Another Barrel O' Monkeys: Favourite Worst Nightmare review.

Whoever says the carefully crafted album is dead wears the doomsayer sign too early. The new Arctic Monkeys CD plays like a concert - the opening is strong and quick to get into the action (which is good as it is also their lead-off single, "Brianstorm"). The songs transition into each other smoothly but still have enough of a distinct flavor for you to know where you are. There is the chunk of softer fare that begins with the smooth jazz club feel at the end of "Balaclava," snakes through "Fluorescent Adolescent" (one of the two best songs on the CD), into the softest point "Only Ones Who Know," and starts to pick up in "Do Me A Favour". The penultimate song ("Old Yellow Bricks" - my personal favorite) feels like it could be a barnburner when done right, and "505" is a comfortable end.

The music is exactly what Arctic Monkeys started on "Whatever People Say...," only with some fine tuning, a little harder here, a little softer there. Whereas "Whatever" was mid-fast-tempo almost the entire way through, this album is slightly more polarized. The sound can be described as having the pop sensibility of early Beatles, the stomp of the Ramones, and the sardonic bite and wit of modern British lyrics. You'll find yourself bobbing along to even the least catchy of songs. And in plenty of places the music is deceptively complex; this isn't just your three-chord fare though it may sound as much at first listen.

I'd say if you're looking to bounce, or you liked "Whatever People Say...," this is something to pick up. You won't be blown away by most of it, but you'll certainly be bouncing about.

Final Score: 85.

Arctic Monkeys Do America

The young Brits who like gambling about your ballroom appearances finally have a U.S. release date for their next album (from Billboard):

Indie label Domino has linked with Warner Bros. for the April 24 release of breakthrough U.K. rock act the Arctic Monkeys' sophomore album, "Favourite Worst Nightmare."

The dance-rockers are also taking their act on the road across North America (from their official site):

April 27, 2007 Indio, CA @ Coachella Valley Music Festival
May 1, 2007 San Francisco, CA @ Warfield Theatre
May 2, 2007 Portland, OR @ Roseland Theatre
May 3, 2007 Seattle, OR @ The Showbox
May 4, 2007 Vancouver BC @ Commodore Ballroom
May 7, 2007 Minneapolis, MN @ First Avenue
May 8, 2007 Chicago, IL @ Riviera Theatre
May 9, 2007 Pontiac, MI @ Clutch Cargo's
May 11, 2007 Toronto, ONT @ Kool Haus
May 12, 2007 Montreal, QUE @ Theatre Olympia
May 13, 2007 Boston, MA @ Avalon
May 15, 2007 New York, NY @ Hammerstein Ballroom
May 16, 2007 Washington DC @ 9:30 Club
May 17, 2007 Philadelphia, PA @ Electric Factory
May 19, 2007 Atlanta, GA @ The Tabernacle
May 20, 2007 Orlando, FL @ Hard Rock Live

Finally, catch the video for the lead single from "Favourite Worst Nightmare," "Brainstorm," here. (Hint: Scroll down on this page for pre-sale and regular on-sale dates for the North American tour).

The Arctic Monkeys' Brainstorm

After reading this preview of the forthcoming Monkeys album "Favourite Worst Nightmare," it seems the buzz is already in high gear for the lads from Sheffield. Add to that their recent honor at the Shockwaves NME Awards for best album, and it's fair to say that the band is doing quite well for itself indeed.

Now you can get in on a little bit of all this greatness. Tune your browser of choice here to get a lick of "Brainstorm," the first single from the new disc. It's such a "ferocious" good time that Zane Lowe plays it twice!

It's definitely the same band from the "Whatever I Say I Am" days, but they seemingly found a way to be even edgier.

Check it out and post your own thoughts.

Arctic Monkeys Busy On Second Album

Rolling Stone's Smoking Section reports:

...And though the band is currently hibernating in a London studio, they let only the Smoking Section into their basement lair, where they’re happily slapping out new cuts like “D Is for Dangerous” and “Fluorescent Adolescent.” (As far as an album title goes, drummer Matt Helder reports that, sadly, they’ve lost faith in calling it Lesbian Wednesdays.) Some claim the studio is haunted. “It’s said that a young girl, ‘Elsie,’ haunts the chamber, and unexplained faint whispers have appeared on recordings in the past,” says Alex Turner, who recorded many of his vocals in there. So when the record drops in April, listen for phantom voices and expect more brilliant, kick-ass rock. “There’s also a bit of organ on there,” says Turner, “but nothing to worry about.”

While we all get pumped for that, the praise has been pouring in for the Monkeys' much heralded debut, "Whatever People Say I Am, That's What I'm Not." The record has garnered album of the year honors from NME, Crossbeat, Hot Press, and none other than TIME Magazine, who had this to say:

They ripped off the best bits of Franz Ferdinand and the Strokes-speed, swagger and hooks upon hooks-but instead of hipster navel gazing, Arctic Monkeys' singer Alex Turner looked at the world with a working-class smirk and turned a number of memorable phrases. ("There's only music/ So that there's new ringtones.") The first rock album in ages that feels dangerously smart.

Dangerously smart indeed. The punchy dance beats of "Whatever People Say I Am" led the band to making British chart history a year ago. Here's to looking forward to what they have in store for us in 2007.