Arctic Monkeys

The Arctic Monkeys are a band that first came to my attention in early 2006 when I downloaded 'From the Ritz to the Rubble' by complete accident. Not quite sure why I downloaded it, I gave it a listen.

I was immediately hit with the strong dialect vocals of the then unknown Alex Turner, telling me about 'two bouncers, one of 'em was alright but the other one wer' scary', which was then almost immediately followed by the so fresh sounding scratchy guitar and thumping bass line. From that point on, I was captivated by what their debut album had to offer. Four seemingly average guys from Sheffield, singing about sex, girls and drugs. No different from every other twenty something from Sheffield right? Apart from their musical genius.

Their debut album 'What Ever People Say I Am, That's What I'm Not' was not short of a sensation across the UK, quickly becoming the fastest selling debut album ever over taking the glorious Oasis debut effort. For more than a year, every teenager and twenty something was talking about it, and it was an album which so many could relate too. It was an album of catchy riffs and timeless anthems such as 'Mardy Bum' and 'I Bet You Look Good On the Dance Floor'. It was able to tap into the lives of so many with songs like 'Riot Van' and 'A Certain Romance'.

They followed it up with the album 'Favourite Worst Nightmare' which could be seen as a follow up from the first. In many ways it is, but at the same time it is so different. The Arctic Monkeys sound had matured and changed. It had more complicated music, and deeper lyrics, which explored previously unseen topics like love and sadness. The album secured the band as a major force in the music business, confirming that they were a sound that was going to be around for a while.

Their third album 'Humbug' which was released only 4 years after the first had taken a very different approach to the music. From the surface, the music seemed very drug influenced and meaningless, with what seems like random lyrics stringed together. However, there is a lot of meaning behind it all, and it is an album which expressed how the Arctic Monkeys are not a one trick pony, and can explore different styles of music. Its an album which gets your imagination working with every listen.

The Arctic Monkeys are a band that took a nation by surprise, and made a nation love them. Alex Turner become one of the coolest people in the UK, and the Arctic Monkeys become festival headliners over night. They are simply four average guys, who have the ability to make great music.

They are the sound of a generation.