The arctic monkeys are the latest band to be hyped up in Britain, and after hearing the singles "I Bet You Look Good on the Dancefloor" and "When the Sun goes Down" I decided to go out and buy the album. Here's My Verdict.
1-The View From The Afternoon: A good opener to the album, with some great drumming throughout and a nice guitar sound in the intro. Good verses, better choruses. In the middle of the song, the music fades to silence, and you think it's finished, but then the guitar kicks back in for another verse and chorus, which is cool. Good guitar, drum and vocal work in this song, a good opener. 4/5
2-I Bet You Look Good On The Dancefloor: Good intro to this song, instantly recognisable, with stop-start work on drums and guitar. The bass is better in this song than the first track. Decent vocals. My only problem with this song is that it can get repetitive after a few listens. Good track, nonetheless. 3.5/5
3-Fake Tales Of San Francisco: Good drumming in this piece, as well as bass. Guitar plays pretty much the same thing trough the piece. Vocals are good, but verses are repetitive. Nice choruses which contrast from the rest of the song. Pretty good. 3.75/5
4-Dancing Shoes: Here's where the bass gets good. Nice mellow opening riff. A good song with a slightly different feel to the previous tracks on the album. Again, good drumming. The best vocal work so far. 4/5
5-You Probably Couldn't See For The Lights But You Were Staring Straight At Me: That's a very long song title, maybe too long, oh well. Not much to comment on here, except for drums & vocals. An average song. 3/5
6-Still Take You Home. One of the best songs on the album, in my opinion. Upbeat song, with good work on strings, especially during the instrumental. A better song. 4/5
7-Riot Van: A soft, gentle song, about the British police force, I think. This song shows the softer side of the Monkeys. Another good piece vocally, with a nice pinch of bass. I personally like this song. 4/5
8-Red Light Indicates Doors Are Secured: Fantastic bass work in this song. Not the best vocally or on drums, this song is based mainly on strings, with a cool, moody guitar solo in the middle. Pretty good 3.5/5
9-Mardy Bum: My favourite off the album. Beautiful guitar, bass, drums and vocals. Great verses. The middle 8 adds some variety, but the chorus is what makes this song so great. Fantastic. 5/5
10-Perhaps Vampires Is A Bit Strong But...: A soft guitar intro, which bursts suddenly into the powerful verse. Good choruses, with a cry of "All you people are vampires". A good rock song, but not one of my favourites. 3.75/5
11-When The Sun Goes Down: The big single off the album, and another one of my favourites. The intro is great, setting the scene for the song, with some great vocals and guitar work. Then suddenly, the drums and bass kick in, for the rest of the verses and chorus. This is a highlight of the album, the build up from when drums and bass enter, to the next verse, to the end of the song. At the end, the song goes soft again, to provide a fitting ending to a brilliant song. Excellent song, a real treat. 5/5
12-From The Ritz To The Rubble: More good work by the rhythm section. Vocals are ok. Gets boring after a while. Not a bad song, but not the best. 3.5/5
13-A Certain Romance: A good song about the chav culture in England. A nice mellow song, with great instrumental work. Bass shines here. A good finisher to the album. 4/5
The Good:
Great Bass and drums
Good Guitar
Smart Lyrics
The Bad:
Some songs are average and repetitive
Need a bit more variety
Recommended Tracks:
Fake Tales Of San Francisco
Dancing Shoes
Still Take You Home
Riot Van
Mardy Bum
When The Sun Goes Down
A Certain Romance
Overall-A great debut album, with some real gems and great instrumental work. This band have a unique sound and feel, and if they keep making albums like this, then who knows? 4/5
This was my first review, please reply and rate. Cheers =)
