Arctic Monkeys

[decadnids]

so could someone actually tell me what all the fuss is about? its all i hear at the moment, how great Arctic Monkeys are...

[spoon]

they're not bad - but the hype is just out of control. so i hate them now.

[Loz]

it's all media hype, though, the band nor their record company seem to be hardly doing anything right now, which in turn is fuelling the media hype more, because they're enigmatic.

their early marketing was very well done, though. They went around all the record companies, who told them to piss off. So they burnt some CDs, handed them out at gigs, and put stuff on the internet, and just exploited word of mouth to the extreme. So all the music journo's had heard the name Artic Monkeys long before they'd heard the music, and got excited about it that way, simply because everyone was saying "who are the Artic Monkeys?" Et voila, record companies catch on, then the band tell them to piss off, and sign with a minor label.

Now the mainstream press have caught on, and they're fucking everywhere. All got a bit out of control, really. When Newsnight Review reviews their album as the saviours of british rock and roll, you've got to wonder what is going on.

Musically, they're not bad. Loud guitars and such. Not sure about singing in a regional accent, though, surely that'll get annoying after a while. And all the journalists wanking over how the singer sings about "text messages and emails" and therefore "speaks to the youth of today" is frankly bollocks, in the same way at The Streets singing about girlfriends and such is hardly earthshattering.

[decadnids]

sounds shit to me - but, as emma has said to me, i do actually hate most things.

[thembuzz]

word to spoon

reasonably good guitar band + music press hyperbole = balls to you, lads, i'm sick of the sight of yers

[FiST]

i like 'em.

[nempsey]

i'm sitting on the fence until my friends tell me what to think

[mr franks]

Not sure about singing in a regional accent, though, surely that'll get annoying after a while.

ive not heard much artic monkeys apart from their number one, but regional accents never put me off the fall or the happy mondays.

[emef]

i've heard their record... i like it a lot, i dont read music mags so havent seen any hype at all about them, apart from a poster or 2 around glasgow.

[cut out]

poor man's futureheads

[ckpqerjwrpwp]

poor man's futureheads

Good lord.

[thepigjockey]

http://animalpicturesarchive.com/animal/a2/0805picg_crop-Japanese_Macaque_in_hot_spring .jpg

[penciLneck]

egszact same image I had too. :)

[Lighter Thief]

Shit name. Good band.

[thesnailsshow]

To recap; the Artic Monkeys are the latest band to be declared as THE GREATEST THING YOU'VE EVER HEARD, IN YOUR LIFE!!!! by the w*nkers at Smash Hi....er....NME and seem to have generated a level of 'buzz' (shudder) that is truly huge and apparently spontaneous. So are they worth it? Well, whilst not a patch on their last single 'Fake Tales of San Francisco' (a song redeemed by its 'Hunters Bar' line), 'I Bet You Look Good on the Dancefloor' succeeds in combining the ramshackle musical clout of The Libertines with a lyrical wit comparable to Morrissey in tone and Mike Skinner in sound. They're going to be huge whether you like it or not, so it's time to take sides. Are you with them or against them? Let the backlash commence...

They ain't my cup of tea I guess...
Tho I like some of the Domino Stuff (not them)!

[V Knid esq]

They're not bad. My Mrs says they sound like The Sultans Of Ping FC, and she's not far wrong. Fair play to them, if I was 19 and in the middle of a hype storm that was going to sell a million of my records I'd be diving in head first.

[ckpqerjwrpwp]

My Mrs says they sound like The Sultans Of Ping FC.

Yeah that's spot on.

[thembuzz]

They're not bad. My Mrs says they sound like The Sultans Of Ping FC, and she's not far wrong. Fair play to them, if I was 19 and in the middle of a hype storm that was going to sell a million of my records I'd be diving in head first.

straight up. i feel cheated. everything the nme's been raving about for the last few years is exactly what i was digging when i was 16, and i got fucking britpop. now i'm too old and jaded to just enjoy it without immediately being assaulted by mental images of soulless hipster twats in fedoras

[muteboy]

great!

[Konx-om-Pax]

worst skin conditions in pop. i see a oxy endorsment comin soon. lead singer's a cunt.

[ckpqerjwrpwp]

Not sure about singing in a regional accent, though.

knob ;)

[goone]

sultans of ping shit on them

[e_wann]

didn't heard much of them but nowadays their in every newspaper, mag and poster i see, so i won't puck up untill the storm settles, sameways went for White stripes: just bought their latest album (my first ) coz they had seven (nucking)) nations (futs) army mega-hit around here , i just couldn't dig them then just for that

[Lighter Thief]

Dude, White Stripes are wicked. Not heard their latest album, but all the other albums up to and including Elephant are (IMO) wicked.

[e_wann]

I know i just got a 'degou' coz their MEGA-hit, i know that i missed alotta but still cant put me to buy the album with seven nation army on, **shivers** and if you want i can put their latest online for you and ze board but ssjt ;)

[ckpqerjwrpwp]

I like the white stripes, took me a long time to get over the fact that they were hyped though. I use a strict code of "guilty until proven innocent".

