Remember When He Used to Be a Rascal

Nobody in recent years had a bigger buzz leading up to the release of their album than Arctic Monkeys. Then the album was released and they were met with general indifference. Yeah, not even the Beatles could have lived up to that kind of hype, but Whatever People Say I Am, That’s What I’m Not was a good album (that landed at number 14 on my 50 Best Albums of 2006). Who know why the band was ignored, my guess is that, even though most people lose their accents when singing, Alex Turner’s vocals still sounds very British.

And if the British thing is what kept Americans from jumping on the bandwagon for the first album, it’s doubtful the second will change their mind, right down to the extra British “U” in the album’s title, Favourite Worst Nightmare. The disk may even be less palatable to the general audience here as the disk is distinctly harder and faster as evident with the album opener first single, Brianstorm, a jarring sound of guitars that will command your attention right from the start.

But much like on the last album, the band is at its best when it goes into the mid-tempo area with quirky lyrics that cleverly rhyme and nowhere on Favourite Worst Nightmare is that displayed than of Florescent Adolescent a song about a girl gone wild who is wild no more as she, “used to get it in your fishnets now you only get it in your nightdress.” With two good albums in as many years, the Arctic Monkeys may be providing those who like real music for years to come, long after the current crop of dudes wearing eyeliner are resigned to VH1 reality shows.

Song to Download - Florescent Adolescent

Favourite Worst Nightmare gets a on my Terror Alert Scale.