Who the F*** Are Arctic Monkeys? - EP

Having first forged their legend giving away demo CDs recorded at a sprint, Arctic Monkeys stuck to what they knew with this spiky, five-track throat-clearer. Released just three months after their history-making debut, Who the F***… is, in some ways, as abrasive as its self-aware title track suggests. (“And bring on the backlash,” croaks Alex Turner before that song’s frenzied coda.) That’s only half the story though. “No Buses” is a scratchy music-hall ballad for a new generation, and “Cigarette Smoker Fiona” takes another cacophonous, wry tour of small-town life after dark.