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::k4:
a r t i s t :: The Last Shadow Puppets
t i t l e :: The Age Of The Understatement
d a t e :: 2008-04-21
l a b e l :: Domino
g e n r e :: Indie
s o u r c e :: CD
b i t r a t e :: 921 kbps avg
e n c o d e r :: FLAC 1.2.1 -8 -V
t r a c k s :: 12
p l a y t i m e :: 34:44
s i z e :: 230.32MB
tracklist
1 The Age Of The Understatement 3:07
2 Standing Next To Me 2:18
3 Calm Like You 2:26
4 Separate And Ever Deadly 2:38
5 The Chamber 2:37
6 Only The Truth 2:44
7 My Mistakes Were Made For You 3:04
8 Black Plant 3:59
9 I Don't Like You Anymore 3:05
10 In My Room 2:29
11 The Meeting Place 3:55
12 Time Has Come Again 2:22
releasenotes
It's not that often that side projects are more ambitious than the players'
main bands, but the Last Shadow Puppets, the collaboration between the Arctic
Monkeys' Alex Turner and the Rascals' Miles Kane, is one of those rare birds.
With their day jobs, Turner and Kane are revivalists of different strains of
"angry young British man" rock, but with the help of drummer/producer James
Ford (also of Simian Mobile Disco), arranger Owen Pallett (Final Fantasy), and
the London Metropolitan Orchestra, on The Age of the Understatement they
revitalize the lush, symphonic pop of early Scott Walker and David Bowie, when
they needed an orchestra to express just how sweeping their feelings were. The
title track's galloping strings-and-timpani drama begins the album, making it
readily apparent just how ironic The Age of the Understatement's name is, and
just how well the Last Shadow Puppets have recaptured that lavish
late-'60s/early-'70s sound. The main update to it comes from Turner and Kane's
voices; stark and suave like Walker and Bowie they are not, but that's a good
thing -- their boyish, unpretentious voices and brotherly harmonies keep the
album from dipping into kitsch. Instead, a surprising urgency runs through The
Age of the Understatement, most noticeably on the taut "Calm Like You" and
"Separate and Ever Deadly," but also on softer moments like "The Meeting
Place" and the extremely Walker-esque "My Mistakes Were Made for You."
Whenever the drama threatens to become too monotonous, the band knows when to
change things up: "I Don't Like You Anymore" brings in more of the Arctic
Monkeys' spit and spite, building up to a livid guitar solo that practically
shakes with loathing, while "Standing Next to Me" and "Time Has Come" rein in
the bombast. Despite all the intensity, the Last Shadow Puppets have a light
touch -- their songs are short and don't overstay their welcome, and the whole
affair is just arty and indulgent enough to make it special. It's not an
overstatement to say that The Age of the Understatement is a likable,
accomplished working holiday.
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The_Last_Shadow_Puppets-The_Age_Of_The_Understatement-(WIGCD208)-CD-FLAC-200