Arctic Monkeys, "Whatever People Say I Am, That's What I'm Not"

Whatever People Say I Am, That's What I'm Not - Arctic Monkeys

Hailing from Sheffield, Yorkshire, Arctic Monkeys' debut, Whatever People Say I Am, That's What I'm Not mixes punk influences with Indie rock.

"Mardy Bum" is undoubtedly the best track. The song begins innocuously, but shoots into Indie song par excellence precisely thirty seconds into the song, the moment the singer says "And it goes off". It's the most pop-influenced track on the album, and is in the tradition of the "my girlfriend's pissed off and I can't deal" song. (For another great example, see "My Girl" by Mike Barson of Madness, some twenty-five years ago.)

The band dabbles in another tried-and-true subject for song material as well: the "I Fought the Law (and the Law Won)" tradition. (Incidentally, "I Fought the Law" was covered by The Clash, whom Arctic Monkeys cite as one of their influences.) The unreliable narrator of "Riot Van" tells of a night on the town drinking with "the boys", causing some unnamed problem which the police take an interest in. The narrator can't face his own fear ("We didn't do that much wrong, still ran away though for the laugh, just for the laugh" - more likely he was scared stiff and scarpered), and also puffs himself up by detailing his feeble attempts at rebellion, in a sort of "Look ma! I talked back to a copper!" way. The song ends with one of the group being put in the riot van. The ending is a damp squib - it all amounts to nothing, except as a cautionary tale not to be a yahoo.

The final track pulls a rabbit out of the hat: "A Certain Romance" opens with over-the-top guitars and thrumming drums, then unexpectedly pauses for a delicate guitar solo that sounds like a heavenly ukulele. It's an inspired moment.

If only more tracks were like "A Certain Romance". Instead, the album as a whole falls flat. The problem is, musically, Arctic Monkeys are just not very interesting (see "Fake Tales of San Francisco" and "Red Light Indicates Doors Are Secured"). For an example of how much can be achieved on even a very brief track, see The Grates' "Message", which accomplishes, in under two minutes, more in terms of risk-taking, creativity, melody and innovation than Arctic Monkeys achieves on an entire album.

If you're looking for exciting British Indie music with a raw sound that handles similar themes, turn to The Cribs' The New Fellas. I cannot recommend Arctic Monkeys.

Domino

Rating: 2/5

Highlights: "Mardy Bum", "A Certain Romance"

Similar to: The Cribs, We Are Scientists

First published on Suite 101