365 – New Music Daily

Coming off my first Arctic Monkeys listen being AM – I didn’t expect much else from the band until I had Mardy Bum come up on the Spotify recommended radio, which was jarring (in the most positive sense of the word) to say the least.

Mardy Bum captures that same Strokes-esque fun, groovy, upbeat alternative rock marked by two guitars. This album continues on that track as well – perhaps they wear their influences on their sleeve pretty directly, but all in all it turns out to be a really great alternative rock album that captures the same early-mid 2000s vibe of fun rock.

This album may not have been as good if not for Is This It in more than one way. First, clearly Arctic Monkeys were influenced by The Strokes, and clearly this album is a show of that. Yes, it has unique qualities but this is definitely something that wouldn’t have existed without Julian and the homies. Second, and this one is pretty speculative, I don’t think I would’ve liked this album as much if not for how much I’ve gotten into this type of music recently.

Is This It and my love for it will be a theme for many reviews to come as it really feels like one of those formative shifts in my music taste. Much like the first time I dove into R&B, or heard Kanye from a friend, or really listened to Nirvana – this type of music has really made a lasting impression on my taste and has inspired (as you’ll see) much of what I’ve been listening to recently. A main goal of my album a day quest was to expand my taste and I can confidently say I’ve done that in many ways – and one is loving this type of music.

To wrap it up, Arctic Monkeys do a great job of making fun, catchy alt-rock/poppy rock songs here with, like The Strokes, great lyrics to go with great grooves and have vaulted up my rankings as a band from their previous pole position of “meh, kinda poppy?”.

Favorite songs: (this is a doozy) The View From The Afternoon, I Bet You Look Good On The Dancefloor, Dancing Shoes, You Probably Couldn’t See for the Lights But You Were Staring Straight at Me, Riot Van, Red Light Indicates Doors Are Secured, Mardy Bum, Perhaps Vampires Is A Bit Strong But…, When The Sun Goes Down, A Certain Romance