The Belmont Critic

Anberlin - "Cities"

2007-02-22T23:31:00.000-08:00

In an Alternative Press interview about the new album, Cities, lead vocalist Stephen Christian commented that the lyrics throughout Anberlin’s discography are progressively becoming more adult. “The first album, Blueprints for the Black Market (2003), was childish in the fact that it was Man vs. World. The last album, Never Take Friendship Personal (2005), was Man vs. Man. Cities, however, is Man vs. Self.”

With Cities, Anberlin successfully picks up where they left off with Never Take Friendship Personal, and in so doing bring all their best attributes to the table— contagious drum grooves behind infectiously driving guitars and, of course, the unmistakable vocal presence of Stephen Christian. Most importantly, Cities proves that a band can improve upon itself album after album, and that is precisely what Anberlin has done. Highlights of the album include “Adelaide” and “The Unwinding Cable Car,” although every track screams quality and adds to the album’s likeability. The first single of the album “Godspeed,” was released a month prior to the album release and sums up a focus of the album with the hook line “They lied when they said the good die young.” Point blank—Cities is the best album of 2007 I’ve heard and proves that Anberlin is maturing alongside their audience demographic.

4.5/5 Stars

Deerhoof - "Friend Opportunity"

2007-02-22T23:10:00.000-08:00

At a time when most of the music we hear is nothing but overdone, formulaic songwriting created with the intent to exploit and maximize profit, it is relaxing to know that there are still some bands out there that, for lack of a better term, “do it for the music.” Deerhoof is one of those bands. For those who celebrate creativity and innovation, out of the box songwriting and music as a pure art form, the San Francisco based Deerhoof is sure to be a favorite.

Although they’ve lost member Chris Cohen since their last official album, The Runner’s Four (Cohen decided to work on The Curtain full time), the threesome have combined their stylistic and artful talents to create their best work to date, Friend Opportunity. The album, which is best enjoyed by listening through in its entirety, has its upbeat indie pop moments, but is then followed by dronish songs with complementing vocals by Satomi Matsuzaki. Overall, fans old and new alike are sure to enjoy Friend Opportunity, if for nothing else, in the utter complexities of unconventional song structure and aesthetical musicality.

4/5 Stars

The Ataris - "Welcome The Night"

2007-02-22T18:38:00.000-08:00

Few bands arrive at the opportunity to be an enormous commercial success. Fewer bands deserve it. The latter category is where one can find the Ataris, now with their latest effort, Welcome The Night. In fact, very much has changed in the group since their debut album ten years ago. That album, Anywhere But Here (1997), was characterized by immature pop-punk sounds with one-word song titles and was released on Kung Fu Records. The band would record two more records with Kung Fu and eventually drop. They then chose to sign with Columbia Records in 2003 and released the album they are most notorious for, So Long, Astoria in that same year. The album led to several hit singles, including the Don Henley cover of “Boys of Summer.” The Ataris would later claim that they never meant for the cover to be released as a single, however, the song brought ridiculous airplay and fame to the Ataris’ doorstep. The group eventually decided to take a break due to personal and artistic differences and dropped off of Columbia in the summer of 2006.

Now, four years since their last release, the Ataris hope to use their music to attract a slightly older demographic, and have slightly succeeded in doing such. Upon first listen, the album’s title begins to make more sense, as the Ataris have produced their darkest and spaciest album to date. Whirling guitar sounds complement various effects and noise manipulations over a vast base of Kristopher Roe’s theatrical vocals. It is important to note that Roe is the only original member of the Ataris. In fact, he is the only returning member since So Long, Astoria – every other member for this album is different, thus explaining the striking difference in sound. Welcome The Night boasts only several impressionable singles, notably “Begin Again From The Beginning” and “Whatever Lies Will Help You Rest,” however, the album itself proves worthy as a nice vacation from the conventional sounds of today’s alternative.

While the group has made leaps and bounds away from their predictable pop punk sounds, the fact remains that the band is still called the Ataris. The name alone is sure to keep some older fans away.

