The Last Shadow Puppets
The Age of the Understatement

"We have wanted to do something together for a long time, to experiment, especially with the addition of strings and getting closer in sound to soundtracks."

Hello everyone, first of all, I just signed up and today I am going to review this 2008 album. About a month ago, the latest work by Arctic Monkeys, "Humbug", filled with psychedelia and experimentation, for a band that for about 3 years has been dominating the British music scene with an energy and talent that had been lost sight of in the past decade. But before the last work of the Arctic Monkeys, the singer and lyricist Alex Turner had collaborated with his great friend, former singer and guitarist of Little Flames and Rascals (the latter broke up just a month ago to allow the brilliant Miles to take the challenging solo climb to success) Miles Kane, a virtuoso skinny lad, definitely more "unlucky" compared to his companion Alex, now a celebrity in the land of Albion.

At the end of 2007 the two had announced their project "The Last Shadow Puppets" (as far as band names are concerned, Alex Turner doesn't lack originality), astonishing everyone, critics and fans, who for the first time felt a chill down the spine: "And what about Arctic Monkeys? And who is this Miles Kane?". Certainly, after the release of the latest Arctic Monkeys product, fans could sleep peacefully seeing their favorite band start a new European tour 2009/2010, but at that time, they trembled at the somewhat suicidal idea of Turner to undertake a solo project with this, to many unknown, drinking buddy.

Yet the plan succeeded: although it was a shamelessly commercial and ingeniously orchestrated move to artistically launch both Miles Kane (who, without beating about the bush or falsehoods, used his friend to get his face known to the public) and to reconfirm the genuine talent of Alex Turner, the album turns out to be successful: "The Age Of The Understatement", released last April, is very well received by anyone, mixing the cheerful pop-rock in vogue in recent years with Morricone-like sounds and ones that are damned reminiscent of 007.

The album opens with the title track "The Age Of The Understatement", with that string riff borrowed from the veteran Muse, but not lacking in personality and aggression as a launch single. After the excellent first track, the album continues with the poppy "Standing Next To Me", a simple but brilliant love poem, written and sung by Miles Kane, who demonstrates an excellent voice, in parts better than that of his bosom friend. With "Calm Like You" we abruptly return to the typical sounds of Arctic Monkeys, but with a thread of more innovation, allowing the song not to be one of the many predictable indie rock anthems of recent years.

The album flows smoothly and easily, as I said before, this work can be listened to with pleasant joy and relaxation, one of those classic albums you put on the stereo when you come back tired and frustrated from work. The strings cradle us, the overlapping voices of Alex and Miles (to see together during interviews, they almost seem gay, but it's well known that Alex is with Alexa Chung, a beautiful English journalist) transport us to a "Jamesbondian" world, between chases, beautiful women and poker games in tuxedos. After listening to the aggressive "Separate And Ever Deadly", an acceptable ditty that doesn't add much more to the album, we arrive at perhaps the best song on the album, "The Chamber". In fact, it's true that "the good wine is in small barrels", since the song just mentioned lasts a whopping 2 minutes and thirty-seven and turns out to be the shortest of the album: this song, sensual and erotic, makes us feel melancholic and sad but leaves a deep imprint in the listening experience of the album.

Next comes the angry "Only The Truth", that almost makes us want to get angry and argue with our lover to tell her all the truth about herself (if you are living a troubled love story). The next song, "My Mistakes Were Made For You", drenched in romance and 007-like atmospheres, is a moment of calm and reflection, before instead landing on the annoyed "I Don't Like You Anymore". The jumps in this album are many, and here we are now arriving at the most James Bond song of the album, "In My Room", almost desperate, that unleashes all our desire to escape, just as the two young Englishmen sing together: "Just Another Day All In My Room".

With "Meeting Place", in which the strings make themselves heard and you can perceive a forced smile after the tears for having left your loved one in the place where you met ("For weeks they had strolled around playing the fools, they knew the time has come, and time would be cruel, because it's cruel to everyone, he's crying out from the meeting place, he's stranded himself there/I'm sorry I've met you darling, I'm sorry I've left you"), and finally "Time Has Come Again", entirely acoustic accompanied by the strings, is like a farewell to the listener, who remains satisfied to have been able to listen to a simple and incredibly catchy CD, perfect to listen to while sipping tea on the sofa or to dance drunk in the living room with a background of strictly pre-1968 films.

In conclusion, a well-done album, with meticulous production, that confirms Alex Turner's innate talent as a lyricist and launches a new talent of the British new wave, Miles Kane: in particular, it's interesting to note that both Alex and Miles use their qualities to aid the whole and thus achieve an excellent result (Alex with the lyrics, where Miles is still and rightly due to his age rusty) and Miles with the Morricone-like and experimental sounds (to listen to indeed if you want his debut album "Rascalize" from his band The Rascal). In short, if you want to listen to something not too demanding, that will take you through half an hour without boring you, but rather, entertaining you and making you tap your feet, even the most fastidious, this album is for you.

I am astonished at the claims of friends that the Last Shadow Puppets are the same as Arctic Monkeys: I can assure you that this is not true, indeed, I believe they are completely different, and if there must be a link between them, I can say that the Last Shadow Puppets are the Arctic Monkeys in a baroque and experimental key.