Arctic Monkeys: A Trio of Songs!

It's your lucky week, Reader. Yet another video featuring multiple songs. Because we're generous like that.

Formed in 2002 in Sheffield, England, the Arctic Monkeys are a testament to the power of tape-trading -- that is, their original fan base grew entirely out of free recordings distributed by the band. (Suck it, Metallica.) By the time the Arctic Monkeys' first singles dropped in May 2005 -- one of which is the third tune in this video -- people were rabid for more. The first full album was released in 2006 (containing all three songs in the video) and sold 350,000 copies in the first week, making it the fastest-selling debut album in British history. They've released two more albums and have a third coming out this June.

Frontman Alex Turner has enjoyed instant recognition in the UK; he was even named the coolest person in the world in 2005 by British music tabloid NME -- at age 19. In a Q&A with SPIN Magazine, Turner talked about how the band has gotten louder since starting out, which works for headlining huge shows (which they do all over Europe) but means they can no longer perform small venues for fear of "blowing your head off."The Arctic Monkeys haven't garnered the same massive attention in the U.S. but they have gained a foothold: Their 2006 and 2009 albums topped the Billboard independent album charts, and the song "I Bet You Look Good on the Dancefloor" spent 18 weeks on the alternative chart, peaking at #7. Their fourth album -- "Suck It and See," due out June 6th -- may change that.

I've seen the Arctic Monkeys twice -- once at Lollapalooza 2007 (for which I deserve a medal for escaping the mosh pit alive) and once at the Riv in Chicago -- and my head is still intact, but my ears were ringing for days. Boy are they ENERGETIC. They just rock the indie/punk/British/garage genre, with all its quirks. Their first two albums are regular members of my morning commute "PUMP UP AND TAKE ON THE DAAAAAAY" playlist. (Yes, it's really named that.) (That's a lie, but now I'm going to go home and make it happen.)

And seriously, the British accent gets me. Every. Time. Alexa Chung is a lucky woman.

The Arctic Monkeys are spending this spring and summer purposefully avoiding Chicago (or so it would seem), but I'm hopeful they'll return soon. Until then, all hail Jools Holland. Enjoy.

"I Bet You Look Good on the Dancefloor," "When the Sun Goes Down (Scummy),"
& "From the Ritz to the Rubble," performed by the Arctic Monkeys.
Originals on "Whatever People Say I Am, That's What I'm Not" (2006).