Most of the bands that held the illustrious honor of having the fastest selling debut CD in British history were boy band bedwetters who are likely pushing fish and chips or amateur porn right now. Don’t expect that fate for the latest record setter, the Arctic Monkeys. The underground success story built its rapid fame the old-fashioned way, by writing good songs, playing killer gigs and getting their music out themselves into the hands of potential fans. Sans record company hype, sans middle-aged Swedish songwriting teams and sans the usual trappings of the fast fizzle. It doesn’t hurt that their debut album is full of manic, ecstatic, sloppy, hooky songs that lend a voice to the pub generation. Lead singer and songwriter Alex Turner is a Baudelaire for the barely legal, a street scribe who poetically mirrors what it’s like to be alive with whiskey and wonder, on the prowl for lust and love. The slashing guitars and bumpy melodies wracked out by Turner and fellow guitarist Jamie Cook, over punky, garage-style rhythms by bassist Andy Nicholson and drummer Matt Helders are perfect little smacks of Libertines meets Blur Britpop. From the undeniable rush of the first single “I Bet You Look Good On The Dancefloor” to the more-witty-than-it-seems tall tales and thick grooves of “Fake Takes Of San Francisco,” the Arctic’s debut transcends the hype. It’s just a damn good record and well-deserving of a place in your collection.
~ Sean Leary
(Date of release: February 21, 2006)