3.5/5 Stars.

Mos Def- "True Magic"

2007-01-22T14:33:00.000-08:00

Very seldom will an artist come alongside a genre movement and entirely revolutionize the way that genre is perceived and listened to. Such is the case with the socially conscious, Brooklyn-bred lyricist Mos Def. Following a brief collaboration with the highly respected De La Soul in 96’, Mos built hype for himself alongside another Brooklyn born intellectual lyricist and friend, Talib Kweli, with whom he formed the short lived duo Black Star. Mos Def’s first solo album release in 99’, the highly acclaimed Black On Both Sides, placed Mos on the front lines of socially aware rap music, leading Mos to sign as a solo artist with the major label Interscope/Geffen Records.

But that was then and this is now—the reality that today’s dignified hip-hop audience demands quality music must not have been taken into consideration with the release of Mos Def’s newest release, Tru3 Magic. And then there is the album’s cover art, or rather, lack thereof. Nothing quite rings the bells of peculiar louder than a clear case album with no cover art, rather out of character for a major label release. Drenched in their own embarrassment, Geffen Records now claims that the release was essentially a “bad idea” on their part and will now be re-released in the springtime with cover art and credits included. This makes the currently available version a collector's item.

Although some tracks on the album, such as “Undeniable” (which earned Mos a Grammy nod) will surely ring true with hip-hop fans, the best means by which to enjoy this album will be stopping by I-Tunes and buying the few tracks worth having.

2 1/2 Stars

Switchfoot- "Oh! Gravity."

2007-01-11T15:51:00.000-08:00

Ah yes…the same sounds of another predictably pop-packed, major label release—this time from the guys of San Diego based Switchfoot. The group, who got its start back in the day (circa 1997), in all fairness deserves a noble nod on their gradual evolution from a small, under the table Christian band into the pretentious, Columbia records signed “megaBand” that they are today (regardless of their relentless takeover of music radio and TV airspace).

All that having been said, a new year is upon us and Switchfoot had one more opportunity for redemption with their newest Columbia release, Oh! Gravity. What perhaps is most surprising upon the first listening of the album is the pure quality of the lyrics. Lead spotlight man/vocalist Jon Foreman insists on attacking the machine and the American dream

Like a puppet on a monetary string
Maybe we’ve been caught singing
Red, white, blue, and green
But that ain’t my America,
That ain’t my American dream

My personal favorite lyrics are from the track “Faust, Midas, And Myself”

As my reflection passed
I hated what I saw
My golden eyes were dead
And a thought passed through my head
A heart that is made of gold can’t really beat at all

But when push comes to shove, Oh! Gravity. is an album chalked full of mediocre songs, with only a couple standout tracks worth mentioning—“Circles,” “Faust, Midas and Myself,” and the track “Yesterdays”—which plays like a weak Americanized version of James Blunt. On a practical level, several other factors hurt the album—the reverb on the vocals is almost unbearable, there are virtually no harmonies at all, and the repetitious chord changes offer nothing interesting to the ear. Fifteen years down the road, fans will look back at the discography of Switchfoot and consider Oh! Gravity. an album worth overlooking.

3 Stars.

NaS-"Hip Hop Is Dead"

2006-12-22T23:39:00.000-08:00

Writing a review as a college student on an album of this caliber is like trying to describe Leonardo Da Vinci’s Vitruvian Man in a single sentence—because, in absolute honesty, I could delegate several pages to accomplish the task at hand. Since his timeless classic album Illmatic debuted in 1994 (I promise I won’t fill this review with endless comparisons to Illmatic) Nasir Jones, commonly known as NaS, has truly reached the pinnacle of what east coast hip-hop can and should be. With Hip Hop Is Dead, NaS sets sail to ultimately prove the title of his highly anticipated album. And let’s face it—in a world full of cheesy, women degrading, “in da club” rap, Hip Hop Is Dead rushes to provide an invited inhaler to the asthma stricken genre.

