What's Gone And Happened Here? (Favourite Worst Nightmare - Arctic Monkeys)

Member Name: XICripZ

Product:	Favourite Worst Nightmare - Arctic Monkeys
Date:	13/07/09 (47 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: A few big tunes

Disadvantages: Not as fresh as their debut

The Sheffield-based Indie Rock band Arctic Monkeys dropped their second album in 2007 and it found that, led by Alex Turner came out with "Favourite Worst Nightmare" to continue the success which was initiated when they came with "I bet You Look Good On The Dancefloor" from 2005 with their funky take on the UK Indie style.

1. "Brianstorm"

The sophomore album starts with them laying down what was their lead single for the record. It is a banger of a tune and one which really made a big impact on the game as they showed that they were back in a big way as they brought back the same sounds which made their debut album such a massive success and a tune which is based around a fast-paced composition which is all topped-off with Turner's vocals.

**Five Stars**

2. "Teddy Picker"

The record flows through with another of the singles and in this case they get down to one where they are seen to comment upon the state of British society (and the wider world) where the celebrity culture overrides everything else that happens with 'real' people. It is a tune which stands as a strong one, but I can't say that I was that impressed by the way that the music, around the song did that much for me.

**Three Stars**

3. "D is For Dangerous"

With this you have them returning back to top form and to the state which has them getting back to the sort of form which made them popular in the first instance as they get their stuff out there with a funky jam which really makes full use the sorts of grooves which made it for them and allowed them to really stand out in a music scene which is plagued by so many similar-sounding acts to put off outsiders.

**Five Stars**

4. "Balaclava"

This is one which has them showing a great deal of progression to what people were used to before as they get down to one which takes on the high-tempo of things which was used extensively before, but it seems adapted somewhat as you get that in it they move things on by their choices in how to vary the music frequent in terms of how it is played and at what pace to show how the time has been spent trying to move things on.

**Five Stars**

5. "Florescent Adolescent"

This was one of the big singles form the album and I can't say that I really felt that much until I went through it when it was found within the actual album and I could really appreciate the fact that it fits right in with the way they have drawn-up this one in a style to bring back the years when Brit Pop was seen to dominate the popular music in the UK. It needs time to grow on you, but does its job well enough.

**Four Stars**

6. "Only Ones Who Know"

With this you get a track which has to be likened to one particular tune on the album prior to this which fans are bound to understand as it take son a much calmer and sombre format to contrast from the rest of what you get on the album. It isn't one which I can say I actually liked at all, but I'm sure that those who are more into the Indie style of music will appreciate it much more than I could.

**Two Stars**

7. "Do Me A Favour"

They choose to flip things yet again and get back to what they are good at as they return to the fast pace of things and build the music up gradually in order to give the listeners some time to really feel and appreciate each aspect of it before it is layered even more as Turner is seen to match this in the delivery of the song from a calm approach to much more power and energy as it gets on to later stages.

**Four Stars**

8. "This House Is A Circus"

With this one you get a frantic, and urgent tune from them which appears to take things to a new high as they get back into the groove and make sure that they make a big impact as they come with an energetic display where they are seen to take things back to 2006 with their debut, but do so in a manner which also sees a fair bit of progression and development in terms of the way it is composed and constructed.

**Five Stars**

9. "If You Were There, Beware"

With this you get them ripping through a jam where they ensure that their music is heard and engaged with as they come out with an exciting and attractive tune which pulls you right in as they try out even more of the new stuff as they seem to distance themselves from earlier music further. I can't say that I'm really for these adaptations, but I could feel the foundations of their style much more through this tune.

**Four Stars**

10. "The Bad Thing"

This was a popular track from the album and I have to say that it deserved the attention which it received (in spite of not coming out as a single) as you get them driving through a tune which has them showing how well they can put across these exciting displays to make the most out of the funkier Indie material which they make. It is one of the best from the album and sticks out within it as one to look out for.

**Five Stars**

11. "Old Yellow Bricks"

With this one you have them pounding away at the thing initially with kickdrums and an fly groove coming through on the guitar to act as a fresh riff for them to work off as they get down to some of the sort of material which had come just before it on the album and so with it you get a tune which takes from the best that they are able to do, but has them experimenting with this powerful, percussion-led recording.

**Five Stars**

12. "505"

The album ends with a song which I have to say that I wasn't really feeling. I felt that it was one which rounds off the album nicely and leads to closure with its calm-inducing feel, but I can't say that it did all that much to actually make tha much of an impact upon me as the tune is one which takes on a format which sounds quite unlike what we are used to with them, and so it is a bit of a shame to see it close in the way it does.

**Two Stars**

It is clear that this album doesn't compare to the pretty much flawless display which they came up with for their debut album and so it meant that they really had a challenge to build upon this to make for a tune which really takes things to another level. Although I can appreciate that they needed to progress the sound, the way that this was done wasn't in favour of their unique elements and made it sound much more generic than before, but still on the whole it is a strong (yet inconsistent) album from them.

Summary: Arctic Monkeys' secodn album