I must address this, though I feel like I'm swatting at it like someone trying to eat a sandwich while surrounded by a cloud of tiny stinging flies. So much myspace-turned-industry buzz led up to the release of Whatever People Say... that the whir of media gnats is all I've been able to hear. So far the hype has landed these Monkey blokes a gig on SNL and some heavy rotation for "I Bet You Look Good On The Dancefloor" everywhere from die-hard college radio to Old Navy's in-store play list. 'Cuz nuthin' says baggy-ass low-rise boot-cut denim like disaffected British dance punk. Right?
The media is what it is. In this case and many others it is a swarm meant to draw attention and quickly dismantle. Whether the gadflies have gathered around a tasty morsel or a steaming carcass is for us to decide. I smell no rotting flesh, though there is the familiar and lingering odor of impending redundancy about this act. Remember The Strokes?
Half a decade ago Is This It rode "Last Night" to super-hero status, prompting otherwise intelligent people to proclaim the band the New Saviors of Rock, resurrecting a classic form from its premature grave. The fact that this assumes Rock suffered a death that never happened is irrelevant. I still count the album among my favorites, but Room on Fire indicated a stagnant talent pool, and First Impressions of Earth is a punch drunk attempt to reinvent their sound or risk confirming the obvious answer to the question stated by their first album... Is This It? Maybe so. My prediction: Arctic Monkeys will begrudgingly revel in the success of Whatever People Say..., wring every last penny from its blow-up sales and international tour, then respond with a sophomore album that either (a) snubs their success and turns off fair weather fans (maybe their largest base right now) while galvanizing indie-philes behind a truly original voice in "real" punk rock ala The Walkmen, or (b) snubs their success and turns off fair weather fans while disappointing indie-philes with empty punkish noise that tries too hard while breaking no new ground ala - well, The Strokes.
What's that saying our president so stupidly bungled? "Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me." Anyone of a certain age and musical taste can be forgiven for expecting great things from The Strokes, and for ultimately being disappointed. Arctic Monkeys are operating in the shadow of apprehension created by Room on Fire. Plus, bands out to make The Clash look like the most important group from England since 1965 have been sprouting up like spring flowers since the decade began, so I can't get too excited about Whatever People Say... until I decide if this is another participant in this week’s passing fancy or not.
I realize this isn't much to go on as far as a review goes. Sounds like The Clash, lots of energy, accessible British punk with a beat you could dance to if you long for the return of the pogoing mosh pit, The Strokes, etc. In the end the album's title negates all opinions. Whatever People Say I Am, That's What I'm Not. Sure. In that case, Arctic Monkeys suck and they'll be probably be around forever.
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