Customer Reviews

Favourite Worst Nightmare (Standard Version)

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Picture this: a band of guys that are barely adults come out of nowhere and create an album that although doesn't sell a WHOLE lot (well, in the U.S., anyway), it makes such an impact that it was the fastest selling debut album EVER in their native England, and it was even nominated for two Grammys in the States. Yes, I'm talking about Arctic Monkeys and their electrifying debut, Whatever People Say I Am, That's What I'm Not. But then the question is, how do you measure up to something like that? The answer: make an album like Favourite Worst Nightmare.

I initially thought the Monkeys would be taking a break after bassist Andy Nicholson quit the band just before last year's North American tour (which I wish I was at, but it doesn't matter; nobody ever comes to Milwaukee anyway). But in came new bassist Nick O'Malley, and he blends in quite well with the other members. Alex's songwriting is invigorating as always, and he and the rest of the band continue to impress, as shown by tracks like "Old Yellow Bricks" and "Teddy Picker".

One song that I have to mention, though, is the lead single "Brianstorm" (not brainstorm; "BRIANstorm"). That's the album's opening track, and the way those guitars start just blow you away AND invite you in at the same time. It's also interesting to hear a few mellow tracks that don't sound so clichéd, like "Only Ones Who Know" and "505". Speaking of romantic tunes, "The Bad Thing" is pretty funny.

I also like the metaphorical "Balaclava" (which is the proper term for a ski mask; at first I thought it was a unique way of saying "baklava"), but my favorite song on the album would have to be...hell, ALL of them. I don't know what's more impressive, that the Monkeys made another great album, or that they did it all in less than forty minutes. Whatever the case, pick up Favourite Worst Nightmare NOW.

Anthony Rupert

Arctic Monkeys are a UK phenomenon, with last year's debut album "Whatever People Say I Am, That's What I'm Not" selling more than any other debut album, EVER, in UK chart history. It was a great album, no question. Now, only a year later, comes the follow-up album.

"Farvourite Worst Nightmare" (12 tracks, 37 min.) shows the band maturing. While there are still many hard charging songs, such as the lead-off track (and irresistable first single) "Brianstorm", there is a darker side to this album as well. The album is neatly divided into two 6 song cycles, recalling the good ol' vinyl album days. On the first half, in addition to the previously mentioned "Brianstorm", highlights include the urgent "Teddy Picker", the reggae-flavored "Fluorescent Adolescent" and the pensive "Only Ones Who Know". On the second half, my personal favorites are "This House Is a Circus", "If You Were There, Beware" (with great guitar licks,even a solo), and the closer, a misleading 'ballad' "505". In all, quite a satisfying album. I enjoyed it from start to finish and at 37 min. it clips by in no time.

I'm still not sure I understand the UK frenzy over this. I read that the album sold close to 100,000 there on the first day of the release earlier this week. Say what? That said, Arctic Monkeys bring great music, and this album confirms it. I will see them live at Coachella this coming weekend and I can't wait to check them out live to see what the UK hype is all about.

Hype is unfair to everyone involved, be it the artist being held to lofty expectations, or to the fan, who rarely can have expectations met. Arctic Monkeys are trapped in the Hype controversey which is unfair, and ignores the band's talent and ability. Their first album was amazing, and with catchy hooks for a fun night on the town. Some liked it, others didn't. This second album will most likely not change anyone's mind who did not like the first. First, the band chose a darker sound with a harsher edge, hurting the fun aspect of the first album. Then there is the issue that there are nothing quite as catchy as I Bet You Look Good On the Dance Floor. But that would again put them into an unfair expectation category to judge them by their past album. As an album, this is a great record, the music works, tight production, and feels like something to put in your car when out on a saturday night with friends. An excellent album. Enjoy it.

Keeping it short:
This album definitely has a bit darker feel to it, and as someone else already commented, the production is noticeably a little cleaner and polished...but I don't feel like it detracts from their overall sound, as it still has that characteristic raw edge. I suppose this sort of thing is really up to you to decide.

