Whatever People Say I Am...: Arctic Monkeys Album Review

It took me a while to buy the 2006 release from the Arctic Monkeys "Whatever People Say I Am, That's What I'm Not." I loved the first single, "I Bet You Look Good on the Dance Floor" but was convinced the fun of this hit couldn't last and that the rest of the LP would certainly be a disappointment.

Well, after listening to various songs on Pandora and liking everything I heard, I decided to take the plunge and buy the CD. I can gladly say that this was neither a waist of my money (unless you factor in that Barnes & Noble over prices their music – good thing I had a gift certificate) nor a waist of my time listening.

I'm one of those people when I buy new (new being a relative term here) music, I listen over and over hearing each song, melody and refrain slightly differently each time. The one thing that did not change from each listen was the fact that this LP was entertaining and raw from start to end, from vocals to instrumentation. The only song that is remotely mellow is Riot Van…but it still has a very raw quality all the same.

I'll be honest, even after spending the money, I was fully expecting to feel the typical urge to skip around waiting for something other than the few singles I had heard previously to catch my attention. The urge escaped me though and instead I listened to the CD all the way through, once twice, three times…okay, I'm even listening as I write this review.

This is the kind of album I could pop into the CD player when taking a road trip or when I need to hear something high energy and upbeat while cleaning. I wanted to dance around and rock out right along with the Arctic Monkeys for the CDs entire 40 minutes. I'll admit there's nothing especially substantial about the content of the music but sometimes all you want is the fun and Arctic Monkeys was just the right fix for my new music itch.

My favorite tracks:
Mardy Bum – I like the juxtaposition of the good times and the bad. Sometimes it really is hard to remember the good times when you know you're in trouble and your lover is giving you the stink eye…Oh and I love the break, it has a feeling very indicative of someone sincerely trying to defend themselves but the other doesn't really want to hear it because they're stuck on being mad…

Dancing Shoes – This one made me want to dance as soon as I heard it. Imagine this if you can, me and my 5-year-old son bobbing our heads along to the funky guitar riffs…when it's all over rinse and repeat. "Mommy that's a fun song, can we hear it again?"

You Probably Couldn't See for the Lights but You Were Staring Straight At Me – Sort of has a run-away feeling but it's really just an Arctic Monkey take on the boy meets girl scenario.

Still Take You Home – This one made me laugh. Oh how they clown the girl who obviously thinks she's the @!$%# but he's not all that impressed. He can't see through her fake tan, she's not smart, she's not special, but he'll still take her home…hmmmm, sounds like a man to me.

I Bet You Look Good on the Dance Floor – No doubt many have heard this song before. To me this is a very fun song to dance and rock out to.

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