Favourite Worst Nightmare
Arctic Monkeys first gained broad attention as a MySpace phenomenon, but with their debut album *Whatever People Say I Am, That’s What I’m Not*, the High Green, Sheffield, band’s leaping rock and frontman Alex Turner’s biting observations of city life helped them become one of England’s biggest acts. On their second full-length, *Favourite Worst Nightmare*, they widen their sense of dynamics — “Balaclava” has a breakdown that suggests a love of War’s Latin-soul classic “Low Rider” — as Turner paints, this time more sourly, on a larger canvas. He seems to note his critics on “Teddy Picker” (“Who’d want to be a man of the people when there’s people like you?”), while “The Bad Thing” is a vignette of attempted seduction by a lady of means. What’s next? Who knows, but Turner’s general mood suggests that of Damon Albarn before he decided that Blur wasn’t allowing him to say everything he wanted.
Sheffield band follows its record-breaking debut with another assured album that seems to glimpse the possibility of greatness even when it fails to attain it.
The Arctic Monkeys' second album is the most anticipated record since ‘Second Coming’. And it’s absolutely massive.
Favourite Worst Nightmare proves that the cocky northern scamps aren’t one trick ponies and can come up with a set of songs that totally strip away any previous preconceptions, whilst being totally familiar at the same time.
Check out our album review of Artist's Favourite Worst Nightmare on Rolling Stone.com.
<p>Don't be fooled by their common touch: the cheeky chimps are special. <strong>Jon Savage</strong> hears them make sense of the modern world.</p>
It's that time once again. So get on your dancing shoes, you sexy little Arctic Monkeys fan