The songwriting here, as with the last record, is fantastic. I honestly expected a drop off from "Whatever People.." largely because that album was so great. I'm glad to report there is no fall off here, and while I wouldn't necessarily place "Favourite Worst Nightmare" ahead of last year's debut, it undeniably picks up where that album left off.

Reading reviews on this site and elsewhere - people are generally claiming that this CD is either no where near as good as the first or way better. Why?

Not As Good: It does not grab you as quickly as the first one did. It doesn't have some of the tangled poetic wordplay that the first one did. So it is different and it is its being different that causes the debate. Better: Brianstorm rocks. After a few listens however these songs slowly start to creep into your inner ear and stay there. And, there are some classic custs on here: Flourescent Adolescent, Only Ones Who Know, This House Is A Circus, Old Yellow Bricks, 505.

My humble opinion: One is about as great as the other but the first will remain the masterpiece as it was an album that both introduced a new band and grabbed you by the...

In the spirit of being helpful let me point out a few fantastic b-sides and non album tracks that are some of the bands absolutely best songs:

Bigger Boys And Stolen Sweethearts (I Bet You Look Good On The Dancefloor)

Temptation Greets You Like A Naughty Friend (Brianstorm)

Who The F*** Are Arctic Monkeys (Who The F*** Are Arctic Monkeys)

Despair In The Departure Lounge (Who The F*** Are Arctic Monkeys)

Leave Before The Lights Come On (Leave Before The Lights Come On)


Also, The Leave Before The Lights Come On video is a cool concept.

Lastly, go on YOUTUBE and watch the Christmas message the drummer put out last year. Funny, charming, and down to earth. Oh, and he can play the drums quite good as well...

I have no experience writing reviews for music but if you have been a fan of the Arctic Monkeys and have enjoyed all their previous work then you will definitely love this one as well. It's full of energy and it's fast paced. Not much else I can say, check the samples at the bottom of the page and you will get an idea of what I am talking about.

These guys just rule. It's a tight, concise album, that thankfully avoids the sophomore slump of trying to make a "Big Artistic Statement" (*cough* bloc party *ahem* killers) and instead focuses on rocking hard. There are no wasted notes or time on this album - none! The album is filled with razor sharp hooks and terrific musicianship, particular the spectacular drumming of Matt Helders. The often cryptic, but snidely clever and evocative lyrics and singing of Alex Turner is a real asset as well. Those involved in the recording, mixing, producing etc. deserve kudos as well - the sound just jumps out of the speakers! I love this album! Since I have no life, I listen to a LOT of music and I usually burn through albums quickly, listening once or twice and moving on, but this one I keep coming back to again and again and again.


This album is easily the best of '07 so far, BY FAR.

Whoever says the carefully crafted album is dead wears the doomsayer sign too early. The new Arctic Monkeys CD plays like a concert - the opening is strong and quick to get into the action (which is good as it is also their lead-off single, "Brianstorm"). The songs transition into each other smoothly but still have enough of a distinct flavor for you to know where you are. There is the chunk of softer fare that begins with the smooth jazz club feel at the end of "Balaclava," snakes through "Fluorescent Adolescent" (one of the two best songs on the CD), into the softest point "Only Ones Who Know," and starts to pick up in "Do Me A Favour". The penultimate song ("Old Yellow Bricks" - my personal favorite) feels like it could be a barnburner when done right, and "505" is a comfortable end.

The music is exactly what Arctic Monkeys started on "Whatever People Say...," only with some fine tuning, a little harder here, a little softer there. Whereas "Whatever" was mid-fast-tempo almost the entire way through, this album is slightly more polarized. The sound can be described as having the pop sensibility of early Beatles, the stomp of the Ramones, and the sardonic bite and wit of modern British lyrics. You'll find yourself bobbing along to even the least catchy of songs. And in plenty of places the music is deceptively complex; this isn't just your three-chord fare though it may sound as much at first listen.

I'd say if you're looking to bounce, or you liked "Whatever People Say...," this is something to pick up. You won't be blown away at first listen but you'll certainly be bouncing about, and it WILL grow on you.

