Arctic Monkeys - Who The Fuck Are Arctic Monkeys EP (Domino)
UK release date: 24 April 2006
As demonstrated by the fact that they refuse to appear on Top Of The Pops, have banned any of their songs being used as a mobile phone ringtone and partake in some of the most breathtakingly grumpy interviews since the days of The Stone Roses, Arctic Monkeys don't do things the easy, record company endorsed way.
Any other band would be milking their debut album for every penny, releasing six tracks as singles and throwing any old rubbish on the B-side. Not the Arctics though - although the masterful View From The Afternoon is the lead track, Alex Turner's tale of girls "all looking quite forlorn in bunny ears and devil horns" is likely to be the least anticipated song on this EP.
For Who The Fuck Are Arctic Monkeys marks the first time that brand new material has been made officially available, giving even those jaded souls who have all the early demo versions still downloaded the chance to get very excited. Thankfully, there's no filler either, with Cigarette Smoker Fiona being a taut, exciting number with some typically wry Turner lyrics ("Well-spoken girls in stillettos aren't something to fear").
Although No Buses, a less memorable cousin of Mardy Bum, is rather average, it's more than made up for by the lovesick lament of Despair In The Departure Lounge, which shows off a whole new side to the band. Gentle, world-weary and touching, it also draws on the band's new found fame while managing to remain down to earth and also namechecking Del Boy and Rodders from Only Fools And Horses. Brilliant, in other words.
Yet it's the title track that's likely to the most talked about moment here. Starting off with an almost jaunty guitar riff, it gets darker and darker as Turner spits out paranoid, dark lyrics anticipating a critical backlash. "It's not you it's them that are wrong, tell 'em to take out their tongues and bring on the backlash!" snarls Turner over a bizarre mix of playground chanting and gothic atmospherics.
It's very odd and yet utterly listenable - "in five years time, will it be 'who the fuck are Arctic Monkeys?'" wonders Turner at one point. Not if they keep up this quality it won't be.
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