Monkeys see and monkeys do it - again

The stone cold monkeys from Arctic Britain are back with a vengeance.

Their forthcoming sophomore album Your Favorite Worst Nightmare will hit shelves and Ipods next April 17th.

Brianstorm is the leading single, a maxi one and I bet, the album will not be that good.

Simply put: ARCTIC MONKEYS' debut was pretty fine, hyperactive and hyperhyped. But it was maddeningly uneven. It was one of the best releases of 2006 by virtue of its highlights and the overall energy. The hype overtook the bumpy road.

Now the hype's gone. There's lots of Internet phenomena outbursting. Now you keep the energy, but instead of Mammoth slabs, you have parsimonious cacophonies. The sound of a band coalescing around fine tunes, not all of them natural born hits, but sure all pretty solid and enjoyable. Still juvenile, but with a darker tone (did anyone yell ARCADE FIRE?)

A strong contender for EP of the year, period. Even without any external support! Now it's the time they don't need such.

If You Found This It's Probably Too Late it's the 1-and-1/2-minute sarcastic opening, it's the band signalizing their change of intent. Instead of simply going with the motions of youth, there's an urban urgency in this brief - and loud - lament of something wasted. They really mean it with mean guitars!

Leading song Brianstorm surprises everyone even more with intoxicatingly heavy rhythm, Thrash Metal drumming, humongous Punk bass and sick Surf guitars. It's by far the most distinct opening on an ARCTIC MONKEYS record. The remainder is more akin to their nervy talking-blues angularity, nevertheless the gutsy opening and the no-holds-thrilled multi-instrumental soloing (guitars spiralizing) is one of their very best musical pieces ever.

Temptation Greets You Like Your Naughty Friend surprisingly finds a perfect pair in uneven New Rock gallop and DIZZIE RASCAL grime rhymes. Textured mid-pace once for all, over-the-top singing, wondrous leading bass, it will be a hit someday, with its charming chorus. It is a open-ended funkified version of From The Ritz to the Rubble.

What If You Were Right For The First Time is another massive wall-of-sound assault followed by lilting bridges and capping everything a tense, brittle chorus. The singing gets more theatrical and epic like a Punk DION. The drums-guitar-atonal solo is frightening on its own but a no-wave synths sequence is the hidden gift. I didn't know ARCTIC MONKEYS were that challenging!

File under: Sophomore uprising

Check out their debut in
(http://www99.epinions.com/content_239878639236)

Tracklist

(* * * *) If You Found This It's Probably Too Late
(* * * * 1/2) Brianstorm
(* * * * 1/2) Temptation Greets You Like Your Naughty Friend
(* * * * 1/2) What If You Were Right The First Time?