One could begin here with the landmark track “Black Republican,” which features past rival/enemy Jay-Z. For those who are knowledgeable about hip-hop in any way, this collaboration in itself is a stunner. The two MC’s, who had severe “beef” for several years, finally made up (after of course, NaS tore up Jay in a heated battle). Suspiciously enough, this “friendship” between the two could also be delegated to the fact that NaS agreed to sign with Jay-Z’s label, Def Jam.

In his own admirable words, NaS instructs that which he has learned to do
“Make your own path, be a legend in your own skin.

The other collaborations—Kanye, Snoop, The Game, and Tre Williams to name a few—are nearly flawless and never overreaching. In remembrance of the first statement of this review, I will sum up in short what is needed to know. NaS, who will always be best known as hip-hop’s supreme lyricist, has truly brought his A-game to the Def Jam table by delivering one of the greater albums hip-hop has seen in quite some time.

4 1/2 Stars

Sparta-"Threes"

2006-11-09T14:32:00.000-08:00

The events that have led the group Sparta into their current position have been marked with glorious triumphs, a mysterious death, and finally a new release in their latest album, Threes. To fully understand and appreciate where Sparta is going, one must recognize the ferocious dragon that the band has unbelievably managed to crawl away from. This dragon, of course, was the band At The Drive-In, (pardon the horrible analogy attempt) which ceased to exist in 2001. Two of its former members, Cedric Zavala and Omar Lopez, went on to form the intense progressive rock group that we all know as The Mars Volta. But what was to be said of vocalist/guitarist Jim Ward, bassist Paul Hinojos, or drummer Tony Hajjar?

The vision of these three men was to start a new band that would continue in the sound that At The Drive-In had already established, and thus, Sparta was born. Later in 2001, Sparta scored a deal with Geffen Records and soon after released their first EP, Austere. Most critics of the album believed that the group had definite talent, but had not quite yet began to fully grasp their potential sound.

In 2004, the group significantly surpassed the critics’ expectation with the release of the highly anticipated Porcelain. Soon after the release, guitarist Paul Hinojos left Sparta to take on the role of sound manipulation for the Mars Volta, replacing the late Jeremy Ward who died of a heroin overdose. Although Sparta had taken a minor blow in the loss of Hinojos, they quickly found an amazing replacement in Keeley Davis. Sparta was not quite out for the count—two years had came and went since Porcelain and a new album was in order. In the spring of 2006, excitement escalated as the band announced the release of Threes.

--Threes is an album that takes all the finest elements of Porcelain and reduces them down a notch. While Porcelain was in itself, an album of groovy psychedelic chord progressions and elastic raw energy brilliantly combined into creative expression, Threes almost plays as one continuous, monotonous, creativity deprived blurp. Although the album does have a couple redeeming tracks, “Alias” and “Weather The Storm”, it is one that can easily be overlooked, and unfortunately falls short of the originality that the eager listener will find in Mars Volta’s newest album, Amputechture.

2 1/2 Stars.

The Hold Steady-"Boys And Girls in America"

2006-11-09T01:03:00.000-08:00

With witty writing and captivating pop melodies to match, the unrivaled sounds of the Brooklyn based The Hold Steady have victoriously captured our hearts yet once again. With their newest album, Boys And Girls In America, The Hold Steady enlighten listeners on topics such as dating frustrations and awkward moments on the dance floor, while abstaining from cliché or repetitive lyrics that flood the majority of today’s music.

Lead singer and lyricist, Craig Finn, often subjects his cynical views on the hollow cycles of oppressive dating.

You don't have to know the inspiring people
Let your boyfriend know the inspiring people.
You can hang in the kitchen
Talk about the stars and the upcoming sequel.

What is so engaging in Finn’s lyrics is his flawless ability to communicate so many messages with so little words in the brilliant manner in which he does.

The scratches on my back
They formed into a choir
And belted out a chorus.

Although Boys And Girls in America may not surpass the hype behind their last album, Separation Sunday (2005), it should prove a necessity for Hold Steady fans and for those of you who are just now stumbling across indie/indie pop music.

