"The taste-makers" and Arctic Monkeys

[mayer]

A friend just sent me this link


So you think you decide what goes into your music collection? Wrong. Alexis Petridis speaks to the people who control what you hear, like and buy

Nevertheless, he has reversed NME's post-Britpop decline, and cemented its reputation as the most influential UK magazine for breaking new guitar bands - via its pages and the annual NME Brats package tour - Razorlight, Kasabian, the Kaiser Chiefs and the Killers among them. "It's kind of a self-fulfilling prophecy," McNicholas says, "we're really great at picking bands that go on to be big, but if we didn't pick them in the first place, they wouldn't go on to be big."

Ooooh. Conor, you terrible cunt.

Who's going to be big next year? "The Arctic Monkey are going to be the biggest band this country's seen since Oasis. We Are Scientists are going to make a splash. The Mystery Jets, and Carl Barat from the Libertines' new band."

Who's going to be big next year? "I know everyone is saying the same thing, but I was bowled over by the Arctic Monkeys. I like the Rakes, the Cribs. I think the Joseph Arthur record is good."

Who's going to be big next year? "Arctic Monkeys have an obsessive fanbase and a brilliant frontman. I haven't seen Infadels live yet, but someone on our team is raving about them. And Son of Dork (James from Busted's new band) are attracting attention on our website forum at the moment."

Who's going to be big next year? "Arctic Monkeys, they've got the most exciting sound. I'd love to think Pendulum would do something, but I doubt it. It would be interesting to see if Morning Runner do anything, and Bedouin Soundclash."

Who's going to be big next year? Owen: "Sway. He's got a sense of humour, and he can really connect with the crowd." Armstrong: "Arctic Monkeys. The pre-orders on our website are scary. White Rose Movement I think are going to be big, Boy Kill Boy, Kubb, the Modern, Louis XIV. On the metal front, Trivium and Bullet For My Valentine."

Who's going to be big next year? "Arctic Monkeys. We have a report each week called unresolved search results, which tells you what things people have typed in on site and not been able to find anything by and they were massive on it. Others are the Test Icicles, Lady Sovereign, Morning Runner and Be Your Own Pet."

Arctic Monkeys have had a massive online presence since late last year and have also been given a million quid from Domino and a US tour. So they're all backing a horse that's already flying down the straights in the lead, the cheeky so and sos. I think the premise of the article is slightly bogus, in that if they would've said Arctic Monkeys six months ago, I'd be impressed by their prophetic ways. Now it's like saying at the start of last season that "Chelsea look like a good prospect".


(Incidentally, I've heard a half-dozen mp3s, think the Monkeys are okay, but nothing special. I've not seen them live, and many of my friends swear blind how good they are, but I can't imagine them really winning my heart over).


EDIT: Grammar.

[Neil]

I can't imagine taking recommendations from cunts like those.  It's so much more satisfying and fun to buy/download something randomly and then listen to it without any preconceptions.  I don't want to listen to a piece of music with the knowledge that it's dead popular with indie kids or whatever, I'd rather just sit there and wait.  And if it's great then its fabness will slowly creep up on me, and I'll get more excited, until it's changed from something that I play repeatedly to get into, to something that I play repeatedly because I really want to.

[splattermac]

[imitationleather]

The Arctic Monkeys are shit.

Yeah!

EDIT: You can watch their new video on NME.com.

[djtrees]

I agree with imitationleather, but they have made me 50 quids so Im torn.

What I dont understand is why everyone pounces on the same mediocre thing at the same time? Are people really too scared to point out that; "Hold on these sound like a poor mans Jam!"

[All Surrogate]

The Arctic Monkey, We Are Scientists, The Mystery Jets, the Rakes, the Cribs, Joseph Arthur, Infadels, Son of Dork, Pendulum, Morning Runner, Bedouin Soundclash, White Rose Movement, Boy Kill Boy, Kubb, the Modern, Louis XIV, Trivium, Bullet For My Valentine, the Test Icicles, Lady Sovereign, Morning Runner,and Be Your Own Pet.

Gosh, but I feel old.

[Morgan]

Crumbs, who are all these bands?

