Seattle vs. U.K.
Oh how the tides will change…
For weeks now, low-key bands Cat Power and Belle & Sebastian have been holding the top 2 spots on the Easy Street and Sonic Boom Top-Seller lists. Not this week. This week is all about pure bravado, and it’s about smoking too much and wearing too many belts.
Firmly planted at #1 at all Sonic Boom stores is Seattle band, The Lashes with their debut album, “Get It.”
At #2, from across the pond, is the U.K.’s Arctic Monkeys with their debut, “Whatever People Say I am, That’s What I’m Not.”
Meanwhile, over at Easy Street, Arctic Monkeys are at #1, while The Lashes are at #5 (Jack Johnson’s “Curious George” album is at #2. We’re not sure what that says about the West Seattle / Queen Anne demographic, other than they got their monkey’s mixed up).
This week on Seattlest, it’s a bloody battle (That’s right, we went there) to see which band really gets the Queen’s knickers.
For those not paying attention, The Lashes seem to have come out of nowhere. Suddenly, they’re signed to a major and touring like crazy, but The Lashes have graced Seattle clubs for some time now with their pop-rock hooks and Capitol Hill hipster style. Their new album is chock full of dance-ready tunes and catchy riffs, but upon our first listen, Seattlest found something disconcerting hiding within the layers of sound…
From the first notes of the first song, “New Best Friend,” something was amiss. Then, exactly 1 minute, 22 seconds in, we caught it. Consulting our mp3 player (or “ipod” for those of you who refer to every flavor of soda as “coke”), we confirmed our suspicions: This song sounds remarkably like Hot Hot Heat’s “Middle of Nowhere.” Okay, an unfortunate coincidence? Onward to track 2, “Daddy’s Little Girl.” Hmm. Back to the mp3 player and… right. Hot Hot Heat’s “Island of the Honest Man.”
Seattlest Declaration: The Lashes debut is a fine effort and a fun listen. All in all, we really dig it, but Hot Hot Heat did it better a year ago.
Onward to the U.K.
In the land of bad teeth and cheeky humor, there’s an Arctic Monkey craze going on, the likes of which haven’t been seen since the monarchy squeezed out cry-baby brats, Oasis. In fact, reports indicate that “Whatever People Say I am…” has “achieved the fastest-selling debut rock album of all time in the U.K.”
Meanwhile, for us yanks, Arctic Monkeys have for the past few weeks, felt like a far off threat we weren’t sure we believed would ever present itself. It’s here now, and it’s selling like crazy. Their current single, “I Bet You Look Good On The Dance Floor” has been squeezed dry by local stations KNDD and KEXP. They’ve even been reviewed and discussed in multiple contexts on NPR.
So, are Arctic Monkeys U.K.’s answer to Scotland’s Franz Ferdinand? Perhaps. There certainly have been comparisons made between the two. However, aside from some guitar lick methodology, Arctic Monkeys are very much their own frenzied, fun-loving beast.
From the first track, “The View From The Afternoon,” to the albums finale, “A Certain Romance,” we had much difficulty trying to contain our eager, uncoordinated ass-in-a-chair-because-we’re-at-work dance moves.
Seattlest Declaration: Buy this album. You’ll love it. -Unless you’re deaf, or in a coma or something horrible like that.
And the Royal Unders go to… The U.K.’s Arctic Monkeys! Cricket, anyone?
[The Lashes play at Barbatis Pan, in Portland tomorrow night]
[Arctic Monkeys will play Sunday May 28th at Sasquatch]
