ARCTIC MONKEYS – WHATEVER PEOPLE SAY I AM, THAT’S WHAT I’M NOT
Review by Gil Israel
Going into this album, I can’t say
that I was particularly hyped. Even though I was fully aware that this album is
considered a modern classic (it was on Rolling Stone’s 500 greatest albums of
all time after all) and that it is adored by many, I still really didn’t want
to take the time to listen to it. First off, even though the album has received
significant critical acclaim, the Arctic Monkeys have become super main stream
recently… even though they may still technically be considered an indie rock
band… Though I don’t generally have a problem with more mainstream music, it
just seemed kind of lame to me… like I would just be listening to a solid
alt-rock album for 45 min; the kind of standard rock songs that just appeal to
every average Joe on the street; the kind of standard rock songs that are often
necessary to appeal to every average Joe on the street. Though I knew the songs
would probably be decent, I just thought it would bore the crap out of me as it
presented material that wouldn’t be bad, but that wouldn’t be particularly
interesting.
But
I must say that when I listened to this album all the way through, nearly all
my preconceived notions were proven false. The album turned out to be an
exhilarating Sex-Pistol-esue punk/post-punk album with some really great song
writing. It hits hard, and it hits fast – some songs even border on thrash
metal – and I found myself frequently returning to it throughout the week.
Though all the songs are pretty much based on a distorted guitar riff, there
are enough changes in them to keep them dynamic and interesting. And lead
singer Alex Turner’s description of British nightlife is fairly witty and
entertaining for the most part.
The Arctic Monkeys are clearly
talented musicians and though Alex Turner gives off that Johnny Rotten vibe,
the Artctic Monkeys are certainly better musicians than the Sex Pistols. One of
the greatest songs on the album, “Perhaps Vampires is a Bit Strong But…”
showcases the band’s musical ability at its best. The song moves through
multiple sections, each with a guitar riff guaranteed to get you moving, and
progressively builds in intensity until the drums take center stage, bringing
the song to its climax. The song reveals just how hard and how well the band
can jam and gives off the impression that it’s improvised, though in reality
each section was probably arranged in excruciating detail…
Though there are other standout
tracks on the album such as “The View from the Afternoon,” and “Mardy Bum,” the
best song on the album is the closing track, “A Certain Romance.” The only
track that’s over the 5 minute mark, “A Certain Romance” opens with a ska type
of rhythm and a melodic riff played up high on the neck before going into a
Built to Spill kind of closing guitar crescendo. This song sounds less like a
pop-punk song than all the other tracks on the album and more like a 90’s indie
rock song, and I wish there were more tracks like it on the album.
That’s not to say that I didn’t
enjoy the other tracks, however I must say that a lot of them sounded awfully
alike, and would be quite difficult to differentiate from one another if played
in shuffle or isolation. For me, that’s where the fault in the album lies. Most
of the album was 2 – 3 min aggressive punk or punk derivative songs and it
really could have used a bit more variety.
However, I was still quite pleased
with the Arctic Monkey’s debut album. Despite my initial reluctance, it
provided hours of energy filled, air guitar playing, head banging listens, and
I gained respect for the Arctic Monkeys which I hadn’t had previously. Not sure
how/why it ended up in the 500 greatest albums of all time list though… (I mean
it’s good, but of all time!?) So even though the album is close to 9 years old,
if you haven’t listened to this album yet and think the Arctic Monkeys are kind
of lame just like I did, then I would encourage you to give this record a go.
OVERALL SCORE:
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