Arctic Monkeys

Our video pick this week is Teddy Picker, a song by British indie rockers Arctic Monkeys from its second studio album Favourite Worst Nightmare. The video scooped up the Best Video award at the 2008 NME Awards.

Shot and directed by Roman Coppola in a single day, the video features Monkeys frontman Alex Turner and gang behind the scenes, alternating between the band performing the song in the studio and roaming the streets on its way to a pub. The song grooves to a spooky, catchy guitar line, spiked with a dominating bassline and a fast-paced drum rhythm, highlighted with Turner’s instantly recognisable voice.

Singing of “the desperation to be seen/ kids who dream of making it... whatever that means”, the Arctic Monkeys are attacking pop wannabes and the modern media gimmick of throwing “nobodies” into the public eye for 10 minutes at a time. Some sharp lyrics talk about reality television “celebrities”, minus the usual “creepy clowns or word playing before an aerobic army of short-shorted dancers”.