[Neville Chamberlain]

I bet all of those bands make music that's about as exciting as their names.

Arctic Monkey - I mean, for fuck's sake.

[mayer]

Arctic Monkeys, god bless them, are very young, teenagers I think. Despite what all my mates have been saying for ages, they've not really won me over, but I wish them all the luck in the world, frankly.

Shall I pop up some mp3s?

[mayer]

Official Website

Scummy

Bet You Look Good On The Dancefloor (.wma, sorry, I'm too lazy to change this)

Fake Tales Of San Francisco

Mardy Bum


EDIT: 'parrently they'ev only released one impossible-to-find single, and a US EP, so I think all this stuff is as legit as anything else around here.

http://www.savefile.com/projects.php?pid=970279


They're from Sheffield, very young, and make slightly-humourous, catchy straightforward rock and roll. Apparently very good live, the crowds are meant to be awfully into it. They've been getting lots of attention since the turn of the year, a lot of love on dot org. In the summer they played Jabez Clegg, and I didn't bother even trying to go down despite them being recommended to the hills by my mates, because it was sold out and touts were allegedly charging sixty quid, for a shithole like Jabez! Last I heard they got a million quid advance from Domino for the LP, and they're touring the UK in October, then off to the States in November.

They're not really my thing. I like my humour in pop to be that bit drier, and there's the air of the Northern-court-jesters maybe, but that's probably unfair, it's my own problems with how people seem to pimp things to me. Also, they're pleasant enough, but neither the music nor the words grab me in the way my favourite bands do. I'll pass really.

Some nice lyrics though which raise a smile here and there.

And yeah, I'd love to tell you all my problem
You're not from New York City, you're from Rotherham
So get off the bandwagon, and put down the handbook
Yeah, yeah, yeah

Like I said, good luck to 'em though, people seem to like them, and despite what Conor McCunt says, they liked them long before he decided they would, or probably before that fucker even heard of them.


(EDIT: Fixed Links etc.)

EDIT: The links really work now. Honest.

[Neil]

None of them work.  (Some of us actually download and listen to the mp3s in this forum ;-))

EDIT:  Mostly still broke you, uh, Test Icicle.

EDIT 2:  Take the 0 out of Scummy and sort out the spelling of Fransisco.

[mayer]

Bugger!

I firstly forgot that I put them in a folder. They all work bar San Francisco at the moment, and I'm working on why right now.

[Sid8800]

The main reason for the hype around the artic monkeys seems to be because they're actually working class, which the NME and other middle class publications love ohh so much.

They can't really play their instruments much either, you can get away with that for a single or two by sounding raw, but over an album it just becomes to limiting.

[mayer]

EDIT 2:  Take the 0 out of Scummy and sort out the spelling of Fransisco.

Heh, I just twigged that before I managed to see that. I've left the spelling of Francisco all wrong, it's easier that way :-).

[El Unicornio, mang]

The Arctic Monkey, We Are Scientists, The Mystery Jets, the Rakes, the Cribs, Joseph Arthur, Infadels, Son of Dork, Pendulum, Morning Runner, Bedouin Soundclash, White Rose Movement, Boy Kill Boy, Kubb, the Modern, Louis XIV, Trivium, Bullet For My Valentine, the Test Icicles, Lady Sovereign, Morning Runner,and Be Your Own Pet.

Gosh, but I feel old.

The only band out of them I've heard of are Louis XIV, who are basically trying to sound as much like T-Rex as possible, but with raunchier lyrics.

I tend not to invest much time in checking these bands out cos they seem to disappear off the face of the earth within about a year. I guess I must be getting old because ten years ago I knew every indie band out there. Is there maybe just more bands around these days? I feel bewildered by the amount of new ones about, so I tend to just stick to my old records, though I guess I'm probably missing out on some good stuff.

[Nuts 'n Gum]

I've heard quite a lot of those bands and the list is so depressing it makies me want to cry and give a decent try to my music again and start recording new songs.

