Electrifying Debut Album From Indie Rockers Arctic Monkeys (Whatever People Say I Am, That's What I'm Not - Arctic Monkeys)

Member Name: zoe-e

Product:	Whatever People Say I Am, That's What I'm Not - Arctic Monkeys
Date:	15/04/09 (245 review reads)
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Arctic Monkeys
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Arctic Monkeys are an award winning indie band from Sheffield, UK who have been around on the music scene since 2002. Over the years they have gained a huge fan base due to their catchy lyrics and brilliant festival anthems. They are most well know for the hit single 'I Bet You Look Good On The Dance Floor', the song that put them where they are today. They have dipped in and out of the limelight in recent years but are always a firm favourite at festivals like Glastonbury and Reading and Leeds. The current member of Arctic Monkeys are: Alex Turner, Jamie Cook, Matt Helders and Nick O'Malley. So far they have released two studio albums:

Whatever People Say I Am, That's What I'm Not (2006)
Favourite Worst Nightmare (2007)

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Tracklist
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01. The View From The Afternoon
02. I Bet You Look Good On The Dance Floor
03. Fake Tales Of San Francisco
04. Dancing Shoes
05. You Probably Couldn't See
06. Still Take You Home
07. Riot Van
08. Red Light Indicates Doors Are Secure
09. Mardy Bum
10. Perhaps Vampires Is A Bit Strong But...
11. When The Sun Goes Down
12. From The Ritz To The Rubble
13. A Certain Romance

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01. The View From The Afternoon
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A real explosive opener for the debut album from the indie rockers. They waste no time in bringing in the fast paced, high energy lead guitar and drum backing. The guitar grabs your attention right from the off with the catchy hook. Soon after the intro, Alex Turner shows off his fantastic voice with some brilliant vocals and lyrics that are guaranteed to have you singing along. "Anticipation has a habit to set you up, for disappointment in evening entertainment, but tonight there will be some love". 10/10

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02. I Bet You Look Good On The Dance Floor
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This is the track that gained Arctic Monkeys millions of fans world wide. It starts off with an electrifying solo for the intro, backed up by brilliant vocals and one hell of a chorus. This song is a definite crowd pleaser at any gig. The only bad thing about it is that it has been played a bit too much over recent years now, but it is a great song. "Stop making the eyes at me I'll stop making the eyes at you, what it is that surprises me is that I don't really want you to, and your shoulders are frozen, oh but you're an explosion". 9/10.

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03. Fake Tales Of San Francisco
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Again, the band waste no time with a catchy hook of an intro. This track isn't as high energy or fast paced as the previous two but it is just as catchy and powerful. The vocals from Alex Turner are very good, especially on the chorus. This isn't the best track on the album but it is a really good song. "This bird says it's amazing though so all that's left, is the proof that love's not only blind but deaf". 8/10.

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04. Dancing Shoes
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This song starts off with a great beat, the vocals, as always, are fantastic. The lyrics, particularly in the chorus, are very catchy. This is one of my favourites of the whole album, there is nothing bad to comment on! "Get on your dancing shoes, there's one thing on your mind, hoping they're looking for you, sure you'll be rummaging through". 10/10.

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05. You Probably Couldn't See
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Great opening riff, very high energy and catchy, it's one that's popular at gigs. The chorus is fantastic, it'll make you want to jump around for definite! I love the vocals on this track, they have more of a raw, rock feel to them. "I'm so tense, never tenser, could all go a bit Frank Spencer, and I'm talking gibberish, tip of the tongue but I can't deliver it properly, it's all getting on top of me, and if it weren't this dark you'd see how red my face has gone". 10/10.

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06. Still Take You Home
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This track is quite heavy compared to the previous songs. It has more of a live, rock feel to it. I'm not complaining though, it just shows that the band aren't afraid to vary their style! It takes a while to kick in properly but after the long intro the catchy riff and verse comes in, it's a great track. "Well it's ever so funny, I don't think you're special, I don't think you're cool, you're just probably alright, but under these eyes you look beautiful, and I'm struggling, I can't see through your fake tan and you know it for a fact that everybody's eating out of your hand". 10/10.

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07. Riot Van
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The intro to this song is really quiet and calm, again a different direction for Arctic Monkeys. The whole song is quite slow and not powerful in volume but very powerful in other ways. The lyrics and vocals are perfect. "Have you been drinking son? You don't look old enough to me, I'm sorry officer, is there a certain age you're supposed to be, 'cause nobody told me, and up rolls the riot van, and these lads just wind the coppers up, they ask why they don't catch proper crooks, they get their address and there names took, but they couldn't care less." 10/10.


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08. Red Light Indicates Doors Are Secure
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Very catchy bass line to this song, along with an attention grabbing lead guitar. The pace isn't too fast or slow and they lyrics and vocals are near perfect. It's not as catchy as some of the other tracks on the album but it's one that can easily be listened to over and over. "Calm down temper, temper, you shouldn't get so annoyed, well you're acting like a silly little boy, they wanted to be men and do some fighting in the street". 10/10.

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09. Mardy Bum
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This is my favourite track on the album by far. There is just something about it that's really refreshing, the riff throughout is really catchy and the lyrics are too. I don't think I'll ever get bored of listening to this track! "Well now then mardy bum, oh I'm in trouble again aren't I? I thought as much, 'cause you turned over there, pulling that silent disappointment face, the one that I cant bare". 10/10

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10. Perhaps Vampires Is A Bit Strong But....
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I don't really like this track. It doesn't sound as good as the others, it's lacking something but I'm not sure what! I think it's just the sound, Alex's vocals are still really good and the lyrics are really well written though. "I've seen your eyes as they fix on me, what is he doing, what on earth's the plan, has he got one? You better give me some pointers, you are the big rocket launcher, and I'm just the shotgun". 7/10.

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11. When The Sun Goes Down
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This is my second favourite track on the album. I love the sound and the vocals. They lyrics are really well written and I really like the meaning behind them. This was released on single and became quite popular too. If you like 'Mardy Bum' then you'll probably like this track too. "I said who's that girl there, I wonder what went wrong so that she had to roam the streets, she don't do major credit cards, I doubt she does receipts, it's all not quite legitimate, and what a scummy man, give him half a chance I bet he'll rob you if he can, you can see it in his eyes yeah that he's got a driving ban amongst some other offences". 10/10.

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12. From The Ritz To The Rubble
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The opening of this track is quite different to others on the album. It's very catchy, very high energy and full of fantastic lyrics. Not one of the best on the album but still a fantastic indie anthem. "Well this town is a different town today, this town is a different town to what it was last night, you couldn't have done that on a Sunday, and that girl's a different girl today, that girl's a different girl to the one you kissed last night, you couldn't have done that on a Sunday". 9/10.

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13. A Certain Romance
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The end to the debut album and a cracking tune for a closing track! Starting off with a rolling drum beat and an electrifying lead guitar it goes into the verse which may not be as heavy but is still brilliant. "You know, oh it's a funny thing you know, well tell 'em if you like, we'll tell 'em all tonight, they'll never listen, because their minds are made up and course it's all ok, to carry on that way". 10/10.

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My Overall Opinion
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This was a fantastic debut album from Arctic Monkeys. It's much better than the follow up in my opinion. The lyrics are great, most tracks are electrifying and they are an all round very talented band. I would recommend this album to everyone, there are only one or two not so good tracks but the rest is brilliant. 9/10 overall.

Summary: Brilliant Album