Alex Turner is full of ideas. So much so that he has to form a new band just to stop himself exploding. In a similar move to Jack White and Brendan Benson creating The Raconteurs, Arctic Monkeys front man Turner has formed a side project with The Rascals Miles Kane. The Last Shadow Puppets is not a band in the conventional sense, more two lead singers/guitarists set to a swathe of orchestral accompaniment. The effect sounds like they have been listening to too many Andy Williams and John Barry albums.The Age Of The Understatement opens with the title track and sets the tone for the rest of the album’s sound and style. The mix of Turner’s semi-acoustic barrage and Kane’s electronic chords forms a relentless charge akin to Kaiser Chiefs' I Predict A Riot. Turner and Kane take dual vocal duties, forming a new single voice. The orchestral arrangement pulls you in immediately. Standing Next To Me is more melodic and light - again with wonderful vocals from both singers and a great orchestral/guitar break. Into the last 30 seconds, the strings threaten to take over but there is just enough without overwhelming the mix. Calm Like You stomps in before settling into Turner's vocals. He is the dominating force here so for that reason it sounds the most like a AM track with added instrumentation. This is probably why it doesn’t work - stuck between two sounds and ideas.
Separate And Ever Deadly is much more stylist and menacing with huge rolling drums. The two vocalists oscillate and intertwine, separate in parts and together when required. As their voices are very similar it all gets confused. Kane opens with "When we walk the streets together, all the faces seem to smile back. And now the pavements have nothing to offer, and all the faces seem to need a slap". It shows that an old-fashioned sound has been brought right up to date with modern observations - of a jaded twenty first century Britain. The Chamber continues the slightly uneasy listening, in spite of softer vocals with Kane providing, this time, a distant backing. This only lasts just under two minutes before the descending into a delicate spooky instrumental.
Only The Truth is probably the most upbeat song. You expect the two singers to break into a rousing rendition of Conquest at any moment. The orchestra provide the same urgency and energy, adding a third voice. But the effect is empty and vacuous as the song doesn’t really go anywhere. It is saved, however, by an inspired last fifty second instrumental and brief moment of self-indulgent chaos.
My Mistakes Were Made For You sets the album back on track. A fantastic song which uses all elements - vocals, orchestra, guitars - perfectly. "Coz we're just following the flock round and in between before we’re smashed to smithereens, like they were, and we scrambled from the blame" is a strange line trying to sum up the perils and pitfalls of being a ‘rock star’. It’s only half explained by "and it's the fame that put words in her mouth; she couldn’t help but spit them out. Around your crooked conscious she will wind". It is the right mix of obscurity and well-learned observation. Great stuff.
Black Plant is another cracking song with all components expertly arranged. If anything, the orchestral pieces are a bit pick-n-mix, like samples thrown into the empty spaces. But the overall sound is dense and complex and feels crafted and not forced. The lyrics weave a sorry tale of lost love and longing, again with a menacing edge. "When it's just one of many bullets you will bite, while waiting for a ray of light" have a typically venomous tilt. The constant slowing of the vocals is a neat touch, fading after three minutes into another instrumental interlude. Continuing the theme, but with none of the quality, I Don’t Like You Any More is another faster rant, slowing and accelerating again but ultimately ending up in no man's land - too convoluted, messy and unhinged. The weakest track by far.
In My Room is another great example of why this collaboration exists - like a modern day take on an old formula Bond Theme. The vocal arrangement is excellent, as is the arrangement, full of suspense and fervour. The last thirty seconds threatens to build up to a frenzy but backs off. Meeting Place is an interesting contradiction of sound and subject - another love story told from each perspective with excellent lyrics: "He's worried she's waiting in his dreams, to drag him back to the meeting place. His love had left him there, where the voice still echoes". All this set to another great arrangement.
The album closes with the intriguing The Time Has Come Again, softly sung with simple acoustic guitar and light strings. It is pleasant enough but not the big finish that is expected.
The Age Of The Understatement is not a masterpiece but it is just too good to be a side project. A more mature sound than either of the bands it was formed from and some great observational song writing hold it all together. At times a few clichés are thrown into the mix for good measure - obvious orchestral arrangements aside - and it lapses into Walker Brothers doing Bond Themes. But it is clear that time and effort has been spent on each song and this isn't just two guys with nothing better to do. They have braved a different direction and challenged themselves. And just for good measure, it works.
-- CS
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