10 Greatest Indie Guitar Heroes

10. Alex Turner €“ Arctic Monkeys

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2A2XBoxtcUA Some will find this a strange inclusion here in the world of guitar heroes, as Alex Turner is known more as a frontman, singer and lyricist, but he seems to sum up the problem with the contemporary guitarist. He makes wonderful noises, and can whack out a mean riff, but the artistry of being a guitarist seems to be bottom of the list where the public are concerned. This is such a shame because he's a great player, who has turned his hand to a variety of styles, and as a guitar player he is sorely underestimated and seemingly not least by himself, maybe the problem is that he's trying to be Morrissey and Marr at the same time. When you get beyond their image, the lyrics and the music, is that he writes some wonderful stuff on a guitar. Ironically, though they're a two guitar band, Alex Turner outstrips Jamie Cook as the virtuoso player; he's in the very weird position of being the lead singer and lead guitar player. He can do subtle - Fluorescent Adolescent , heavy noise €“ 'Brianstorm' €“ or just plain wonderful pure pop on "I bet you look good on the dancefloor". So, is he our modern guitar hero? I hope not, but that's not to say he's not special, he's just approached the artform in a different manner. However, a real guitar hero is too concerned with effects pedals and middle eights to think about being a frontman. And they're also highly neurotic, which brings me to my next superstar.