When The Libertines self-destructed after their second album, they left a gaping hole in the market for a British indie band. Okay, so nobody probably thought they would be replicated in terms of their musical talent, their attitude and their ability to create a complete rock ‘n’ roll album.
The Arctic Monkeys had other ideas. Six months prior to the release of their debut album, they were virtually unknowns. However, in true rebellious fashion, they gatecrashed the charts like it was some sort of harmonious village car boot sale. Not only did they gatecrash it, they set up their own stall and sold drugs in their millions. This drug took the resemblance of their first album, with many people finding it more like an addiction.
Many of the songs were leaked on YouTube months before it’s release, people still couldn’t stay away, determined to get a physical copy. Proof is in the pudding, with the LP selling over 360,000 copies in it’s first week alone, this being more than the other albums in the top 20 put together. Still to this day it remains the fastest selling debut album in UK history.
The Monkeys have this swashbuckling approach to their music that’s weirdly charming, a gritty edge that becomes hypnotic. The slower tempo songs must have some built in metronome, infinitely swinging in time with the beat, to try and coax your heart into...theee...sameee...rhyttthhhmm. See what I mean?
Alex Turner’s voice performs as a loudspeaker, informing the world about their run-ins with the local copper or bouncer. Maybe, if you listen hard enough, they might even sing about a car boot sale organiser kicking them out as well.
Gone were the fashion statements and beautiful women hanging off their arms, their lager-propelled music didn’t need any other symbols, the sound filtering out of the radio was iconic enough.
The Arctic Monkeys reached the unusual feat of having their debut labelled as a modern classic only a week after it’s release and with all the furore that surrounded them, it was easy for everyone to get caught up in it.
Whatever you do don’t believe the hype. This album really is that good.
Highlight tracks: Mardy Bum, When The Sun Goes Down, Dancing Shoes.
Did you know? The Arctic Monkeys refused all offers to go on Top Of The Pops, and seldom did interviews around the album’s release.
2007: Relient K- Five Score And Seven Years Ago
After their careers have finished, Relient K could be described as music’s “nearly” men. However, it is beyond beggar’s belief as to why this could ever potentially be the case.
After their early cheeky punk records, Relient K were almost seen as a diet version of Blink-182, producing playful tunes with a unique sense of humour that translated wonderfully on the live stage. Fast forward to 2007, and after their previous effort Mmhmm, broke that stranglehold to release them into the mainstream, Relient K finally produced an album that seemed to be a perfect fit for radio, polished more than Jeeves can say “You can see your face in it, Sir.”
There is not even a smidgen of punk in Five Score, as the band seemingly felt far more at home within the pop/rock genre, and this is reflected in their song writing. The group in a sense could be described as a flower throughout their career, starting out as a bud, opening up on the last album and then blossoming magically on Five Score.
Relient K have always had an ace up their sleeve in the form of their lead singer and frontman Matthew Thiessen, who’s voice and song writing skills, shared along with guitarist Matt Hoopes, have been instrumental in Relient’s rise. His voice is one of the highest quality, with his soft, piercing sound touching nerves and heart strings that people never knew they had. Deathbed, the 11 minute closer on the CD, is worth the album price all on it’s own, a beautiful piece that is told in such a captivating way.
What I like most about this album though is it’s versatility. It doesn’t sound out of place whatever mood you’re in, whether it be sombre, ecstatic or downright depressed. One day the songs could act as pumped up beats to drag your sorry state to the gym with, another as songs that hold the dearest of memories and a different day they could be tunes that have the ability to snap you out of your bad mood.
Whatever the occasion, whatever the weather and whatever you’re feeling, Relient K are guaranteed to always put a smile on your face.
Highlight tracks: I Need You, Devastation and Reform, Deathbed.
Did you know? The song Deathbed uses a whopping 115 different instruments throughout it’s duration.
2008: Fleet Foxes- Fleet Foxes
Pinning the hometown of Fleet Foxes is like trying to guess where the treasure is on the map at one of those stalls at a school fete. If you listen to them without knowing where they come from, it’s hard to identify their homeland. Their sound is so universal and so broad it could have recorded in a number of US cities; Brooklyn, Minneapolis or Chicago, to name just a few. This album could even have been recorded in Great Britain considering the strength of the English folk influences.
It was not recorded in any of those places in fact, but in Seattle, famous for also being the starting points for Jimi Hendrix, Nirvana, Foo Fighters and who could forget Sir-Mix-A-Lot? When their self-titled debut was released it seemed that Fleet Foxes would follow them on the road to stardom, with them being heralded as “America’s next great band.”
Okay, so Fleet Foxes will have to sustain some kind of legacy to ever be mentioned in the same breath as those legendary musicians, but their first album really gets the wheels rolling to reach that goal.
It’s a corker. Fleet Foxes has this undying haunting charm about it, one that’s so captivating that it will have you putting the album on repeat in a robotically consistent fashion. This kind of music should have been created by seasoned pros who were on their fifth or sixth albums and not a band who formed only two years previous.
The harmonies they create are just so peaceful and smooth, like a butterfly flying through woodland with the sun piercing through the treeline. Robin Pecknold’s lead vocals also play a huge part in a lot of the tracks, almost creating harmonies themselves to compliment that of the guitarists. It is the combination of these that makes their music so unusual and so appealing, offering more twists and turns than a Agatha Christie murder mystery.
With most folk pop, while a lot of it is very good technically, there aren’t many surprises. On the flipside, Fleet Foxes is so enchanting, so enthralling that it is just a record of divine beauty.
The album keeps you guessing, just like the treasure map stall at the school fete.
Highlight tracks: White Winter Hymnal, He Doesn’t Know Why, Quiet Horses.
Did you know? As well as earning critical acclaim for the music, the album also won an award for the cover art.
Check back in the next couple of days for the fourth and final part of my music review of the decade, covering the years 2009-2011.
No comments:
Post a Comment