A Matured Band Showing Their Creativity (Favourite Worst Nightmare - Arctic Monkeys)

Member Name: World-of-Bones

Product:	Favourite Worst Nightmare - Arctic Monkeys
Date:	18/06/09 (10 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Great lyrics, showing signs of maturity, fast paced and aggressive

Disadvantages: It is a grower, can take a few listens to get in to

Arctic Monkeys' second album was eagerly awaited by millions of listeners after their record breaking first album, with many struggling to see how it could live up to their magnificent first album. But Favourite Worst Nightmare proves to many doubters that What People Say I Am, That's What I'm Not was not just a flukey first album. It shows that the Arctic Monkeys have matured a lot and grown out of their laddish music making ways, which was by no means bad. But altogether this album is much more musically challenging than their first album.
It kicks off with their first single off the album, Brianstorm, a fast paced, aggressive sort of track based on a person they met whilst touring. Apparently this guy's attitude and fashion sense was so strange yet cool they thought they had to write a song about him. This is a very good song to kick the album off but it's worn on me because of it being overplayed, like many singles on hit albums.
Teddy Picker continues the trend of upbeat melodies and sarcastic lyrics, with Alex Turner singing about his dismay at the modern focus on media-based opinions of the public. It's also a great track that helps the album on it's way and shows the band's musical and personal maturity.
The album continues in this way with D is for Dangerous, with more fast paced, aggressive riffs and drum beats and Alex Turner's unmistakeable vocal style. Balaclava brings more of a funky beat to the scene before breaking into the aggressive style again with lyrics basically portraying everything they were in Whatever People Say I Am.... The laddish culture of Britain today, I can't quite make out whether they're mocking this culture or simply putting it into words, but it's a fantastic track and one of the standout songs on the album.
Fluorescent Adolescent is the second single off the album, this time with a less aggressive musical style but still keeping up the fast drum patterns and sarcastic lyrics about sex.
Only Ones Who Know turns in a completely different direction, seemingly bridging into the second part of the album, it's a great ballad that, in my opinion, is up there with Mardy Bum of the first album with some thought provoking lyrics and brilliantly layered vocals. Another of the stand out tracks.
Do Me A Favour starts picking up the pace a bit after the very slow ballad of Only Ones Who Know, it's not up to the pace or aggression of the first few songs but sort of a midway point, with the Monkeys' seemingly showing that they have matured. This is a song where Alex Turner's strong Sheffield accent is heard a lot, and it does add to the song, with some great lyrics and a well structured song altogether.
This House is a Circus picks the pace up even more, getting back to the fast paces drum patterns and an amazing chorus that makes this another stand out tracks. This isn't quite as aggressive as some of the tracks on the album but certainly shows their musical proficiency off in a well structured and lyrically great track.
The next track, If You Were There, Beware, kind of feels like a filler track to me, probably the worst song on the album in my opinion. They have knocked down the pace a bit again on this song, somewhere in between Do Me A Favour and This House Is A Circus. There are some nice parts to the song but overall it's a decent song, but nothing special.
The Bad Thing reminds me quite a lot of the first album, with the laddish sort of lyrics, typical Alex Turner vocals and musically it is very reminiscent of the first album. It's a really good song with some quite amusing lyrics and a chorus that will be hard to get out of your head.
Old Yellow Bricks is another song that feels like a bridge into their next track, and it works perfectly. It lowers the pace a bit and doesn't overpower you with aggressive guitar riffs. It has a melodic, slow chorus to get you ready for 505, the final track on the album.
505 is another ballad-esque song to end the album, with Alex Turner playing a pipe organ in this song. It has some very sad lyrics with a melancholic feel to the whole song. It's another of my favourites on the album because of it's new direction from the old material. It's a very heartfelt song to end a brilliant album.
Overall this album shows that the Arctic Monkeys have matured in an effort to show the music community that they are a serious act and not just a fluke act that did well in their first album. I've got to say, it worked tremendously, because this is a promise that there are bigger and better things to come from the Arctic Monkeys, and they will continue to grow, both in fame and personally and musically.
Everyone can write a bad song, but i've yet to see Arctic Monkeys do so.

Summary: A great album that shows the Arctic Monkeys are serious music producers.