Arctic Monkeys

Arctic Monkeys are the sound of a city that never quite sleeps but spends a lot of time staring at its own reflection. They began as a frantic, high-octane explosion of Sheffield youth, characterized by Matt Helders' hyperactive drumming and Alex Turner's machine-gun delivery of kitchen-sink realism. As they matured, that nervous energy transformed into something far more deliberate, heavy, and seductive, trading the tracksuits for tailored suits and the garage for the desert. What makes them distinctive is the evolution of Turner's lyricism, which moved from literal observations of nightclub bouncers to surreal, metaphorical explorations of fame and loneliness. Sonically, they are masters of the 'cool' - utilizing dry, punchy production, interlocking guitar riffs that feel like clockwork, and a rhythmic pocket that is deeper and more swing-oriented than almost any of their indie rock peers. Start with 'AM' for the definitive late-night rock experience, then jump back to their debut 'Whatever People Say I Am, That's What I'm Not' to hear the raw, unpolished lightning that started the fire. For those who prefer a more cinematic, orchestral mood, their later work like 'The Car' offers a sophisticated, lounge-inspired pivot.

Arctic Monkeys are an alternative rock band formed in Sheffield, South Yorkshire, England in 2002 after meeting at Stocksbridge High School. The band consists of Alex Turner (vocals, guitar, piano), Jamie Cook (guitar), Nick O'Malley (backing vocals, bass) and Matt Helders (drums, vocals). Founding bassist Andy Nicholson left in 2006. They are one of the first bands to come to public attention via the Internet via MySpace, despite none of them having an account. Their rise to success started in late 2004/early 2005 when demo songs that had been handed out in CD form at gigs found their way onto the internet. These demos rapidly spread among message boards and friends leading to a growing fan base for the band, and were collected on the unofficial Beneath the Boardwalk, which the band recognizes on their website. The band owe much of their success to viral buzz via the Internet, and have eschewed typical 'commercial' channels, including refusing to appear on the UK's (now discontinued) Top Of The Pops music program, which was often seen as a gateway to success. The band's debut album, Whatever People Say I Am, That's What I'm Not, held the record for the largest first week sales of a debut album in the UK (in its first week, it sold more than the rest of the Top 20 albums combined). The album sold over 360,000 copies in its first week, but lost the title in November 2007 to Leona Lewis's album Spirit.. It also won the 2006 Mercury Prize, was chosen as the best album of year 2006 by Q Magazine, and received a slew of other accolades. On 19th June 2006 the band officially announced that founding member and bassist Andy Nicholson had left the band after missing the American leg of their tour due to 'fatigue' and the other band members couldn't stand the constant 'missing his girlfriend syndrome' so they told him to sling his hook. Former Dodgems bassist Nick O'Malley was initially brought in as a stand-in, and played the band's remaining summer commitments. He was then announced as Nicholson's permanent replacement. The band's second album, Favourite Worst Nightmare, was released on 23 April 2007, a week after the release of accompanying single "Brianstorm"". Like the first album, this one quickly reached No. 1 in the album charts. Alex Turner described the songs as "very different from last time", adding that the sound of some tracks are "a bit full-on". A secret gig played at Sheffield's Leadmill on 10 February 2007, debuted seven new songs (six from Favourite Worst Nightmare and one other). Early reviews of the release were positive and described it as "very, very fast and very, very loud". The band recorded half of the third album, Humbug at Rancho De La Luna recording sessions with Josh Homme of Queens of the Stone Age in early autumn, 2008, and half in the New York sessions with James Ellis Ford, their producer, in spring, 2009, following their January tour of New Zealand and Australia. During this tour, lead single "Crying Lightning", along with Humbug songs "Pretty Visitors", "Dangerous Animals" and "Potion Approaching" (then known as "Go-Kart"), was debuted live. It was later revealed by Matt Helders in a video diary that the album would consist of 14 tracks and that Turner would stay in New York to oversee the mixing of the material. However, the final track listing, revealed on 1 June 2009, listed only 10. NME reported in May 2011 that the band were teaming up with producer James Ellis Ford once again and would be releasing their fourth studio album, Suck It And See, in late spring at the earliest. Q magazine reported that the fourth Arctic Monkeys album would be of a "more accessible vintage" than Humbug. Q printed edition 299 states "It's the sound of a band drawing back the curtains and letting the sunshine in". The album was recorded in Sound City Studios in Los Angeles in 2010 and 2011. On 4 March 2011, the band premiered on its website a new track called "Brick By Brick" with lead vocals by Matt Helders. Helders explained that this is not a single, just a tease of what is coming and that is it is going to be on the fourth album. On 10 March 2011 the band revealed the album name and was released on 6 June 2011. The album's first single, titled "Don't Sit Down 'Cause I've Moved Your Chair" was released as a digital download on 12 April and on vinyl with ""Brick By Brick" on 16 April for Record Store Day. On 27 February 2012, the band released a new song titled "R U Mine" on their YouTube channel, serving as the bands lead single for their fifth studio album AM, despite it was originally going to be a stand alone single. AM has received critical acclaim from music critics, upon the release of AM on 9 September 2013, the album debuted at number 1 in the UK album charts, selling over 157,000 copies in its first week. The album received widespread critical acclaim and brought Arctic Monkeys their third nomination for the Mercury Prize. The album also won the Brit award for Best British Album