You're Not From New York City, You're From Rotherham (Whatever People Say I Am, That's What I'm Not - Arctic Monkeys)

Member Name: Andy.mack

Product:	Whatever People Say I Am, That's What I'm Not - Arctic Monkeys
Date:	31/01/06 (429 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: A superb debut album full of 3 minute Indie hits

Disadvantages: -

The media frenzy that has accompanied the Arctic monkey’s debut album seems to be almost unbelievable. They have gained the amazing honour of best selling debut album of all time as Whatever People Say I Am, That’s What I’m Not stormed into the UK album charts yesterday at number one. Coupled with that, two number one singles to date the Arctic Monkeys appear to really have hit the big time. The question is, are they actually any good. The short answer has to be Yes, but it takes a lot more than one short answer to really answer.

The band from Sheffield have been steadily gaining a fan base through internet downloads and fantastic live performances. They did the majority of the work before being signed by Domino and a debut single released in October last year hitting the number one spot straight away. The anticipation for the debut album was already at fever pitch and with 30 odd songs available to be downloaded the bands reputation was increasing rapidly. The four young lads have really stepped up to the big time and despite all the hype surrounding their debut I think it’s fair to say Sheffield’s new favourite sons have really delivered. Having out sold Oasis’s debut album by the middle of the weak and sold more copies than the entire top 20 albums put together it shows that they really have shown the effect of building up that fan base first.

Of course as is only natural the music magazines have picked up on the band and even the national papers comparing them to this band and that. There are influences within their music and that isn’t in doubt but my own personal feeling is that they are creating a new evolved sound of their own. There are of course hints of the obvious influences like Oasis and The Beatles but there are less obvious influences with the likes of Leeds rapper Brain Tax and other Hip Hop acts have had a real effect on lead singer Alex Turner’s lyrics.

It is musically a very well made album. The majority of the tracks are fast paced Indie tunes that really get the pulse racing and the feet tapping. From the guitars to the bass and onto the Drums there is a consistent sound that the Monkey’s seem to be evolving. With a bit of variation between faster tracks and a couple of slower Ballads there is a bit of an eclectic mix to the album. The guitars take the lead on the majority of tracks but it all seems to blend together seamlessly and create a sound that seems almost unique to the band. They also seem to have a rare talent that a number of musicians are missing in the current scene and that’s an ability to end a track properly. Rather than just cut them dead the tracks fade out it makes for a better quality of album than the majority of other bands around.

While musically the album sounds fantastic there was the chance it would be let down in the vocal or lyrical departments. This certainly isn’t the case; in fact you couldn’t get further from the truth. Lead singer Alex Turner has a distinctive Yorkshire accent and it seems to add a certain quality to his vocals that suits tracks like “Fake Tales Of San Francisco”. I also felt that from a lyrical point of view this is perhaps the freshest album for a long time. The songs really give you something to think about and Turner has written amazing tracks about such mundane stuff as queuing for a Taxi. It’s lyrically one of the most mature albums I’ve heard in a long time and with the band still incredibly young there is still a huge amount to come from these boys.

With an album that contains 13 tracks it seems amazing that the debut contains no weak tracks but that is certainly my opinion. Although certain tracks will take a few listens to grow on you it really wont take long until the whole album sounds flawless. Of course I’d heard about half the tracks on the album from downloads and it took a little longer to get into a few of the fresher tracks but they blend in nicely with the more familiar tracks and already I think the album of the year is with us.

For me there are a couple of tracks that really stand out. The aforementioned “Fake Tales Of San Francisco” has been a favourite since I first came across the band. It has quite a fast pace and you can really feel that Turner has brought his lyrics to life. I’m also a huge fan of the much slower “Riot Van”, a track about underage drinking and copper baiting that seems to sum up the culture in modern Britain. The track is exceptionally well written and Turner’s observations ring so true when you think of any town centre on a Friday or Saturday night.

Overall this is an album that if you haven’t already got I seriously recommend you give a try. It seems to have something for everyone and even my Mum has taken to it having heard it in my car over the weekend. They are a band that will be around for a while and if they continue to make music like this then they certainly will have the staying power. These first 13 tracks are the tip of the iceberg and with around 30 odd tracks available from the bands website you don’t even have to buy the album to see if you like them. I think this will become one of those albums that everyone will have in their CD collection and personally I can’t wait to hear more from the band.

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www.arcticmonkeys.com

Summary: Although quite early in the year this will be album of the year