[Loz]

the latest White Stripes album is really good, too. Despite the fact that Jack White is looking more and more like Michael Jackson each day. But there are some top quality tunes on it.

My favourites Stripes song is Ball And A Biscuit, though, it's brilliant.

[Lighter Thief]

Word. Ball and a Biscuit is a wicked tune.

[gypsy_cream]

who?

i thought i was gonna see some fluffy white monkeys

[don___quixote]

i think they're good clean pop fun- good for them i say- and they are alot better than some of the shite out there.

edit : besides it looks like they'll knock hear say off the fastest selling debut top spot - and that can't be a bad thing for music shirley?

[emef]

Fair play to them, if I was 19 and in the middle of a hype storm that was going to sell a million of my records I'd be diving in head first.

patronizing cunt
get back to yer wine'n'crepes ;)

[ckpqerjwrpwp]

patronizing cunt
get back to yer wine'n'crepes ;)

oh come on, I mean they are pretty mediocre :)

[e_wann]

talking about hyping:

word goes that they will become fastet selling debut cd : recordcompany says that by the end of the first week selling it they will have sold about 350.000 copies :!

[Loz]

I went to my local record shop yesterday. They had a copy of the NME there, which had a feature "100 Best British Albums Of All Time" and they were working their way through playing them all.

Artic Monkeys was fucking #5 in the list.

According to the NME, Artic Monkeys is the 5th Best British Album Of All Time. It's been out 3 days.

Just goes to prove that the NME is shit.

[FiST]

have you heard the album loz?

[Loz]

I've heard 3 songs from it. They're a pretty good band, but it's hardly change your life stuff, is it?

The NME had loads of albums from the last 2 years in their top 100, though, most of those in the top 25. I bet if they do the same list in 2 years time, most, if not all of those albums will not feature at all.

[FiST]

it's a really good album, yeh maybe not life changing - but what is these days?

and i agree that maybe it's not top 5 material just yet, but it's a far sight better than all the student weepcore piss that the charts are full of these days, coldplay, keane, etc.

[Loz]

That's my point, really. How can you say an album is the fifth best album of all time, when it's been out 3 days? For all you know, everyone might be sick of it in 6 months.

[FiST]

why should i be bothered if other people are sick of it?

[Loz]

when I said "you" and I meant "the NME"

sorry

[Laszlo]

"my brother knows Karl Marx, met im eating mushrooms in the peoples park.....etc"

[thembuzz]

I went to my local record shop yesterday. They had a copy of the NME there, which had a feature "100 Best British Albums Of All Time" and they were working their way through playing them all.

Artic Monkeys was fucking #5 in the list.

According to the NME, Artic Monkeys is the 5th Best British Album Of All Time. It's been out 3 days.

Just goes to prove that the NME is shit.

that's always the way with these 'greatest things of all times' lists, though. people have short memories. the top 20 will always be peppered with things that came out 5 minutes ago

still, i can't believe the fucking stone roses came top again. AND WHERE'S PUBLIC ENEMY?

one day i'll actually stop reading the nme. i mean it. one of these days i will

[Loz]

well, it was only British albums, so not PE.

However, no Pink Floyd. Surely whether you like them or not, you have to admit Dark Side Of The Moon is timeless and amazing.

We were having a laugh at their choices. Led Zepplin's IV was #97, and it's in the charts again now. Adam and the Ants #96? How is that better than Led Zepplin?

[thembuzz]

well, it was only British albums, so not PE.

oh, yeah... um... :!

However, no Pink Floyd. Surely whether you like them or not, you have to admit Dark Side Of The Moon is timeless and amazing.

We were having a laugh at their choices. Led Zepplin's IV was #97, and it's in the charts again now. Adam and the Ants #96? How is that better than Led Zepplin?

in fairness, i'd take adam and the ants over led zep as well

[ckpqerjwrpwp]

A lot of people seemed to think that The Stone Roses were a good place to grind their search for new music to a halt.

[V Knid esq]

patronizing cunt
get back to yer wine'n'crepes ;)


In what way was that patronising you silly little northern monkey? *pats his head*:!

[joe pinapples]

The NME is shite and has been always. Before the 70's, and the facelift that the punk wanks (Parsons/Burchill) gave it, it was naive and embarressing. Since then its been a awful style-mag - I hate the nme, written by wanks for wanks!

[Lighter Thief]

Because obviously you used to read the NME extensively prior to its 1970s facelift and think to yourself, "gosh, how naive and embaressing!"

[cut out]

im thinking this whole monkeys thing is a complete prank on the public. i mean how thick/puppetlike does a band who start off 'underground' and using word of mouth campaigns need to be in order to end up with adverts for their record being plastered over the security gates in HMV? Any band with a long term desire for quality would steer well away from hyperactive marketing/promotion.

