditions.

Recently Posted