3 Stars

My Chemical Romance-"The Black Parade"

2006-11-05T23:26:00.000-08:00

It is very seldom in the alternative music world when a band is just as unpopular as popular, but such is the case with the band My Chemical Romance. After signing a deal with Reprise Records (Warner Music Group) in 2003, the band released its first commercial debut, Three Cheers For Sweet Revenge (2004). The album, which had sold a million copies in its first year, put MCR at the forefront of the quickly emerging “emo” scene. This was largely in part to MCR’s music being ‘horror film’ based, with the majority of their photos and art saturated with the band covered in its normal amount of eyeliner and black apparel.

Although most artists, to a degree, try to reinvent themselves with each album project, MCR has done the opposite—holding true to their dramatic and repetitive style of songwriting. With The Black Parade, My Chemical Romance have successfully produced an album that should sucker in the majority of their pre-teen, parent rebelling teeny boppers, while the rest of us watch from above in amazement at how quickly bad music can sell.

2 Stars

Copeland-"Eat Sleep Repeat"

2006-11-05T22:57:00.000-08:00

After several successful tour efforts, the boys from Copeland have finally made their way into the studio to record their strongest album to date, Eat Sleep Repeat. Lead singer and primary writer for the band, the amazingly talented Aaron Marsh, also acted as producer for the Militia Group released album. Instead of embracing the crunchy guitars and pop drenched melodies of their last effort, In Motion (2004), Copeland has finally found their proper niche with the mellowness and lush instrumentation that Eat Sleep Repeat has to valiantly present.

I recently had the opportunity to talk to via telephone with Aaron Marsh concerning Eat Sleep Repeat. “The new album is a lot mellower and there is a lot more to it,” explains Marsh. “We really sought to utilize lush instrumentation with strings and horns and that kind of thing. We kind of cut back on guitars and used more keys and strings to fill it up and give it more of layered texture. Other than that, it’s kind of the same old Copeland, but not quite as many blatant pop hooks. The album has a little more musicality I think.”

When I asked Aaron about the lyrics on the new album: “As far as lyrics are concerned, the record takes a lot of different looks at love. Love is one of those things that can take a really monotonous life. It can give you extreme high’s and lo’s. It can be harmful or very joyful and without it life is mundane. The title of this album refers to the monotonomy of life without love. It’s kind of a tossup because you can either have a very mundane life or a very at times painful and at times joyful life.”

Several tracks on this album valiantly feature the lavish background vocals of a choir, slightly reminiscent to the chorus vocal lines of Sufjan Steven’s “Chicago.” All in all, Eat Sleep Repeat is Copeland’s finest work to date and should prove to both old and new fans alike that Copeland is here to stay.

4 Stars.

mewithoutyou-"Brother, Sister"

2006-11-05T22:53:00.000-08:00

The somber sounds of light rain intertwined with soothing guitar welcome us into the newest release from a poetic and melodramatic mewithoutyou. Brother, Sister is the third album the band has released with the Christian indie label Tooth And Nail and is perhaps their least interesting.

The band’s two previous albums, A→B Life (2002) and Catch Us For The Foxes (2004) contain everything that Brother, Sister does not—innovative guitar lines combined with near perfect songwriting that marry into this purposeful album full of art and creativity and purpose. Brother, Sister seems to be nothing more than overreaching at times. Unlike most albums however, the best tracks on Brother, Sister are in the last half of the tracks, with the song most worth mentioning, “Nice and Blue, Pt.2.”

“the true light of my eyes is a Pearl
equally emptied to equally shine
and all or what little joy in the world
seemed suddenly simple and endlessly mine”

mewithoutyou fans will be delighted to know that a video has been shot in the band’s hometown of Philadelphia for “Nice and Blue, Pt.2” and is schedule to be released in early November.

