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I wonder if all Monkeys in the Arctic are talented

I have so far failed at making this blog about music reviews, so I am going to do my 2nd one now.

Favourite Worst Nightmare~The Arctic Monkeys

Arguably the best British import since the Beatles, the Arctic Monkeys surprised me with a follow up album more inspired than the first. I say arguably, because of Zeppelin, Floyd, and the others that came before my time. It just gets tricky when you start comparing legends to newbies. So I guess they are one the best modern imports.

These four lads first caught my attention when I heard "Fake Tales of San Francisco" from their hit debut album Whatever People Say I Am, That's What I'm Not . It made me realize that there is still good music out there....in other countries.

I can't say I was in love with the whole album, but I definitely rocked out to it. I kicked myself when I missed them in concert. When I heard they were putting out a new album, I was more excited about possibly getting to see them then the album.

It was months after it was released in the states before I first listened to a song off of Favourite Worst Nightmare. "Flourescent Adolescent," did the same thing "Fake Tales" did. I loved the single so much, I built up high hopes for the album. This time I was not only in love with a few singles, and in like with the rest, I instantly fell in the love with the whole album.

These guys are like good fusion cuisine, mixing ingredients from two different worlds to create an unexpectedly great dish. Sometimes mixing many different genres can end up a mess, but the Monkeys know what they are doing. It is hard to find one song on this album that sounds like another.

"Brainstorm," the lead single, is a mix of The Cure and The Killers. Giving you the chance to rock and shimmy, as evident by the music video. Similar to 90's rock, like something the Foo Fighters would do. "Teddy Picker," is similar in its mix. in that it makes you believe it is one style, but quickly makes you question it. It has the essence of a compromise between The Beatles and The Who. When listening to "Do Me A Favour" I feel like someone was watching a program with tribal drums in it. Some ancient dance ritual, perhaps Hawaiian. It's like We Are Scientist were watching the Beach Boys on Hawaii Five-O and got inspired. The last song I will mention is my favourite, and perhaps the best song on the album. A successful standard for captivating songs ",505" builds up its momentum before hitting you with everything its got. Introducing just Alex's voice backed with one instrument, then gradually adding others hooks you. Like watching a snowball rolling down a mountain, you know its only going to get bigger. When that snowball finally hits you, all the tension is released and you are actually sad its over. The album leaves you satisfied, but still wanting more.

After listening to a couple of the songs you start to sense the flow of the album, as much as the songs are individuals, they also carry that general theme of fusion. This is not only great fusion music, but great rock music. Overall, it is great music in general, no matter what genre you want to label it. If Favourite Worst Nightmare were a restaurant, and the tracks the menu, it would make Chef Gordon Ramsey proud.

Ok, so Billboard may not hire me to write for them tomorrow, but I think its ok for a novice. What do you think?