Arctic Monkeys

With two solid albums and an excellent side-project under their belts, Arctic Monkeys have far outlasted whatever post-"I bet you look good on the dance floor" goodwill most gave them back in '05. But while we wait for album number three, the Sheffield-quartet offer up this stop-gap cum money grab live DVD/CD set as their way of saying, "hey, don't forget about us." Directed by Mighty Boosh alum Richard Ayoade, the DVD is a beautifully shot set from the last date of their 2007 tour in Manchester. A multitude of cameras were used, capturing unique angles — the moving wide-angle shot from behind drummer Matt Helders is a particular beauty — and employing split screens. Unfortunately, the band look and sound absolutely burnt out. Once you get over the visuals it's hard to keep watching. On the other hand, the show captured on the CD is a blistering set from the middle of 2006. This is the Monkey's at an energetic peak; they had just conquered England and sound hell-bent on proving their mettle in America. Hopefully they'll regain this passion when they drop their new record later this year.