13. Mardy Bum
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=74f3hXBn1K8 Artist: Arctic MonkeysAlbum: 'Whatever People Say I Am, That's What I'm Not'Year: 2006Best lyric: "And I can't be arsed to carry on in this debate / That reoccurs, oh when you say I don't care / Well of course I do, yeah I clearly do." It's clear that Alex Turner's been watching a lot of live music over the last couple of years. There's a confidence about the way he stands, beckoning a crowd to scream that little bit louder for the chorus; he's a rockstar, in one of the world's best rock bands, and he certainly looks the part now. But amidst the full-throttle, guitar-thrashing hits, lies a fan's favourite that the band wheeled out for their Glastonbury comeback, kitted out with strings for the big occasion. And there's no other way to describe 'Mardy Bum' other than just... "lovely". From the quaint little riff to the broad accent with which Alex sings, the song is a balmy interlude gluing the rest of 'Whatever People Say...' together: it's the mum in the family that keeps the peace and doesn't get involved in the arguments, and it's the one you have a softer spot for than the others, just because it's so sweet. A Monkeys with no 'Mardy Bum' would be unthinkable; without it, there'd be no '505', 'Only Ones Who Know', 'Mad Sounds' or 'Secret Door'. It's been the blueprint for anything ballady since, and though they're a jet-propelled force of nature at times, but it's pit-stops like this that so many fell in love with Alex on. 12. The View From The Afternoon
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mZs3V4sdLiY Artist: Arctic Monkeys Album: 'Whatever People I Am, That's What I'm Not' Year: 2006 Best lyric: "Anticipation has the habit to set you up / For disappointment." Have you ever heard anyone introduce themselves in such a sure and certain manner? 'The View From The Afternoon' is a firework of a handshake and a fanfare of an address declaring that Britain had produced another era-defining rock band. And whilst 'The View From The Aftenoon' is equal part Helders - the title would later lend its name to a selection of hilarious YouTube videos documenting Matt's travels with the band - the song is the first glimpse into Alex's world. It's a track set in the early evening, lined with girls wearing devil horns using Nokia phones (remember pressing the star to lock?) and the party's still in full swing nearly eight years later; 'AM' is almost a snapshot from the early morning after that very same night. Although Alex probably isn't using that very same phone to ring his girlfriend when he's high.