[thembuzz]

i can't help thinking the fuss about their debut being the fast-selling ever has been completely engineered. the media starts saying things like, "check it out, this shit is gonna go OFF, yo", everyone goes, "yeah, reckon i'll get me a piece of that". self-fulfilling prophecy, innit?

[emef]

I've heard 3 songs from it. They're a pretty good band, but it's hardly change your life stuff, is it?

The NME had loads of albums from the last 2 years in their top 100, though, most of those in the top 25. I bet if they do the same list in 2 years time, most, if not all of those albums will not feature at all.

then surely the problem is not the album but your reading material
forget magazines and papers, trawl peoples soulseek folders and try stuff you´ve not heard before
thats what i do, no hype involved, no wankoff journalists
and if i like an album enough i will eventually buy the proper cd, cos i need to possess and cdr/mp3 is not feel like proper possession

[Patrick]

Have you heard the Sugababes cover of I Bet You Look Good On The Dancefloor ?

http://www.rapidfile.net/download.php?id=1231

[bracket]

Or the Arctic Monkeys cover of Girls Aloud 'Love Machine'??

[Martin23]

I like the album, don't read the press or listen to Radio 1 so the hype never really reached these shores. They just seem like a good bunch of lads, with some good tracks and a bit of luck - beats working :)

[Martin23]

I've heard 3 songs from it. They're a pretty good band, but it's hardly change your life stuff, is it?

The NME had loads of albums from the last 2 years in their top 100, though, most of those in the top 25. I bet if they do the same list in 2 years time, most, if not all of those albums will not feature at all.


But Loz, you aren't everybody and I'm guessing there's loads of younger kids who are loving it and the NME is really aimed at you these days, is it?

[love_tempo]

then surely the problem is not the album but your reading material
forget magazines and papers, trawl peoples soulseek folders and try stuff you´ve not heard before
thats what i do, no hype involved, no wankoff journalists
and if i like an album enough i will eventually buy the proper cd, cos i need to possess and cdr/mp3 is not feel like proper possession

Well said, and you get even better stuff if you ask people on slsk for their recommendations if they are grabbing some of your favourite stuff.

[nikrem]

i like it despite being subjected to the hyperbole. nothing i haven't heard before in different combinations, but i'd rather be listening to them than any of the other nme-sponsored gang-of-four-lite cak that's around at the moment.

[V Knid esq]

ABSOLUTELY Nikrem. They are their own thing playing the indie music that they like, not revivalist toss trying to bring back an era they never experienced like most of the new-wave-of-new-wave-of-new-wave toss.

Here's a bostin (if cheesy) D&B mash up of those cheeky monkeys. http://www.houseofcuss.co.uk/thepipe/tracks/thepipe_2006_06_whenthesungoes down.mp3

Mate of mine who DJs indie/punk a lot and has done for too many decades played it to a load of 18 year olds and said he had never seen a reaction like it. Tore the place apart.

[JonnySpeed]

Heard them for the first time today - as good as that Hard-Fi, which isn't

[nikrem]

that monkeys mashup is quality! he should get that pressed up for some widespread indie-disco carnage

[Lady E]

They played in Brighton last week or the week before. The excitement in the town was palpable. I had guest lists because they were playing with Maximo Park. But because Id never heard AM before, I arranged for me, Ed and Cristian to meet and have a drink with Toby whilst they were playing and just catch MP. But then Ed and Cristian got into a self-initiated AM frenzy before we went out. I think it was because I told them they couldnt see them. They were downloading tracks, reading interviews and really getting themselves into a lather. Then they refused to stay for a drink with Toby and insisted on going in to watch them. Then came out having had some kind of semi-religious experience. Mainly to wind me up, I think.

Im happy for the band and for Domino, I would probably quite like them but I havent got time at the moment to care either way. However, sounding like Sultans of Ping FC doesnt sound AT ALL like ANYTHING I want to know about, so I shall carry on in ignorance.

[spoon]

the fact that they are not only so hyped, but that there is a widely held belief that they are in fact one of the greatest bands of the last 25 years is more a reflection of the sorry state of british pop music than their actual talents. it's sad to see, 'cos they're not bad, but i can't open the door to this kind of bullshit spin.

i look forward to the day when we can hunt music journalists for sport.

[Loz]

a lot of the 'greatest bands' in the last 50 years haven't been the most talented musicians when they started. I think it's more the level of excitement that surrounds the group that makes them the greatest or not.

[V Knid esq]

Um they weren't really hyped until the snowballing of excitement around them was well underway. They got a massive following before labels or the press had a clue what was going on.

[spoon]

it seems to me that the mainstream hype has been all about the hype. hypeing the hype, as it were. i'm sorry but one of those fat lazy observer music monthly hacks could feed my family for a fortnight, gotta go!

[V Knid esq]

You'll find most journos on such publications are *hem hem* on pretty measly freelance money, though the laziest most trend-following ones are indeed fat cat twats on unhealthily large retainers. But like the Murphys....