("Favourite Worst Nightmare" by Arctic Monkeys)

I suppose that Ray Davies and Paul Weller both still think they "invented" the most criticallly acclaimed, and therefore overhyped British band of the last decade (I mean, didn't they?). It's also a little late in the game to keep blathering on about the post-punk revival. Yes, Arctic Monkeys have fallen victim to all of the above, so when it came time for them to prove their worth, many predicted a smug, self-satisfied "I told you so," followed immediately by a career nose dive that would make Oasis look like, um, the Beatles. It's pleasant news that instead the lads have come back with a new album that, while superficially not much different from their debut, is in many ways better.

Starting off with the propulsive, exhilirating "Brainstorm," Favourite Worst Nightmare shows a band determined not to take themselves too seriously, but at the same time prove the mean it, man. While it's tempting to dismiss them as a bunch of too-young-for-their-own-good flash in the pan, theise monkeys have definitely evolved. The twin guiar interplay of Alex Turner and Jamie Cook is shiite hot, new bassist Nick O'Malley keeps their wildly changing songs solid, and drummer Matt Helders deserves some sort of special award--his style is both fluid and precise, not to mention flexible; the softer songs here are every bit as exciting as the rockers. While the album as a whole finds them moving more sharply away from punk, that doesn't mean they sound stodgy. If a band like the Rolling Stones had allowed punk to reinvigorate their sound, they might have sounded a little like the Monkeys do now.

Turner's Lyrics are better than ever--filled with internal rhymes and asides, he makes excess verbiage sound natural (that's one of the reasons music writers lionize the band--they kind of see Turner as a kindred spirit). The finely wrought tales of nightlife from their debut have given way to detailed character studis and even satire. "Brainstorm" is about a vain man named Brian: "And I wonder/Are you putting us under/'Cos we can't take our eyes off his t-shirt/And ties combination." "Old Yellow Bricks," with its sharp melody and new-wavy keyboards (my personal "favourite nightmare" on the album), mixes metaphors about "The Wizard of Oz" and Harry Houdini to describe a transition to adulthood: "Houdini look, you don't know what you're running away from/He wants to sleep in the city that never wakes up/Blinded by nostalgia..." concluding "but Dorothy was right though." Other songs, like the wittily titled "Fluorescent Adolescent" continue on this theme. With this album, Arctic Monkeys realize it's time to grow up, but still find playing to be too much fun. Listening is just about as good.

The Arctic Monkeys are hopelessly cute and talented kids, and yet they make very grown-up rock. This album is darker, harder, and more difficult than the first, but it's got at least as many pop hooks, romantic moments, and devilishly clever quips--in other words, you're going to love it. The range of songs here is impressive: from the hardcore Brianstorm (the punks were moshing hard to this one at the show I saw) to the sensitive-guy tale of romantic regret of "Do Me a Favour."

Speaking of romantic regret, it's astonishing that Alex Turner is the same lyricist who wrote the wide-eyed tale of prostitution "They Say It Changes When the Sun Goes Down." No longer shocked and fascinated by the seedy side of life, in "Fluorescent Adolescent" he croons with jaded amusement: "You used to get it in your fishnets/Now you only get it in your night dress/Traded in your naughty nights for niceness/Landed in a very common crisis."

Part of Turner's appeal is that he is able to tell a story with equal veritas from either the point of view of a man or that of a woman--and yet his male characters are guys' guys, working class men who can't deal with their own emotions, let alone that of others. "505" is about a guy always running away from a relationship and his emotions, and realizing, he hopes before it's too late, how desperately he wants to be with his beloved. "I'm going back to 505," he sings, and the music evokes a 90 mile-per-hour drive down a deserted night highway,"if it's a seven-hour flight or a forty-five minute drive/In my imagination you're waiting lying on your side/with your hands between your thighs." It's a slow, quiet song, the passion brutally contained, until Alex screams out, "I crumble completely when you cry," and we suddenly know the whole history of this relationship, and how deeply he needs it to work. We hear a young man struggling to grow up and be worthy of love.

The music shows an impressive ability to absorb ideas from other bands without sounding derivative. The guitars are flawless and the drumming athletic and inspiring. The singing is brilliant as well, and it's too bad that Alex's talent as a lyricist has overshadowed his talent as a vocal stylist.