Arctic Monkeys made a second record that trades the nervous chatter of their debut for something bigger. Favourite Worst Nightmare is a band trying to fill more space than it did before, and mostly succeeding. The songs stretch past simple verse-chorus form, the drums get busier, and the band starts moving toward the sound it would settle into later.
Track By Track
Brianstorm opens the record with a rush of energy that sets the tone for everything that follows. Teddy Picker and D Is for Dangerous follow quickly, both sharp and pointed, with D Is for Dangerous closing with a line that sums up the whole record: “I think you should know you’re his favourite worst nightmare.” Balaclava and Fluorescent Adolescent sit side by side — the latter is the standout here, a song built around a guitar riff that refuses to let up.
Only Ones Who Know picks the pace back down, a quieter moment before the record’s middle stretch. Do Me a Favour and This House Is a Circus don’t add much beyond that, content to hold the album together without demanding attention. If You Were There, Beware is the longest track on the record and the most patient, a slow build that earns its length through repetition rather than drama. The Bad Thing and Old Yellow Bricks are brief and competent but easy to forget. 505 closes the record with a final burst of energy that matches how it started.
What Holds It Together
The three tracks worth remembering stand out clearly:
- Brianstorm — the opener that sets the pace
- Fluorescent Adolescent — the best riff on the record
- Only Ones Who Know — a quiet break in the middle that still lands
The rest of the record fills out the space between those peaks without matching them. That’s not a problem, exactly — it’s just the shape of a record that knows where its strongest ideas live.
Where It Falls Short
The middle tracks don’t ask much of the listener. They hold the album together rather than pushing it forward. Some reviewers noted that the band’s sound had changed since their debut, and this record marks the start of that shift — the beginning of the path the band would follow with each record that followed.
| Track | Length |
|---|---|
| Brianstorm | 2:50 |
| Teddy Picker | 2:43 |
| D Is for Dangerous | 2:16 |
| Balaclava | 2:49 |
| Fluorescent Adolescent | 2:58 |
| Only Ones Who Know | 3:03 |
| Do Me a Favour | 3:27 |
| This House Is a Circus | 3:10 |
| If You Were There, Beware | 4:34 |
| The Bad Thing | 2:23 |
| Old Yellow Bricks | 3:11 |
| 505 | 4:14 |
Final Word
Favourite Worst Nightmare isn’t perfect, but it’s confident and focused. The three strong tracks carry the weight of the record, and the rest of it doesn’t get in the way. This is a band learning to fill more room without losing its nerve, and the result holds up better than most debuts.
- Brianstorm2:50
- Teddy Picker2:43
- D Is for Dangerous2:16
- Balaclava2:49
- Fluorescent Adolescent2:58
- Only Ones Who Know3:03
- Do Me a Favour3:27
- This House Is a Circus3:10
- If You Were There, Beware4:34
- The Bad Thing2:23
- Old Yellow Bricks3:11
- 5054:14
