Arctic Monkeys - Favourite Worst Nightmare

Just listening to this album as I'm writing this makes me want to be in the middle of a crowd of sweaty people, with four stick-thin, guitar-playing, British weirdos up onstage, waving my hands in the air and jumping up and down, standing on peoples' toes and really not giving a toss. Ok, reading all of that back makes me sound oh-so-very pretentious (and a little bit creepy) but hey ho.

The CD starts off with the incredible Brianstorm, which throws you straight in at the deep end with incredible drum beats and bass lines. The guitar is introduced only a few seconds later, and with it comes a change of rhythm, but the original tone of insistence isn't lost at all. In fact, it's only heightened when Alex Turner (swoon) comes in with "Brian, top marks for not trying...". Turner has the sort of voice that on first listen is the standard British-accented indie kind, but it gets more and more individual as the albums go on. By the time you get to Only Ones Who Know, you see that Alex Turner is in fact able to do melancholy and thoughtful; the particularly poignant line is "I hope you're holding hands by New Year's Eve. They made it far too easy to believe that true romance can't be achieved these days".

Arctic Monkeys really are masters of the tongue-in-cheek lyric: Brianstorm -  "we can't take our eyes off the t-shirt and tie combination": This House Is A Circus - "We're forever unfulfilled and don't know why, like a search for murder clues in dead mens' eyes": Teddy Picker - "Des
pair to the point where they provoke the punchline before they have told the joke". I could go on forever. Point being, their lyrics are pithy, thought-provoking and just a bit of a laugh.

The gorgeous Alex Turner

This is the perfect album for any self-respecting angsty teenager who feels as though they need to let their feelings out by headbanging and playing air guitar like a pro in their bedroom. Because trust me, it sure helps. A lot.

Recommended Tracks:
Fluorescent Adolescent
Balaclava
The Bad Thing