Sound bite: “Whatever People Say I Am, That’s What I’m Not”

Arctic Monkeys “Whatever People Say I Am, That’s
What I’m Not” Domino Records

The Arctic Monkeys must be doing something right. The pop-rock
quartet nearly beat out Oasis as the fastest-selling U.K. debut
album, and has already been tagged as the best British band in the
past 10 years. NME Magazine was even so bold as to name the album
the fifth-best British album ever released, passing ““ get
this ““ the Beatles’ “Revolver,” which
placed ninth. Many attribute the group’s success to its use
of the Internet to circulate demo tracks and to get the attention
of local record companies. Such an explanation would make a lot of
sense, given that its first album is nothing new in the music
department. Not only is “Whatever People Say I Am,
That’s What I’m Not” less than groundbreaking, it
rarely stretches into the unfamiliar. It only takes one listen to
grasp that the Arctic Monkeys owe its sound to fellow guitar-driven
U.K. rock groups. “Fake Tales of San Francisco” sounds
like it could have been easily pilfered from a Franz Ferdinand
album, and “You Probably Couldn’t See For The Lights
But You Were Looking Straight At Me” would fit seamlessly
into The Libertines’ back catalog. What seems to be the
Arctic Monkeys’ only distinguishing characteristic is Alex
Turner’s lyrics. The frontman perfectly captures both the
vivacity and frustration of a young British rock star, making
parties, music and dysfunctional relationships the album’s
centerpieces. “From The Ritz To The Rubble” is the tale
of a young man’s encounter with a “totalitarian”
bouncer at a club, and the sparse ballad “Riot Van”
coyly follows a group of inebriated teenagers in an encounter with
the police. When Turner sings “All you people are
vampires,” you can bet every underage free spirit is singing
right along with him. It may not be anything like a revelation, but
““ perhaps more importantly ““ it’s honest. To give
it some credit, the album is still sufficiently entertaining.
Tracks like “The View From The Afternoon” and
“Still Take You Home” are enjoyable enough to get
listeners through the album’s 43-minute runtime without
making them want to reach for the nearest Strokes album. Though its
place on iPod Nanos won’t be secure for long, it will
certainly see the light of day. More interesting than the album
itself is the talent behind it. There is some true potential hidden
in these 13 tracks, and when the Arctic Monkeys learn to step away
from the all-too-generic sound of British rock and allow its
youthful energy to speak for itself, it could be a sight to
behold.

“”mdash; Dominick Duhamel