Record-breaking UK indie band Arctic Monkeys have for the majority of their career maintained a veil of low-key limelight appearances; attempting to preserve their integrity and impassive Brit-cool in the midst of a savage media.
That is until now, as The Sun newspaper has attained an outspoken interview with the rockers in which they vent their irritation at various subject, most significantly Radio 1, the state of commercial hip hop, and producers Timbaland and Mark Ronson.
The Monkeys outburst was initiated by guitarist Jamie Cook declaring, "English radio is terrible, and Radio 1 plays a lot of crap music”, whilst going on to confess "Even music I don't usually listen to, like hip-hop, is obviously bad at the moment. There is no real hip-hop any more."
Following suit, lead vocalist Alex Turner -who in the past has shown admiration for hip hop artists such Pharoahe Monch - scoffed “Timbaland is in every video. He is just standing there looking confused”.
Turner’s tirade did not stop there as he condemned Mark Ronson’s new single, “And let me tell you what I can’t stand- the f--king R&B cover of Stop Me If You Think You’ve Heard This One Before”, before the boys trailed off topic in fashion and stated appreciation for br-asts and chips (although not in that particular order).
Urban fans may be slightly bemused given the fact grime prodigy, Dizzee Rascal has done an unlikely collaboration with the band entitled Temptation Greets You Like Your Naughty Friend for their anticipated second album. However it seems the attack is directed at the US music industry, as the group have said in the past that theyÂ’re supporters of UK scene.
Both Timbaland and Ronson release their albums this week, as the Monkeys ready their new single Brainstorm for 16 April. It is fair to say that little can be done to dent either producers well-established reputation, considering how championed they are by some of the most popular music artists in the world. The Monkeys on the other hand show that they too, are part of a system that has to keep their media exposure energized, because after all- there is no such thing as bad publicity.