High-energy rhythms with some 90's influence on FJAAK's label CROWD. All four tracks are equally mesmerizing & devastating.

The highly anticipated sophomore album from the Sheffield, England group ARCTIC MONKEYS should dispel any questions of a 'sophomore slump.' The album starts off with the high energy single "Brianstorm" & never really stops rocking out. Along with KLAXONS, FRANZ FERDINAND, ARCTIC MONKEYS are leading a new wave of British rock that is sure to stick around for a long while.

Who the F are the Artic Monkeys? On their 6th LP they force us to ask again. Early in the game the Sheffield lads were snotty Rock 'N Roll savants then they took a turn into heavier desert sounds that felt like a revitalization for guitar music. On AM they incorporated ideas from R&B & Rap, & now they've taken a hard left turn into loungy weirdness. This is the first record Alex Turner's written on the piano, & it often feels like he's searching for new melodies throughout. While the lyrics can certainly feel self indulgent, the beauty of these new tracks is Turner's leaning on some the influences of some other strange & staggering lyricists, with a feel that ranges from Bowie, to Cohen, to Waits, & then back again.

Electro bass cyberpunks from down under. Five stars!

With the 80s slow jam "Always" plus "One Lover At a Time".