As mewithoutyou fans already know, lead singer and frontman Aaron Weiss doesn’t do what most lead singers do—sing. Weiss talks through his lyrics in a poetic and poise matter that can only and truly be appreciated at a live show. Perhaps that is the reason why the band is constantly appealing to its growing niche market, after all, the popularity of bands that go against the flow tend to soar unpredictably. Most impressively though is that mewithoutyou sounds nothing like any of the other dreadful bands that are on Tooth and Nail, which is an extreme compliment to both their musical skill and songwriting ability. However, with no precise cohesiveness throughout this album, Brother, Sister should be a letdown to most mewithoutyou fans.

2 Stars.

Lupe Fiasco-"Food And Liquor"

2006-11-05T22:49:00.000-08:00

With the most anticipated hip-hop album of 2006, Food And Liquor, Lupe Fiasco has already kicked and pushed his way into speedy stardom. Fiasco, who made his commercial debut when he was featured on Kanye West’s hit single “Touch The Sky,” was given strong endorsements from both West and fellow rapper Jay-z. Even only after the few weeks since its release, Food and Liquor has propelled Lupe Fiasco into the elite grouping of “thinking rappers,” a list which includes such hip-hop greats as Tribe, De La Soul, and NaS.

Lupe made the decision in 2006 to find a home with Atlantic Records after failed deals with both Roc-A-Fella Records and an LA based Arista Records) and was soon in the studio cutting tracks for his debut. Consequently, the swarm behind this album has been something that the hip-hop community has not seen in a long time and has been exciting for all those who have been able to watch Lupe Fiasco grow and finally reach the plateau that he is at now.

“Food and liquor stores rest on every corner…”

…and so begins the dialogue which serves to introduce us to Fiasco’s masterpiece. Lupe explains the meaning behind his album’s title…

“I think the world, and everything in it is made up of a mix of two things
You got your good and your bad
You got your food and your liquor”

Jay-z would go so far as to comment on Lupe’s rhyming schemes as reminiscent of his own flow a few years back. Jay-z did play a part in the producing of the album, which featured Jill Scott on “Daydreamin”, Gemini on tracks “Just Might Be Ok” and “She Say, He Say” and Jay-z himself on “American Terrorist.”

This album should pick up not only hip-hop fans but crossover fans as well as those who can appreciate and enjoy quality music. The ingenuity behind “Food And Liquor” has propelled Lupe Fiasco to join both West and Common on the list of well-respected MC’s to come out of the greater Chicago area.

4 Stars

New Found Glory-"Coming Home"

2006-11-05T22:48:00.001-08:00

Whether or not I am proud to admit it, it was New Found Glory’s breakthrough album Sticks And Stones (2002) that graciously took me by the hand and eagerly led me into the complex and meandering forest that is music. The multi-platinum selling album threw the genre of pop punk music into the view of millions of MTV adoring, top 40 radio listening teeny boppers and mindless music buyers. This was soon to be proven by the overwhelming successes of acts to follow, Good Charlotte and Simple Plan. But one thing about New Found Glory has conquered the ultimate test of time—I can still pull out any of there CD’s and thoroughly enjoy listening to the catchy melodies and wonderful songwriting without shame.

But these past four years have came and went. My musical tastes have stretched and expanded to artists who have abandoned such taboo labels as “emo” and “punk” and found comfort in being “indie” and “ambient.” Regardless of the fickle label we give them, artists of my high school years want to stick around and put out new music that holds relevant to the modern music listener, and understandably so. Enter New Found Glory’s newest project, Coming Home.

“We always write music from us as we continue to grow as people and grow as a band,” explains NFG drummer Cyrus Bolooki. “We cannot write the same record over and over so our sound is more of a progression than a departure.”

The album’s first single, “Oxygen”, has been a success on both the mainstream and college charts. Since this is the band’s second major label release (Geffen Records), NFG was presented with the amazing opportunity of working with producer Thom Panunzio (Bob Dylan, Tom Petty).
Coming Home is an album of maturity for NFG. When asked why the band’s new sound is markedly different from albums past, lead singer and frontman Jordan Pundik explained,

“I think because every time we recorded [before], we would [want] a bunch of guitars and stuff. Tom's theory is "less is more," which is true with all the sounds we have…A lot of our older stuff was a lot faster. [Panuzio's production] actually let the vocals kind of shine through.”

