Whatever People Say I Am, That's What I Am Not

Let me get this off my chest first: The Arctic Monkeys share exactly two common traits with The Beatles and Oasis - They're all British, and they're all rock bands. Let's end the comparisons there. No band will ever be the Beatles, and Oasis have two great albums while the Arctic Monkeys have only released one album to date, and its a totally different style and sound than Oasis. Comparisons to either of those bands are fruitless and unnecessary. So what is this album then? Overhyped? Probably. But its most definitely a contender for album of the year. Why? This album takes everything that's good about the current crop of British bands (stop-start guitars, great hooks, catchy and danceable bass lines, great lyrics) and then turns it up to 11, so to speak. Lyrically, this band has the most in common with The Streets, replacing white-boy rapping and home-computer beats with extremely strong musicianship. What I like the most is that you can train your ear to listen to any of the parts of this band - the drumming is solid (far more so than say, Franz Ferdinand), each song is driven by terrific guitars and bass that will stay in your head as long as the lyrics will. THAT is what makes this album so impressive to me - the sum of its parts is stronger than any album I've heard in a long time. Another point to make is that this album honestly has no weak tracks at all. Zero. Every song is, at worst, above average, while most could make equal claim to single of the year to this point. Examples? Fake Tales of San Francisco, with its driving bass-line, shout-out chorus, and great lyrics... The View from the Afternoon, a perfect opener that sets the tone for the rest of the album... the unabashed rock and roll of Perhaps Vampires... in fact, this album ends so strongly that its ridiculous, with the great lyrics and varied sound of When the Sun Goes Down... probably my favorite track, From the Ritz to the Rubble (brilliant chorus, fantastic guitars, f&^cking brilliant... "You couldn't have done that on a Sunday, of course not!")... and finally the album closer, a Certain Romance with its opening drum and guitar attack before settling into a perfect UK retro-rock dance groove with a totally different sound, and great lyrics condemning the vapidness and bad behavior of today's youth even as the singer admits he has friends who are the same... this song has one of the best lines you're likely to hear this year: "Cause over there theres broken bones / There's only music so that theres new ring tones / And it don't take no Sherlock Holmes / To see its a little different around here" I understand the backlash against this band (and so does the band, if one listens to their new EP), as they have seen an unfair amount of hype and hyperbole. The idea of comparing a band to the Beatles, after one album, is ridiculous. I understand the Oasis one a little better, as they are a more recent band, and Whatever People Say I am, Thats What I am Not has a similar quality to the first two Oasis albums, in that its hard to believe a band can burst onto the scene already sounding this polished and this distinct, and drop an album that is so solid front to back. So in theory, I get it. But musically this is an entirely different band, and they DESERVE to be hyped more than their compatriots (with the exception of Bloc Party, who are as good, but are an entirely different sound with a different mission). This band has no social or political mission to impart on us. This cd is, simply put, a great rock album, possibly the best of this millenium. Don't compare it to the best bands of all time, compare it to the current crop of what's out there - these guys absolutely blow away Hard-Fi, the Rakes, the Editors, Maximo Park, We Are Scientists, Kaiser Chiefs, etc etc. All of those bands have great albums and are some of my current favorites, but they aren't really traditional "rock" albums per se. The Arctic Monkeys have taken elements from all of these bands and infused it with what can only really be called traditional rock and roll, and I think that's what makes this cd so incredible.

Love this cd & it arrived intact, however the ongoing problem with damaged cases continues..... This case was broken/cracked front & back. The cd & other items were well packed and the box was intact which leads one to believe it was damaged before it was even sent out. PLEASE resolve this, it is happening with every cd I have ordered, this one was the worst!

Perfectly packaged, the record arrived in perfect condition. It has the classic Arctic Monkeys sound that I like. It arrived earlier than expected—very happy with the purchase.

