Ben W. | December 25, 2009
Phew. We finally made it.
This was the most work I’ve ever put in getting through an Advent calendar.
But here we are. It’s Christmas. Which means, among other things, the top of the Great 2009 Album Countdown!
Ben W. | October 26, 2009
The unfortunate thing about posting your every opinion online for the world (or 12 people a day) to read is that you look pretty foolish when those opinions changes. So here I am looking foolish.
The Arctic Monkeys’ Humbug is my favorite album of the year right now.
Yep, the same Humbug that gave us the “Crying [...]
Ben W. | September 30, 2009
ARC-TIC MON-KEYS!! clap-clap, clap-clap-clap…
ARC-TIC MON-KEYS!! clap-clap, clap-clap-clap…
ARC-TIC MON-KEYS!! clap-clap, clap-clap-clap…
Yeah, I went to an Arctic Monkeys concert in Columbus Monday night, and an Ohio State football game broke out.
And boy did those fans at the Newport Music Hall want an encore. Or maybe they wanted the Buckeyes to go for it on fourth down. I [...]
Ben W. | September 1, 2009
This is part three in a series of commentaries about the new Arctic Monkeys album Humbug. I’m listening to it once a day and chronicling my impressions of each listen, hoping to illustrate how my thoughts and opinions of the record develop (or fail to develop). Read part one here. And part two there.
After two dissatisfactory [...]
Ben W. | August 29, 2009
This is part two of a series of stream-of-conscience comments on the new Arctic Monkeys’ album Humbug. I’m listening to it once a day and chronicling my opinions of each listen, hoping to illustrate how my opinions of the record develop (or fail to develop). Read part one here.
Back for day two and can’t say [...]
Ben W. | August 27, 2009
I should tell you that I’m notoriously bad at sorting out first impressions. I often hate an album on first listen, only to decide two weeks later that it’s the greatest piece of pop music ever released. I used to think it was a weakness. I tried to work on it. I tried to develop [...]
Ben W. | August 27, 2009
In one of the year’s stranger sub-plots, Diddy loves the Arctic Monkeys. I mean, really really loves. He and Arctics drummer Matthew Helders are always talking in interviews about how they’ve become great friends. Strange.
Diddy really wants you to go buy his new best pals’ new album, too. He’s all a-Twitter about it.
Vote or Die part [...]
Ben W. | August 21, 2009
Writing and recording a highly anticipated comeback single is sticky business.
But listening to a highly anticipated comeback single is perhaps even stickier.
Absolute terror is more like it. Especially in this age of the two-year album cycle.
A borderline psychotic explosion of opinion.