As both new listeners of New Found Glory and veteran fans will agree, Coming Home proves a sincere effort from the guys of New Found Glory to express and convey their life experiences into a ripened album of art and purpose.

3 1/2 Stars.

He Is Legend-"Suck Out The Poison"

2006-11-05T22:46:00.000-08:00

Explosive guitars united with driving drum grooves and an amazing live show to match epitomize this Solid State band. After the heavily promoted album I Am Hollywood (2004), He Is Legend toured extensively in its promotion, but finally made their way into the studio to lay down the tracks for its follow-up, Suck Out The Poison.

Although the lyrics of this album play off of previous tracks on I Am Hollywood, the music style itself is less poppy and more recognizable to the sounds of their first release, 91025 . The vocal sounds of lead singer and frontman Schuylar Croom are the most obvious change from their previous releases—the scratchy and irritable vocals that Schuylar delivers seem to take away from the intensity of the songs. This change has gone over well with some fans, but most others have frowned upon the unexpected difference.

The album begins with its strongest song, “Dixie Wolf (The Seduction of…)”, in which the song acts as a response to the lyrics of the first track off of I Am Hollywood, “The Seduction.” For example, in “Dixie Wolf” Schuylar sings,

I jumped a building or two
to write this love story.

..in response to “The Seduction” where he sings

I’ve been jumping over buildings
I’ve been sleeping in the streets

The biggest parallels between the two songs (and the albums for that matter) are the references to Shakespeare’s Romeo And Juliet—such is the case as Schuylar screams intensively, “Juliet, YOU know you want IT!” Other songs of notice on the album include “China White II,” “Mushroom River,” and “Stampede.”

While I Am Hollywood was able to cross genre lines and pick up fans of both hardcore and pop punk sounds, Suck Out The Poison is nothing more than straight up, in your face, metal-core. Regardless, virtually every song has reserved a minute or more of screams and hardcore breakdowns which will be sure to please the girl pants wearing, hardcore dancing high schooler in all of us.

3 STARS

Saosin-"Saosin"

2006-11-05T22:44:00.000-08:00

For fans that have been following Saosin since they hit the scene with lead singer and songwriting genius Anthony Green, the release of a full length seemed like nothing more than a distant delusion that would never become reality. After all, the time period between 2003 and 2006 was stamped with confusion over how the band was being promoted, where the band was headed with Capitol, and the overall the direction of the band. Anthony Green suddenly left the group after their first EP to start Circa Survive, and bassist Zach Kennedy left to play bass with Ashlee Simpson, leaving the band to quickly scramble in order to find a new bassist and another great vocalist/frontman in Cove Reber.

After several tours and heavy self-promotion, fans felt that a full length CD was in order. Pressure was pushed from the band’s label, Capitol Records, and Saosin has responded by releasing their strong and cleanest album to date.

With their self-titled full length debut, Saosin has amazingly combined brand new songs with several others that were on previous CD’s and are now enhanced with superb production. The newer tracks build on what have made Saosin songs so notable in the past—driving guitar riffs blended with unrivaled drum grooves and vocals that most guys have to strain or use falsetto to match. Although this album will come across as slightly overproduced for most Saosin fans, it will never-the-less be worth the money spent.

3 1/2 Stars.

This Providence-"This Providence"

2006-11-05T22:41:00.000-08:00

Seattle, Washington is no stranger in the nurturing, supporting, and releasing of multi-platinum album selling megastars—from the groundbreaking acts of Nirvana and Soundgarden, to some of today’s best indie pop rock in Death Cab For Cutie and Minus The Bear. This Providence got its start in this city of great musical ingenuity, creating their first buzz while still in high school under the name Sunday’s Best. Upon graduating, they released Our World’s Divorce (2004), which happened to grab the attention of indie label powerhouse, Fueled By Ramen. With the release of their first album on Fueled By Ramen, the self-titled album This Providence, the band hopes to build on their formula of poppy melodies and pop punk beats.
The real question that comes to mind when I listen to this album is “What here hasn’t been done before?” The lyrics are atrocious and reminiscent of a six year old attempting cleverness.