I like to do a light clean before I play new vinyls and then give it a first listen. A lot of times, like here, the record seems to skip. I highly recommend you lift the needle when you hear a skip and clean the vinyl a few more times. I've found that a skip is usually just a dirty record and vinyls that seems unplayable at first just need to be cleaned. Otherwise, this was a great pressing or an amazing album.

Primera vez que compro un cd de forma internacional y suena bien. Las letras son correcta. Excelente producto

Arctic Monkey's glorious debut almost deserves the ridiculously effusive accolades it has received across the pond. That's what makes it quite impressive. It may be not be one of the top ten albums EVER MADE. But it surely is one of the best rock albums of recent memory. Easy. Rarely do you hear a band that plays as if they have absolutely nothng to lose, and leave it all on the record. There is an exuberance and excitement in their playing here that is simply infectious. Most of the tempos rush along at breakneck pace, slowing a few times for delicate (but deadly serious) tunes like "Riot Van" and "Mardy Bum" just to mix things up. The songs barrel along, stop and start at will, offer killer hooks, danceable beats all sung by a lead singer with a thick accent where the word "thing" sounds like "fing." "I Bet You Look Good..." is a strong lead single. The guitar chords bounce along thrillingly as if the musicians' joints are held together by thick rubber bands. The tune has the headlong momentum of a barely controlled bullet train. The lyrics throughout have bite, and are worth careful attention. They fly by at first, but after a few listens you'll be appreciating their wit. The last time I felt this sort of particularly British rock energy was The Police's "Outlandos D'Amour". That same raw tuneful quality laid over wild abandon. "When The Sun Goes Down" even has a line regarding a hooker named Roxanne, which floored me on first listen. The album ends with an awesome Beatlesque epic, "A Certain Romance." Talk about chutzpah. Most of the songs clock in under three minutes, yet the album closes with a five-and-a-half minute multilayered complex piece with an extended instrumental opening that miraculously does not sound out of place. In fact, it sounds like the perfect ending. Like it could not have been anything else. Not every song here is a classic, but so many of them are so good it's astonishing. I haven't enjoyed an album this much, from beginning to end, in a long, long time.

Todo correcto

Great Item 5*

毎日聴いても、飽きずに、 格好いい曲ばかりでお勧めです‼️

ich sage diese Platte ist genial. Hype hin Hype her, die Jungs haben es verdient, denn das Album ist grandios. Zum ersten Mal las ich in der Visions von ihnen, wo dieses Album auch zur Platte des Monats gekürt wurde. Ok neugierig geworden und blind vorbestellt und mal überraschen lassen. Beim ersten Hördurchlauf dachte ich ok, ganz nett und geht gut ab. Nach mehrmaligem Hören stellte sich ein Suchtfaktor hoch 10 ein, ich hab die CD im Auto jeden Tag am Laufen und sie wird nicht langweilig. Selten konnte mich ein Debut so überzeugen wie dieses hier, mit Ausnahme von Nevermind, Ten und Weezers blauen Album. Jeder der auf Punk- und Alternativerock steht, kann hier eigentlich bedenkenlos zugreifen. Die Vorwürfe einiger Rezensenten, alles schon mal da gewesen usw. sind durchaus berechtigt, die Monkeys bedienen sich u.a. bei The Clash und allem was es so gab in den letzten Jahren. Doch und das sei an dieser Stelle deutlich gesagt, sie machen es frisch und mit so vielen eigenen Ideen, das man einfach nicht widerstehen kann. Die einzigen beiden Titel die ein wenig abfallen sind meiner Meinung nach The View From The Aftternoon und Perhaps Vampires Is A Bit Strong But… Ansonsten alles Hits, vor allem der Bruch in der Mitte mit Riot Van ist einfach nur genial zum Luft holen und geniessen. Fazit: Top Debut einer noch jungen Band, von der hoffentlich noch viel kommen mag. Ob sie diese unbekümmerte Klasse noch mal erreichen sollten, wage ich zu bezweifeln, aber ich lass mich gern eines besseren belehren. Bisher meine Scheibe des noch jungen Rockjahres.

Transaction sans problème