Until now, I still can’t understand how this band became my ultimate favourite. I first knew them around the beginning of 2006 through hearing the track of When The Sun Goes Down on the radio. Honestly, what attracted me to them firstly was the accent when Turner spoke that first few lines of the intro. I may not immediately understand what those lines (or the song, for that matter) actually meant, but I did immediately enjoy it.
Then came the ever-so-famous raw-sounding guitar riffs that hooked you right in, straight to the easy chant of “They said it changes when the sun goes down…”. I got their full first album the next couple of days and spent the next few weeks immersing myself in it, memorizing every words, every riffs, every drum beats. Not one of the tracks in that first album was bad, I was always looping and shuffling every track, not skipping or missing any of them.
I don’t have to explain why, every music review in the world has written how amazing this album was. But I guess it relate so much to me because the boys of the Arctic Monkeys are the same age as me. We probably listened to the same music growing up and have quite the similar view of life and love and relationship. And you can hear on every album since then how they grow up the be the men that they are now. And I grow up with it too, because I’m loyal and they never disappoint me.
There’s something alluring about travelling and sleeping in hotels/motels alone. One of my fondest memory of this is when I went to Germany this summer. I arrived in the afternoon, dropped my bag in my room and went exploring around until about 10 pm. By that time I was absolutely exhausted, because it took me 12 hours on the bus from Budapest to Berlin which means I didn’t get enough sleep, then I spent the rest of the day walking (by foot) the street of Berlin. As soon as I got to my room I took a long hot shower, slipped under the blanket, dimmed the light and channel-surfed the TV until my eyes wore out. It was one of the most peaceful moments I’ve ever felt.
I didn’t feel lonely, I wasn’t afraid, in fact I was so relaxed I wished time stop then and there. The temperature dropped to 15 degrees at night even though it was summer, so snuggling in bed was heavenly. Maybe because I was miles away from home and even further from my real home, alone at night, detached from the routine, it all made it seems unreal. Very much like a dream. The irony is that I feel so comfortable at that moment, so confident and ready for an adventure.
I’m like Penny. Sure she gets jealous and heavy hearted seeing Leonard move on with Priya. Even worse, they’re hanging out around her all the time. But that doesn’t mean she wants him back. It’s always hard seeing your ex with a new partner after you, but that’s it. That is it.
I have this weird but simple fantasy that gets me through hard days. I like to imagine myself 5-10 years from now living in an apartment in big city. It doesn’t have to be New York or anything fancy, just a place with skyscrapers and beautiful city lights. I’d imagine myself coming home from work sometime in autumn, with its chilly night breeze. I’d come home to my small but comfortable apartment with city lights view, take a hot shower, slip into warm cotton pajamas and just enjoy the night. I’d slouch on the sofa in my living room with dim lights and pass the night watching cable TV.
I believe one can be romantic and bold without using big words or layered sentences. There’s beauty and bravery in a simple and honest, “I love you to death.”
Giving insight into the hard work process of making an album by an artist/band makes people appreciate their music even more. More artists should do that. I’d want to see the drama and tension of making an album as well as finding out how they got their inspiration. Plus I think it makes the audience and fans feel closer to their idols and see that the people they adore are humans too, and the awesomeness that they bring out to the world is a result of hard work. Some might even use it as a motivation to strike them to work as hard as their idol.
