Whatever People Say I Am, That’s What I’m Not

I've genuinely tried very hard, but I really don't enjoy anything from Artic Monkeys..... can't help it. It's visceral. The only exception is Mardy Bum, hence 2*.

i don’t like i bet that you look good on the dance floor as much as i remember

Haven’t revisited this one in a long time. I wanted to say “it hasn’t held up” or “they were never good”. I can’t say either of those things. Although they would go on to show us how it feels to drive a Ford F-150, this album is still really great and absolutely holds up. “British”, but good.

Fantastic debut. Arrived fully formed and smashed it.

Not an ounce of fat on these songs. Poetry and bangers….

Straight 4

If you had asked before I had listened to the album I would have said I am not to enthused with this band but this was incredible. I liked that it was about general life in the UK with a high level of insight and introspection. Not what I expected from them. The tunes are damn catchy too.

damn, i am shocked how much i enjoyed this album. need to reevaluate my life.

What a debut! It's hard to believe a nineteen-year-old could write lyrics this good.

What Are All These Long Song Names, It's Like North English Youth Culture Set to American Rock & Songwriting Is Straightforward... I Love The Drummer He Makes Me Want to Dance/Bob My Head

One good song, I prefer The Strokes!

Whatever People Say I Am, That's What I'm Not was nothing like what i was expecting it to be. I'm not super well versed in the Arctic Monkeys, I of course know their name and know that my 16-year-old sister likes them but i don't really remember what any of their songs sound like so i was expecting this to be sort of a soft-rock album. However, what i got was an incredibly British punkish album with quite a bit of a rebellious spirit and that is what i love so much about this album. It has that aforementioned rebellious spirit with plenty of great guitars, fun melodies and some pretty good lyrics for songs with such strange titles. I never would have expected this to be this good but it certainly was a really fun time.
Best Song: Still Take You Home
Worst Song: Riot Van

A Modern Masterpiece

A lot of energy but it doesn’t seem to go anywhere. The entire album sits in the same energy space.

I will say that I'm generally lukewarm on Arctic Monkeys, but I enjoyed their debut here more than I expected to. While I mostly know Arctic Monkeys from the smooth, accessible alt/rock sound of AM, I did find some older stuff of theirs I like, in particular Brian Storm, which captures a fun, youthful, almost pop-punk energy that I just don't think their more recent work has. And I am pleased to announce that Whatever People Say I Am... is more like this older song. It feels fun, youthful and energetic, with songwriting to back the vibes up. I do think this album generally works best on its highest energy songs though, where it almost functions as particularly accessible punk. Some of the mid-tempo songs just don't do it as much for me. And while I'm talking negatives, the lyrics were kind of hit or miss for me. That being said, it doesn't put too much of a damper on things. Whatever People Say manages to be a pretty great time, even though it's by a band I don't love. And even if I'm not *convinced* that this is essential 2000s rock: it doesn't have to be. Arctic Monkeys throw a good enough indie weekend party that I can't really complain that they didn't move any mountains while doing so.

I wasn't super impressed with the first half of this album, but the downshift to Riot Van and Red Light began what I was hoping to hear all along. Their slower, more melodic songs are great, but the high energy/fast songs of theirs all just sound like they're playing fast for the sake of playing fast

⭐⭐⭐.75

2.54

The mid 2000s had a whole spate of British dance rock (is that a thing?) bands like this. Some of them I feel are indistinguishable. I like this music though I don't feel like it will really hold up past the next few years, indeed it has been waning for years now. Interestingly it cropped up around the same time as the stomp, clap, hey! bands that were thankfully short-lived. Not sure why that's significant but it seemed appropriate to mention.
I like this album - the band is super tight. Drums are great, though they are kind of dry and I wish they sounded a little fuller. Good guitars, great bass. Vocals are decent, though not the best. This is a hard one for me to rate because it is definitely not a 4 star album for me but I feel like 3 stars is a bit of a disservice. It's better than that. I'd give this a solid 3.6 and I suppose I have to round that up.

Better than expected but songs were too similar. Loved the long song titles.

Favorite track(s): Frankly they all sound so similar that I couldn't distinguish one from any other

The Arctic Monkeys's debut is a rare paradigm for rock music that's also + before anything else dance music, thanks to Alex Turner's rhythmic sense and funky locution along with Matt Helders's catchy drumming. 'Get off the bandwagon and put down the handbook'; 'Get on your dancing shoes / You sexy little swine.' This means that the band doesn't really give a shit about melodies, and this elision of melody often smacks of a crutch rather than an innovation, but these songs get you off your ass in a real way. Even at their aberrantly contemplative, Turner is the voice of fun and the wisdom to omit all seriousness: 'Oh, those silly boys in blue / Well, they won't catch me and you.' I prefer The Libertines's self-titled second, but this survives.

Can't get past the "singing"...