.
http://www.rollingstone.com/assets/images/album_review/ffd7b42cf8da41aab182e239cdcaf652ab54bcf6.jpg Favourite Worst Nightmare

Arctic Monkeys

Favourite Worst Nightmare

Rolling Stone: star rating
Community: star rating
5 3.5 0
April 17, 2007

The 2006 debut from these punky, huge-at-home English boys rocked and popped with straightforward brilliance while doubling as a primer on working-class Sheffield nightlife. A bit heavier and not as immediate, Favourite Worst Nightmare is a slightly lesser record, though by no means a Difficult Second Album. The basic stuff is the same as the debut's: momentum, alternately fluid and hard-riffing guitars, and Alex Turner's lithe singalong tunes. Bangers like "Brianstorm" and "505" sound at once ass-kicking and matter-of-fact, and among more tender cuts, the easy winner is the lovely "Fluorescent Adolescent," a snapshot of a wild girl tamed: "You used to get it in your fishnets/Now you only get it in your nightdress." Though unromantic takes on various club-going lads and lasses and their friends are back again, Turner's lyrics are shorter this time around on details that stick, and some cuts are less than memorable. But most of Nightmare sounds confident, unlabored and just plain good — English cool without English bullshit. The Arctic Monkeys are the new Arctic Monkeys.

prev
Album Review Main Next

ADD A COMMENT

Community Guidelines »
loading comments

loading comments...

COMMENTS

Sort by:
    Read More

    Music Reviews

    more Reviews »
    Daily Newsletter

    Get the latest RS news in your inbox.

    Sign up to receive the Rolling Stone newsletter and special offers from RS and its
    marketing partners.

    X

    We may use your e-mail address to send you the newsletter and offers that may interest you, on behalf of Rolling Stone and its partners. For more information please read our Privacy Policy.

    Song Stories

    “Oh Sherrie”

    Steve Perry | 1984

    Steve Perry's girlfriend Sherrie Swafford was actually in the studio when Perry began writing this song--his lone Top Ten hit as a solo act--with two co-writers. The trio began at midnight one night with just "Oh, Sherrie!" and "hold on, hold on." Three hours later, they had a complete song. Swafford, however, had to wait until the next day to hear it. "Sherrie actually got tired and went to bed," Perry said. She also appeared in the video, but their relationship did not hold on for long.

    More Song Stories entries »