Happy Birthday Favourite Worst Nightmare!

10 years ago this week, on 23rd April, well-loved indie band Arctic Monkeys released their second album, Favourite Worst Nightmare in the UK. After the first album, Whatever People Say I am, That's What I'm Not, it could have been questioned whether the band's second album would match the success of it's predecessor. Considering Whatever... became the fastest selling debut album ever and won multiple awards, including the 2007 BRIT Award MasterCard Album of the year, and the 2006 Mercury Music Prize, Favourite Worst Nightmare had a lot to live up to.

However, fans were not disappointed. The thing about Favourite Worst Nightmare that makes it an amazing album, and personally my favourite, is each track is as different as the last. In addition, it is clear that Alex Turner has developed his songwriting craft more. Gone were the days of singing about a typical night out in Sheffield, as described in Whatever... Here, we get as varied subjects as love, as described in the beautiful yet melancholic Only Ones Who Know, to heartbreak, in songs like Do Me a Favour, to a random encounter with a weird fan in Brianstorm (Yep...really...if you don't believe me look up the inspiration for Brianstorm). Oh...and no album would be complete without a power ballad, which in this case is my personal favourite, 505.

But how did the album fare compared to its predecessor? Well...it did very well actually. It went straight to number 1 in the UK album charts and was nominated for the 2007 Mercury Music Prize (Unfortunately, it lost out to the Klaxons' Myths of the Near Future). However, Favourite Worst Nightmare more than made up for this loss, as it earned the Arctic Monkeys their second win for MasterCard album of the year at the 2008 Brit Awards, and it was also nominated for the best album at the 2008 NME awards, losing out to...yep, you guessed it...the Klaxons. However, singles, Teddy Picker and Fluorescent Adolescent did win best video and best track respectively. It is also certified 3x platinum.

So...fast forward 10 years later. Is it still considered a classic? Well, in my opinion, it should be considered a classic, as it is a stunning album from start to finish. And the Arctic Monkeys themselves? Well, there are some rumours that they are currently all set to record new material. However, as Alex Turner once said, "Don't believe the hype,"so until the band themselves actually confirm something, it is best just to wait patiently.

Anyway...Happy Birthday Favourite Worst Nightmare!

Em
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