The Last Shadow Puppets - 'The Age Of The Understatement'
Can I just get the most important thing out of the way first? There's a lot of chat flying around at the moment about how this band - well, this SONG, the album's not out yet - sounds absolutely nothing like the Arctic Monkeys or the Rascals, a fact which is considered to be all the more amazing seeing as it's Alex Turner out of the Arctic Monkeys singing alongside his NBF Miles Kane from the Rascals. It's a transformation, people!
The thing we have to all try and remember is that this claim, like a lot of amazing claims, is a load of old poop.
Oh sure, the backing is different, sounding as it does like what happens if you get Scott Walker-in-the-'60s to remix Muse's 'Knights Of Cydonia' for a Bond film, but listen to the song: Flashy verbal wordplay, pin-sharp character assassination, dead-pan delivery, wit, one-liners, a melody which is more about the rhythm than the notes...sound familiar?
If you were to orchestrate 'Brianstorm' for strings and fuzztone guitar, it would sound like this. And if you were Alex Turner doing a side-project band with a close friend, you'd want to get away from your band's two-guitars, bass, drums musical palate and stretch out with a mariachi trumpet or two, otherwise what's the point?
But in terms of musical reinvention it's not like Eminem suddenly making a folk record, or Mika becoming good. They've just arranged an Arctic Monkeys/Rascals-y sort of song in an interesting way, is all.
Anyway, now we've cleared that up, it means the second most important thing has become the first most important thing.
And the first most important thing about this song (as of right now) is that it is very good. OK?
Download: Out now
CD Released: April 14th
(Fraser McAlpine)
A blog with the lovely name of The Music Slut has a , which includes photographs which seem to have been taken from Alex Turner's right shoulder. Intimate!
Comments
i thought it sounded like Muse 'Knights Of Cydonia' too - i get all excited when it starts and then go 'oh'.
My god that's an expensive video.
Hazel R you read my mind! That is exactly what I thought when I saw it on the tellybox the other day.
Does anyone know how much it cost to make, are we taliking Michael and Janet Jackson (think the song was called 'Scream'?) expensive??
There ain't nothin' so understated as leaning casually on a war tank.
what a lovely video! As a Russian I'm very pleased that it was shot in Moscow)