Singles

Arctic Monkeys - Brianstorm

Cam 19/04/2007

Rating: 4/5

Say goodbye to the Arctic Monkeys and welcome the Arty Monkeys, a band that actively tried to escape the spotlight for the past year. This is the first single from their second LP, a song that, to any other band in the universe, would be the most decisive point of their careers. But of course, after you've sold so many records with the minimum amount of band promotion, you need to stop worrying and start doing what you do best.

Not abominably inventive, yet intriguingly refreshing, Brianstorm shows the solid new Monkeys, swapping melody for rhythm while retaining 'that' cheeky sound that made them popular in the first place. With its long intro and lack of catchy chorus, you can almost feel the treacherous, Machiavellian smile on the authors faces while picking it as a single.

Individually, each Monkey seems to have grown substantially. Jamie Cook's riffs are edgy and sonically blustering. Nick O'Malley proves to be a more suitable bassist than Nicholson, trading pace for groove and helping Matt Helders' dynamic, hyperactive (yet controlled) drumming reach new heights. Even Alex Turner's vocals have slightly developed, taking apparent inspiration from Richard Hawley's croon and becoming more attached to his subtly sarcastic lyrics.

This is the sound of a band artfully dissecting their own sound in order to fight complacency, finding new entrances and exits to their already known factory of catchy tunes. Nothing short of admirable considering how most of their over-hyped predecessors did exactly the opposite for their second albums, sticking to the book without even opening it.

So much for not trying…

(Released 16/04/07)