Arctic Monkeys: ‘Favourite Worst Nightmare’ review

By Adrian Yap

Rating: 6/10

With one juggernaut sophomore album out of the way and unscathed in 2007, we broach the other one. But while Arcade Fire retained parity from Funeral by kicking up the orchestral grandiosity and shifting themes on Neon Bible, Sheffield’s Arctic Monkeys‘ brand of cockney rock, put forth so well on Whatever People Say I Am, That’s What I’m Not, is perhaps less malleable.

Alas, the Monkeys’ sophomore plunge Favourite Worst Nightmare is about as sticky to navigate through as caramel-coated gum. Selected British press have gone on to hail these Sheffield-ites as being better than The Smiths. And if you do not yet understand the context, that is about as close to a bullet in the head as you can get, not less with the band’s career barely kicking off. In effect, it is saying that the Monkeys have approached their very own Meat is Murder. But while The Smiths fell back on the sardonic poetry of Morrissey for Meat, Alex Turner is arguably more than three scores away from the Moz as an indomitable presence, spunky as he may be.

It has to be noted at this juncture that it is rather difficult to mess up the band’s distinctive brand of cockney psychedelic rock. Their debut was largely constructed from the pulse of bass notes and Turner’s machine-gun lines and tongue-in-cheek humour. And if these are the constituents that made you adore them so much, then all is well in Monkeyville. Opener ‘Brianstorm’s juggernaut riff kicks off without much fuss and ado, breaking into a cheeky staccato riff before the first restraints of Turner’s thick accented barking starts. It’s the Monkey formula—Turner’s punky narration working around a catchy riff with the backend maintaining a pulsating rock groove. ‘D is for Dangerous’, built around a wicked bassline from Nick O’Malley (who replaces original bassist Andy Nicholson), is pure Monkeys 101—a riotous party-like vibe and shout-out-loud chorus.

Yet there is a sense that something is amiss here. Part of the band’s charm on Whatever was worked around the fact that no one had a clue what was going to happen in the next bar. But Favourite Worst Nightmare appears at times like a well-calculated leap from A to B. Formulas are quietly rehashed without much fuss. For example, there’s the cooing lullaby ‘Only Ones Who Know’, which fulfils the spot occupied by Whatever’s similarly downer ballad ‘Riot Van’, only less comedic, while ‘Fluorescent Adolescent’ is this album’s ‘Mardy Bum’, the jingle-jangle pop cutie with the bouncy skip. Plus, the minor production blips and blots have been suitably fixed with a multi-million dollar recording budget approval.

Much of the magic appears lost then. While Whatever was always one button away from a riotously spontaneous rock party, there is a strong nod to cold robotic artistry on this one. It’s difficult to explain. It’s them, yet not quite them. Perhaps it’s not so different from why The Strokes lost a lot of their mojo after they cleaned out the hiss. There is a sense that the dappled musical outlook is very much linked to the band’s appeal. With that cleaned out, what is left is rock perfection. And somehow that just doesn’t seem quite as appealing.

ARCTIC MONKEYS - FAVOURITE WORST NIGHTMARE
(Domino/EQ Music)

Track Listing

1. Brianstorm
2. Teddy Picker
3. D Is for Dangerous
4. Balaclava
5. Fluorescent Adolescent
6. Only Ones Who Know
7. Do Me a Favour
8. This House Is a Circus
9. If You Were There, Beware
10. The Bad Thing
11. Old Yellow Bricks
12. 505