Music

I don't really know how big the Arctic Monkeys are in the U.S. yet, but they're huge in Britain (was it the NME who had them at #5 of all-time greatest debut albums?), and I've heard them already used for sports montages. I got their CD a few weeks ago... the hype is pretty baffling. A few stateside mags gave them perfect scores, citing the honest way they portray the Briton youth. Well, then why aren't the Streets getting much, much more hype? At least Mike Skinner would have earned it. I actually think he's more talented than Eminem. There was something non-PC almost about saying Eminem was overrated when I was in college. And I'll say this - misgyny as it's portrayed in Fellini's 8 1/2, that's artistic. Misogyny in Eminem's songs, that's just misogyny. And ham-handed at that. Anyway, the Monkeys, yeah they're fine I guess. I actually find their first single, I Bet You Look Good on the Dancefloor irritating. The first song on the LP, though, fares a bit better. If the Strokes are no better than Velvet Underground/Iggy and the Stooges revivalists, then the Monkeys are no more than Strokes-Circa-2001 revivalists.
I downloaded a few MP3's off www.insound.com from the likes of Neko Case, Destroyer, Film School, Excepter, the Editors, Eels (live), and a few others. I was blown away by Neko and Destroyer, both whose songs are off their new albums. I was pleasantly surprised by Destroyer, I just find Dan Bejar's voice (presence?) irritating in the New Pornographers' albums. It was not grating at all on "Destroyer's Rubies." Editors and Film School? They just sounded like Coldplay-like anthemists, and Coldplay anthems have nothing to them. Eels was just a live version of Bus Stop Boxer, which is an okay track off of the Souljacker album. Live, E. sounded listless and tired, which makes for a completely uninteresting song, even if it does deliver the strings promised on the live album title.

The only album I've gotten so far this year that is A+ material no matter what track you play is Love Is All, "Nine Times That Same Song." Thank God someone's making use of the saxophone. It gives just a hint of the Madness-type ska coming out of Britain in the 80s. Biggest disappointment? SunO))). Of course I should have known their M.O. going in, but it was boring, droning, black rock.