“If loving were easy, it wouldn’t be love”
“Why do you care so much?”
“You hold on to me tight, just what I need to get me through this storm tonight”
“I don’t have to be afraid of the wind”

Who taught these guys how to write songs, honestly? The guys from This Providence have adapted a sound closely reminiscent to the boys of Panic! At The Disco (who happen to be on Fueled By Ramen as well.) but with poorer lyrics and less marketability. If you ever find yourself considering buying this album—pinch yourself and stop. This album is definitely one of disappointment worth overlooking.

1 1/2 Stars

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

2006-09-13T10:33:00.000-07:00

"Whatever People Say I Am, That's What I'm Not", the debut album from the hit UK indie band Arctic Monkeys has been the bashful lovechild of millions of blogs and web chats alike across the globe in the past seven months since its release. Proudly claiming the title of the fastest selling debut rock album in British history, the debut managed to sell just under 120,000 copies on its first day alone. Even more remarkable perhaps is the fact that six months prior, the band had played a gig to only four people.

So what is it about this debut that has propelled it as such an irresistible consumer commodity?

Perhaps it’s the driving bass riffs and double time drum grooves that make finger snapping, foot tapping and cheesy Footloose-inspired dance moves not only acceptable, but rightfully called for. Or maybe the distinctive way in which Alex Turner’s (obvious Brit saturated) vocal lines in songs such as their hit single “I Bet You Look Good On The Dance Floor” seem to interweave perfectly over the sloppy, punk style of indie rock.

The lyrics are consistently blunt, such as in "Dancing Shoes", where Turner warns against loving a girl and not making a move--"You've seen your future bride, but it's oh so absurd for you to say the first word." In another single, "Fake Tales Of San Francisco", Turner addresses the "fans" that success alone will pick up -"Get off the bandwagon, and put down the handbook." The guitar work by Turner and rhythm guitarist Jamie Cook is phenomenal-but not in the conventional sense. In fact, upon first listen, it is tempting to think that the guitars are simply sloppy--but it is this same sloppiness that provides the cornerstone of the Arctic Monkey's sound.

The album is rare in the fact that it can easily be sat (or DANCED) through entirely without any sudden urges to skip over a track. So with all that having been said: forget about the worries of the week, put some PJ's on, and dance the night away with the help of our British friends, the Arctic Monkeys.

4 Stars

Brief History

The Arctic Monkeys truly epitomize the “rags-to-riches” approach of being signed to a label. After their first few performances, the band recorded demos and gave them away at their shows. The fans would then in turn rip the music on their computers and share it amongst themselves. The band welcomed fans to do this -“We never made those demos to make money or anything. We were giving them away free anyway — that was a better way for people to hear them. And it made the gigs better, because people knew the words and came and sang along.” Their popularity quickly spread, and in May 2005, the band released their first EP, Five Minutes With Arctic Monkeys. The CD was released on iTunes and featured two songs that would make their way onto the band’s debut album, "Fake Tales of San Francisco" and "From the Ritz to the Rubble.”

Throughout all the madness, the band remained persistent in not signing to a record deal, refusing to change their songs to suit the industry - "Before the hysteria started, the labels would say, 'I like you, but I'm not sure about this bit, and that song could do with this changing...' We never listened." The band was so audacious in their despitefulness towards record labels that record company scouts were often even refused guest list entry for their gigs. The success of their logic - "We've got this far without them - why should we let them in? After their US release of “Whatever People Say I Am, That’s What I’m Not” in February 2005 (the UK release was in January), the band toured the globe (and is still touring) in promotion for the album.

At the 2006 NME Awards, the Monkeys made history by becoming the first act to win "Best New Band" and "Best British Band" in the same year.

So what exactly does the future hold for Arctic Monkeys? The band has almost completely finished recording tracks for their sophomore album, the release date of which has not been determined.