Whatever People Say I Am, That's What I'm Not

That the Arctic Monkeys' debut album, 'Whatever People Say I Am, That's What I'm Not', is a highly successful one cannot be disputed — on release it became the fastest-selling debut ever.

However the reason for its success is a matter of debate. Is it because they are a breath of fresh air in the already well-established British punk rock genre? Or is it because they simply conform to the formula already proven successful by bands such as The Smiths and The Libertines? One would be inclined to go with the latter, as there's nothing particularly original in either their music or lyrics.

More controversially, is their success due, in part at least, to their web-based marketing campaign? The tracks 'When The Sun Goes Down' and 'I Bet You Look Good On The Dancefloor' were already well-known and freely available on the web before the album was released.

Alex Turner, whose gritty voice is perhaps one of the most appealing aspects of the band, pelts out the 11 tracks (with the exceptions of 'Riot Van' and 'Mardy Bum') at such a frenetic pace that they're over before you've had the chance to stop jumping around and catch your breath.

Although his words are sometimes drowned-out by the volume of the drums and guitar, this isn't necessarily a bad thing. The album is carried by the energy of these songs and the lyrics aren't always worth listening to – "I fancy you with a passion" and "you sexy little swine" aren't exactly unforgettable lines of poetry.

The lyrics appeal, not to the tortured artist's soul, but rather to the masses (well, to the mass of slightly bored or inebriated, middle-class British adolescents).

While this no doubt has appeal for the... um... masses, it nevertheless borders on the annoying as there's only so much that can be said about getting drunk and kicked out of night clubs; and teenage infatuations. The line, "You can pour your heart out around 3 o clock/When the 2 for 1's undone the writers block" from 'The View From The Afternoon' is probably based on personal experience...

The lyrics of 'When The Sun Goes Down' have a maturity and degree of insight lacking in most of the other songs, though, making the track one of the album's best. So too are 'Mardy Bum', and 'A Certain Romance' which stand out because of their variation in pace.

On the whole, the album isn't bad and hey, if you don't like the music, it also comes with a collection of artistic photographs.