The Last Shadow Puppets
The Age of the Understatement

English music has always proven capable of standing up to the commercial giants across the ocean, consistently maintaining a leading role in the international music scene: in the 1960s with the British invasion and timeless bands like the Beatles, Rolling Stones, The Who, and The Kinks (wow, excuse me if that’s not impressive!); in the 1970s and '80s with artists who rode the wave of unrestrained success like Led Zeppelin, Queen, Sex Pistols, and The Clash; in the '90s with the era of Britpop, Cool Britannia, The Stone Roses, Oasis, and Radiohead. I mean, absolutely no joke! If we're talking about rock and all its derivatives (pop-rock, punk-rock, hard-rock, rock'n roll, etc., etc., etc.) the English have always been the undisputed number 1, and their value shines even more when compared to that mess of R&B, hip-hop, and nauseating pop coming from the New World and the static and embarrassingly backward other European music markets.

Of course, even today the English market shows signs of vibrancy and dynamism when compared, for example, to the Italian market (I mean, zero experimentation, zero innovation, zero investment in young artists, zero push towards the original and modern... too, too anchored to melodic music, tradition, Gigi D'Alessio, and Gianni Morandi). But lately, the British music scene has been continuously churning out groups of kids with neither art nor part, all damnably the same, all pathetically banal, all dressed up and fake-rebellious. And, of course, all super-hyped by the press and critics, all hailed as gods of international music, rising stars in the star-studded firmament.

And after the Kasabian, Pete Doherty, and the like, here's the latest idea: they've taken the ugly and scrawny kid from the Arctic Monkeys (Alex Turner), put next to him a brat who seems to be made in his image and likeness (Miles Kane, for the record), and here comes another big hoax made in England: the Last Shadow Puppets. They give them a couple of guitars, make them strum 4 specially crafted songs, and on April 21, 2008, they announce to the world the great joy: their unmissable album is out. Uuuuhh!! How wonderful, how wonderful, how wonderful!! The Arctic Monkeys rock!! How can I not buy it??!! And immediately they're at the top of the charts, wasted praise, and rivers of money for everyone. The album, musically speaking, is nothing special: a classic mix of cheap pop and rock, easy listening, with a fresh and catchy tune but without substance. "The Age of the Understatement" and "Standing Next to Me," the two singles, barely stand out in a sea of decay and banal predictability.

Absolutely to be avoided, even for Britpop and Arctic fans. Trust me, they’re pulling one over on you!