Arctic Monkeys- are so fucking rubbish. like a shit kings of leon, and i don't like them. why is the frontman so good, he just looks like a cocky kid. lyrically that sheffield/new york one is quoted often, whcih is reasonable, but makes me angry in that it's exactly the same premise as one of my songs and i i were to play it again now i'd get accused of ripping them off! minor gripe.

but seriously, not much talent, not much innovation  in sound (oh, their drummer sings backing vocals) they're energetic, and their fans will make me cringe, just the new libertines in other words.

Louis XIV sound alright, very Fall like though.
We Are Scientists-mix the bravery and the killers, but with less attractive members. and breathe.

Bullet For My Valentine-emo, and some arse looked at my my bloody valentine tshirt and accused me of liking a shit band, i asked what he'd heard by them, he said he'd seen them, which amazed me, and then he said he saw them supporting funeral for a friend.

Morning Runner-just bland epic rock isn't it?
The Cribs- argggggh, they're terrible. see arctic monkeys.

but NME's probably always been like this, it certainly worked for the strokes big time, so ever since then they've gone to town on it and are now mostly a glossy kids magazine about these bands with occasional patronising articles about good bands (there was a stone roses article recently i think, not that they're amazing, just quite old).

[Emergency Lalla Ward Ten]

If they would've said Arctic Monkeys six months ago, I'd be impressed by their prophetic ways.

Or if they continued to say about brilliant they are/were long after they stopped being flavour of the month.

[Emergency Lalla Ward Ten]

I Bet You Look Good On The Dancefloor is astonishingly mediocre. On what planet is that a song worth getting excited about?

The photo that accmpanied the article (at least in the print version) has them standing next to a telephone box on some rural b-road. Looking, once again, like a band played by actors. I bet they do a photo shoot in a greasy spoon cafe as well.

[El Unicornio, mang]

I noticed a lot of band shots in mags these days have all the members lined up in some grubby street, jumping into the air.

I'd like to find an example to show this but I can't

[mayer]

I bet the cheeky fuckers go all the way to the back streets of Sheffield and pretend to be youngsters too :-) I bet they eat in greasy spoon cafes all the time y'know.

Like I said, not really my thing. The Cribs I've seen once and heard the second album and really don't see the fuss about, because they're slightly ugly as well as being a bit "meh". (I did like "Another Number" [off the first LP?] though in a jiggy sort of way).

I have to admit that I've got an inverse-Lalla thing going on. Whilst the press wetting themselves over a band makes him hate them even more, the minute all the 'Whores started laying into AM, I downloaded another 20 songs of theirs and hammered a bunch in an attempt to force myself to like them more.

Didn't work unfortunately. Not bad, but I've consistently put out better, and that shouldn't be the case!

[Emergency Lalla Ward Ten]

I have to admit that I've got an inverse-Lalla thing going on. Whilst the press wetting themselves over a band makes him hate them even more, the minute all the 'Whores started laying into AM, I downloaded another 20 songs of theirs and hammered a bunch in an attempt to force myself to like them more.

I don't hate them even more because of the press hype, though - if the press hype didn't exist, they wouldn't even enter my frame of reference.

I just think that, if the press are going to put their weight behind a band, they should pick someone really, really good.

What made you want to force yourself like them, incidentally? Surely if they leave you cold, they leave you cold?

[TJ]

I heard this lot for the first time today. I've heard more exciting bands at the bottom of the bill at a local 'new music' showcase.

[Neil]

What sort of influences were you picking up TJ?  One of the things I really dislike about most modern music is how sanitised it is.  I don't think anyone would be allowed to release stuff as avant-garde as something like The United States Of America these days.

EDIT:  Oh I presumed you were talking about that list of bands but perhaps you just meant Arctic Monkeys?

[mayer]

I don't hate them even more because of the press hype, though

Really? Hm. If The Office had no hype I'm sure you would've still heard of it, it still would've been in your "frame of reference". But you've admitted elsewhere that the public or media perception of a show will dictate how vehemently you insult it, ostensibly you're attacking it more for its "importance". One thing that article is right about is that, for better or worse, Arctic Monkeys will sell a lot of records in 2006, so work up that anger-machine Lalla, they'll be "important" in that regard.

I just think that, if the press are going to put their weight behind a band, they should pick someone really, really good.

You've already said you don't think there is anyone really really good out there. They have to sell papers to the idiots that buy them somehow.

