I can't lay claim to having shared in such an impression. Not least because I don't feel it's really accurate. There's more along the lines of "sonic assault" on FWN than the first album: not only is it faster, but considerably louder too. And most of the songs are full of rif***e anyway, I'm not sure what y'all mean - if anything, the momentum of Brianstorm carries all the way through until the end of Balaclava, the surge only being stopped by Fluorescent Adolescent and Only Ones Who Know.

From that point on, we are introduced to a new side of Arctic Monkeys - a darker, more sinister side full of brooding undertones. Do Me A Favour, This House Is A Circus and If You Were There, Beware epitomize the sound best. But these songs always deliver the rock-factor goods, ultimately. As does 505, one of the best things Alex Turner's ever written.

The style has clearly changed here, it's true, but that's in all ways a good thing as far as I'm concerned. If the first album was a bit more guitar riff driven, then this was more bass driven. But as far as the songwriting goes, FWN is undeniably superior. What people tend to forget is that the first time round, Arctic Monkeys while SORTA having their own thing also seemed to rely an awful lot on their Libertines influences, aping riffs from Up The Bracket and at least aping the general style at any rate. From Leave Before The Lights Come On to the present date, Arctic Monkeys have managed to shake off those influences and create a sound that's wholly them. This has come with greater depth and above all, stronger signs that there's a lot more to come from Turner.

Me-->http://i216.photobucket.com/albums/c...wer/setnja.gif<--Rainard

Right, so because you can't derive any enjoyment out of them, therefore everybody else on the other side are bonkers. Hmmmmm. Go back to U2, Keane and James Blunt, or whatever.

Fair enough. I appreciate them for not playing a particulary commercial form of music (lack of chorus's for example) and the singing in their own regional dialect. Lyrically Turner is sublime and he has that northern wit thing down to a tee.

And I'm from the Balkans...:rolleyes:

Biggest disappointment of last year, this is rubbish. Brianstorm i can live with, but afterwards its simply the most average songs ever written. The first album is great but this is just them doing the same thing as all the bands that copied them in the first place.

lol, what a load of twaddle. this was a considerable improvement on album no.1 and if anything, brianstorm itself is the most average half-assed song on the album. you just didn't get what you were expecting/wanting. that's all it is.

sad thing is, i'd bet you're one of those who thought hard-fi's pile of steaming horse excrement "once upon a time in the west" was good.