Cold Rawk Kids
Ah, relief! Arctic Monkeys may be youngsters on the rock scene, but they have proven they are more than over-hyped kids with guitars by resisting the urge to experiment for experimentation’s sake on Favourite Worst Nightmare. In fact, the best and most unexpected thing about the album is the band’s unshakeable confidence.Every song is delivered with new strength and clarity, showing Arctic Monkeys have not been broken by any backlash after the record-busting popularity of their first studio album. What’s more, everyone’s favourite Monkeys have been bold enough to solidify their sound.
While patches of hyper-rhythmic riffing made Whatever You Say I Am, That’s What I’m Not stand out, it dominates Worst Nightmare to the extent that the album may well have been titled Surfer Funk for Videogame Car Chases. That style has become almost a parody of its chugging self, but it is also the most interesting perversion of classic surf rock since The Pixies.
The fleshed-out sound also shows why the band fit so well into our sports-video-game-and-car-chase-drenched pop culture. In fact, the Monkeys are really pop culture naturals: They adeptly slip familiar references into their songs (and turn them on their head when necessary). The Monkeys winkingly reproduce Duran Duran lyrics in “Teddy Picker,” name-check Dorothy of Oz in “Old Yellow Bricks,” and name-call the tabloids in “If You Were There, Beware.” For this reason, Arctic Monkeys remain relatable and appealing even if Worst Nightmare has a darker, mo’ money mo’ problems shade to it.
Listeners should be pleased by this rip-roaring album from rock’s littlest big shots. These underdogs who got famous off of plucky but unpolished recordings have officially turned pro.
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