Surely if they leave you cold, they leave you cold?

Of course, I said it didn't work. But with some things (coffee, cigarettes, pesto) this policy has paid dividends, no luck this time around.

What made you want to force yourself like them, incidentally?

To wind you lot up, of course, you'd miss me otherwise.

I heard this lot for the first time today. I've heard more exciting bands at the bottom of the bill at a local 'new music' showcase.

Congratulations.

[TJ]

What sort of influences were you picking up TJ?  One of the things I really dislike about most modern music is how sanitised it is.  I don't think anyone would be allowed to release stuff as avant-garde as something like The United States Of America these days.

EDIT:  Oh I presumed you were talking about that list of bands but perhaps you just meant Arctic Monkeys?

The latter!

[TJ]

I heard this lot for the first time today. I've heard more exciting bands at the bottom of the bill at a local 'new music' showcase.

Congratulations.

No need to be so sarcastic. I'm just saying what I thought, not trying to be 'clever'. I've worked for/with a lot of small-scale record labels and bands over the years, some of which went on to be successful and some of which never managed to do well enough to give up working at Tescos, and I've had to sit through all manner of no-hopers as a result. And I'm afraid Arctic Monkey didn't grab me any more than any of them.

[jimmy jazz]

My very quick review of each band, I could prove it on Bill Hicks' very own etch-a-sketch:

Arctic Monkeys: What's the point, why are you doing this? It's 13 year old girl music, which is inoffensive enough. But that's all you are, you're the next step up from McFly.

We Are Scientists: If sitting through New Order wasn't bad enough, then listening to all the bands that wanted to be New Order was. So here is a band that want to sound like they're trying to sound like New Order. Amazing.  

The Mystery Jets: Quite good actually, nothing amazing but there's definitely potential. And anybody in the band with their Dad deserves a thumbs up.

The Rakes: What came first, The NME cover calling The Rakes the new Libertines or The Rakes themselves. No one will ever know.

The Cribs: Interesting. Whoops, I meant to say bland, contrived NME tripe  

Louis XIV: You're alright, what I'd expect from a band called Louis XIV, you have a nice sound which is familiar without being overdone. Some real potential.

Trivium: Just no.

Bullet For My Valentine: See Trivium

Test Icicles: The name is twice as good as the band themselves, but it's such a great name it means they're alright.

Maybe I'll come back with real opinions. The Mystery Jets are good, as are ¡Forward, Russia! But I'm still waiting for that band, I was 7 when OK Computer was released so I'm still waiting for that band that will come and change my life. Get me while I'm still impressionable, dognammit.

[mayer]

I heard this lot for the first time today. I've heard more exciting bands at the bottom of the bill at a local 'new music' showcase.

Congratulations.

No need to be so sarcastic.

Well, it was such an insipid comment to make, and was hardly original in the context of the thread. Had someone made a comment along the lines of "Peep Show - saw this lot for the first time today. I've seen funnier comedians at the bottom of the bill at a local 'new comedy' showcase" you'd expect them to stick around and give an argument, whether you agree with them or not.

I don't see why SE has to be the stunted whiny brat little sister of CC is all.

[TJ]

Incidentally, the last new band (apart from Automation, but I can't really comment because I know them) to really excite me were The Soho Dolls, but while they're great live they haven't really managed to nail it in the studio yet. They're definitely ones to watch though.

[Emergency Lalla Ward Ten]

Really? Hm. If The Office had no hype I'm sure you would've still heard of it, it still would've been in your "frame of reference". But you've admitted elsewhere that the public or media perception of a show will dictate how vehemently you insult it, ostensibly you're attacking it more for its "importance". One thing that article is right about is that, for better or worse, Arctic Monkeys will sell a lot of records in 2006, so work up that anger-machine Lalla, they'll be "important" in that regard.

In both cases, it's still the media (or the 'meta') that's making me angry, though. I find The Office and Arctic Monkeys equally mediocre. Without the hype, The Office would just be 'that comedy drama thing set in a paper merchants or something' and wouldn't remotely irk me.

It's once the hype starts affecting the art itself that I take issue with it. Which you could say is unavoidable with any successful band, whether they're good or bad.