Andrei and the Arctic Monkeys...

So we/they/Arsenal signed Andrei Arshavin... FINALLY. Enough of that, FFS. Now I'm anxious to see him play. All along I was sceptical of him, but now since we set a record transfer fee bringing this fucking guy in, I reckon Wenger must have a high opinion of him. And I, like any halfway decent member of any devoted cult worth his or her salt, truly believe that 'Arsene Knows', as the slogan goes. So, so much for that.

Something Else Entirely...
'Music to Get Well Pissed To'

Now, I wanna begin a new feature which I likely will never follow up further than the submission for today. No matter, I just wanted to wax poetic about the Arctic Monkeys and this is just an effing excuse to do so. The feature is called 'Music to Get Well Pissed To'... and the first entry is the, erm, Arctic Monkeys (somewhat redundantly).

Seriously, when I heard these kids a little over a year ago, I truly wondered how in the hell I had ever lived without them. I don't wanna sound like some breathless groupie, but... fuck it, I will. They're only brilliant. Their sound is massive, they're absolute sonic gang-busters. It's the sort of thing that rock n' roll is supposed to be about (and something I've noticed missing from some of these so-called rock bands); a wall of guitar chords and insistent pounding drums. And here's the key: they deftly drop the volume when necessary and THAT'S when the pure quality of the band comes shining through.

Admittedly, I don't know what I've missed lately as far as rock bands go, as I decided a few years back to remain blissfully ignorant after growing weary of square-looking geeks and/or horrorshow rejects posing as 'rock stars'. The former clones looking suspiciously and annoyingly like frat boy bar-room bands and the latter like something I'd honestly be embarassed as fuck to let my mum know I liked, SO, it wouldn't shock me if someone could show me exactly WHO the Monkeys might be aping (no pun intended...really, seriously... that just HAPPENED). I'm sure they've been influenced by someone or another, though I don't reckon they're properly ripping anyone off.


ANYway...

Alex Turner's lyrics are absolutely fantastic. His dry wit and keen observations are like nothing else I've heard in recent years. He actually SAYS something without sounding pretentious. Ah, it's a working class dream, innit? He paints beautiful pictures of being out on the piss, makes the mundane seem glorious, and his rhyme schemes are impeccable, which is something I truly admire and haven't noticed being practiced lately outside of highly skilled emcees. It's seemingly lost on rock bands nowadays.

THEN you have Turner's vocals, which are outstanding. His light sarcasm is balanced by a lack of over-the-top sneering in his delivery, that is, he sounds thoroughly genuine, unlike the suburban whinge mob that dare to call themselves 'punk' that I've had the utter displeasure of listening to. And of course, Turner is true to his home turf, Sheffield, and actually sings in that Yorkshire accent, though I'm sure he has little choice, as he'd likely take a caning from his local loyal fans if he didn't.

Still and all... Arctic Monkeys- Best Band in the World. End of story.
And of course, GREAT music to get well pissed to!