Arctic Monkeys - "Whatever People Say I Am ..."
(Domino, 2006)
The British press loves to set a band up for a fall. They'll latch on to a band, declare their similarity to Oasis (a death knell for most bands right away) and then hype them into the ground as Britain's next big music hope. So when I heard Arctic Monkeys was the latest band to receive this designation, I wasn't much impressed, but figured I'd let the music itself speak instead.
What I got upon listening to Whatever People Say I Am That's What I Am Not was a mildly interesting album full of britpop-edged rock songs that in the end failed to make me care. If you've heard Oasis, Blur, Franz Ferdinand and The Libertines, you've heard what the Arctic Monkeys have to offer. There's little on this album that hasn't been recorded better elsewhere.
That's not to say the band can't craft a decent single. "The View From The Afternoon," which opens the album, has a catchy hook and a memorable melody, but the lyric, about anticipation and being set up for disappointment, is a disturbingly apt one considering the remainder of the album. The band shows on tracks like this one that they can play with a modicum of skill -- they clearly know their influences, but have yet to discover how to pay homage to them without robbing them at gunpoint.
There are other songs on which the band plays confidently but the vocals, by Alex Turner, fail to make a connection. His lyrics are often detailed and literary, which is a considerable gift, but they're tied to a time and place in British culture that doesn't particularly resonate well with this American listener. One has to wonder whether the band, which has achieved unbelievable success in its own country, can ever reach that level in America. I, for one, find it highly unlikely.
In the end, Arctic Monkeys aren't particularly a bad band. Their album, however, is remarkably predictable. Even knowing what I know about the British press, I still expected something far better than this when I set out to hear the band's album. If Alex and his band want to find worldwide success, or even success in Britain beyond a single album, they're going to have to set themselves apart from their contemporaries and their influences. Based on what is evident on Whatever People Say I Am That's What I Am Not, it seems unlikely this band will still be around for a sophomore effort.
The British press loves to set a band up for a fall. They'll latch on to a band, declare their similarity to Oasis (a death knell for most bands right away) and then hype them into the ground as Britain's next big music hope. So when I heard Arctic Monkeys was the latest band to receive this designation, I wasn't much impressed, but figured I'd let the music itself speak instead.
What I got upon listening to Whatever People Say I Am That's What I Am Not was a mildly interesting album full of britpop-edged rock songs that in the end failed to make me care. If you've heard Oasis, Blur, Franz Ferdinand and The Libertines, you've heard what the Arctic Monkeys have to offer. There's little on this album that hasn't been recorded better elsewhere.
That's not to say the band can't craft a decent single. "The View From The Afternoon," which opens the album, has a catchy hook and a memorable melody, but the lyric, about anticipation and being set up for disappointment, is a disturbingly apt one considering the remainder of the album. The band shows on tracks like this one that they can play with a modicum of skill -- they clearly know their influences, but have yet to discover how to pay homage to them without robbing them at gunpoint.
There are other songs on which the band plays confidently but the vocals, by Alex Turner, fail to make a connection. His lyrics are often detailed and literary, which is a considerable gift, but they're tied to a time and place in British culture that doesn't particularly resonate well with this American listener. One has to wonder whether the band, which has achieved unbelievable success in its own country, can ever reach that level in America. I, for one, find it highly unlikely.
In the end, Arctic Monkeys aren't particularly a bad band. Their album, however, is remarkably predictable. Even knowing what I know about the British press, I still expected something far better than this when I set out to hear the band's album. If Alex and his band want to find worldwide success, or even success in Britain beyond a single album, they're going to have to set themselves apart from their contemporaries and their influences. Based on what is evident on Whatever People Say I Am That's What I Am Not, it seems unlikely this band will still be around for a sophomore effort.
posted by Jonathan Sanders @ 1:37 AM
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