Arctic Monkeys Have That Special Summat...

Be Your Own Pet sounded alright from the parking lot.

Overheard on a security guard's walkie-talkie "Does anyone have a 20 on Amir?"

Arctic Monkeys were solid. Some bands can just show up and play their songs and not have to flash and dazzle to accomplish the job. This is one of those bands. Opening with the pre-recorded silky string intro of "If You Found This It's Probably Too Late" was classy and perfect and the rest of the show was unrelenting.

More than anything, each song they specifically did NOT play made me like said song even more. So since the show I've been all about "Riot Van" and everything off of Who the Fuck Are Arctic Monkeys? While the wallop contained within their heavy rocking songs is clear, it's the mellow jams that seem to get unfairly ignored. "Despair in the Departure Lounge" completely nails the feeling of leaving a loved one behind (whether for a tour or whatever) and is one of (at most) a handful of songs from the past year that I know all the lyrics too. I feel a deep personal connection to that song and there's nothing more you can ask for as a music fan of a band.

And I guess they haven't been playing anything off of Who the Fuck... live at all this year. Frontman Alex Turner said something along the lines of not really agreeing/feeling the lyrics of those songs anymore and it leads me to believe that EP will in the future be regarded as some wonderful forgotten transition period of the band...like a Kinks' Village Green, Weezer Pinkerton or the Velvets' White Light/White Heat. But you're getting the scoop now...Who the Fuck Are Arctic Monkeys? is unheralded genius and it'll be years before most people admit so.

I also became aware of the fact of how much the Monkeys remind me of the Coral. Granted, their styles could not be any more diametrically opposed. But I think it's more the band configuration, approach, precision and execution that links these two acts as brothers from different mothers (apposed to sisters from different misters). After listening to some live Coral tracks, it was so obvious that I felt dumb for having just realized these similarities. Do an A/B comparison and I think you'll see it too.

The day after the show I listened to "I Bet You Look Good On the Dancefloor" six non-consecutive times in my car. The dearth of affected guitars on Whatever You Say I Am, That's What I'm Not now feels like a quaint dollop of childish inexperience whereas the set-up on Favourite Worst Nightmare is just a pure attack with light-years more strength. Both good and interesting in their own separate ways.

Arctic Monkeys keep me excited and that alone makes me more excited. Bravo.