On occasion, readers complain that critics seem overly
enamored with "the new." ("Who are these bands you write
about? I've never heard of them!") But if this is a problem
in the U.S., it's nothing compared to the U.K., where the
band of the day is lauded with more hyperbole than greeted
the Beatles, if not the second coming of Christ.
The British gods of the moment are a quartet called
Arctic Monkeys that formed in Sheffield in 2003 and released
its debut album late last year; it drops here on Feb. 21. If
you believe the English press, "Whatever People Say I Am,
That's What I'm Not" is nothing short of pure genius, and
record buyers seem to agree: It
was the fastest-selling debut album in the history of the
British pop charts.
While these 13 tunes have their invigorating charms --
like many of the releases on the Domino label, this is
high-energy dance music with a New Wave of New Wave flavor
-- the sounds are nothing new, especially to American ears.
The musicians cite among their heroes the White Stripes and
the Vines (at the average age of 19, the musicians are too
young too remember Nirvana), though they don't own up to
their most obvious inspiration, the Strokes; just count the
"borrowed" riffs.
The distinctly English touch that bandleader Alex Turner
brings to the mix is a flair for witty lyrics critiquing the
foibles of British society, a noble tradition that goes back
to the Kinks -- though again, Arctic Monkeys probably think
Blur or Pulp invented it. This is sometimes executed with
considerable flair -- witness the smash hit "I Bet You Look
Good on the Dancefloor" -- but at other times, it's reduced
to Turner's fondness for sneering variations of the word
"scum" ("When the Sun Goes Down," "The View From the
Afternoon"), perhaps the most vivid evidence that these lads
have a lot of growing up to do before they come close to
living up to the hype.