Customer Reviews

The Age of the Understatement

5 star:		(13)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This is a rare find: A duo music experience paying virtually NO regard to modern diametrics and demands. The sound of this music is filtered through a haze of 60s influences (the Hollies, The Walker Brothers) distinctly credited, duly noted ...and equally delivered as a ready made classic for anyone interested. I can only hope that those interested will harp on the music's beauty, value and artistry in a way that impacts modern tastemakers.
Huh? Try it. Buy it. And don't "why it" to death for how it is out of time. Make it IN time.
And if that fails to convince just buy it for the cover. I wenmt to see the movie Blow Up because of the movie poster back in the mid-60s. the experience defined my life and my life in relationship to a generation. this music could do the same to any equally impressionable young music mavens looking for the best next thing.

I'm nineteen years old, and I hate most current music with a fiery passion. I'm an avid fan of classic rock, and I hardly listen to any music that came out after the 70s. Having said that, this is one of three new bands whose music I actually enjoy.

I'm not a musician. This isn't a review of how the album sounded technically, or about how the influences of this, that, and the other can clearly be heard. I don't know about any of that. All I know is that this music is wonderful. It obviously has influences from older music, but it's also completely original. It's so completely different from all the drivel that the radio and television stations try to cram down my throat. Alex and Miles are brilliant songwriters, and the instrumentation is absolutely beautiful. I can listen to "The Meeting Place" or "Time Has Come Again" over and over. Overall, this is one of the best albums I've ever heard. I'm so glad Alex and Miles got on so well and decided to record together, and I hope they continue with The Last Shadow Puppets for a long time to come.

I'd like to bring up something that bothered me as I read the reviews. Alex is NOT the only member in the band, and he's not any more important than Miles. Most of the reviews talk about how great Alex is, or compare this album with Arctic Monkeys, but Miles was hardly mentioned at all. I know Alex is more famous, but they did this together. They wrote the songs together, they both sang, and they both played instruments. They made the album because they're best friends and they like the same music, and it aggravates me to no end when people refer to The Last Shadow Puppets as "the side project of Alex Turner." They're both in other bands, that doesn't make this a side project. Sorry if this turned into a rant, but I would like to see Miles get some credit and attention for a change.

Last Shadow Puppets is a UK duo comprising Miles Kane of the Rascals, and Alex Turner of The Arctic Monkeys. Their album has already hit #1 in the UK and their lead off single "The age of the understatement" has hit the top 10 so I guess Alex has another band to fall back on should he have to give up the day job.

Their sound is similar to that of the Monkeys (Arctic Monkeys, I mean) but less jagged, more mellow, and more symphonic, thanks to the presence of a 22 piece orchestra, resulting in lush pieces like the horn sprinkled beauty "Meeting place" or the almost jazzy "My mistakes were made for you".

They also do upbeat very well; "The age of the understatement" and the theatrical "Only the truth" (with a horn-filled coda) both have a galloping feel and could fit into a Western epic, while "Seperate and ever deadly" has a marching band feel and raging guitars.

Other standouts are the swinging "The chamber" (with a symphonic coda), the similar "Calm like you", the sunny, retro sounding "Standing next to me" and the closing tender acoustic ballad "The time has come again" with a dreamy sounding chorus.

This is a very lovely album, think of it like a symphonic Arctic Monkeys.

I'm not a music expert, but from the moment my husband put this CD in the player I was hooked. Incredible, symphonic pop-rock with a retro feeling that's quite unique in an age that nothing seems original anymore. Can't hear it enough and it's even not the style I usually listen to!

Several reviews previously posted cite all of the obvious direct influences - Scott Walker, Ennio Morricone, Love's "Forever Changes" and more, all valid comparisons but more importantly (taken with the Arctic Monkeys), evidence of the breadth and depth of Alex Turner's pop instincts. We could be watching a new Elvis Costello, a new Damon Albarn, a new Ray Davies...he has that much stylistic integrity, showing signs of absorbing different genres like a chameleon, has such impressive songwriting chops. I simply can't wait to see what he comes up with next, I just think that it'll be a masterful, mature work and will be the last thing we would have expected. This guy's only in his early 20's; the only artist I ever recall bursting onto the scene this young with such advanced songwriting skills was Roddy Frame.

This album manages to be grand and intimate at the same time, it flows well and has no weak song. It's easy for symphonic pop to sound overproduced, but this never falls into that trap, in fact it never loses its singer-songwriter feel, and the songs would probably all sound great if it was just him and an acoustic guitar. Possibly the best LP of 2008.

The Age of the Understatement (2008, Domino) The Last Shadow Puppets' first studio album. ****

Strangely enough, this exciting album is the side project of the Arctic Monkeys' Alex Turner. Rarely do "other bands" live up to or even excel past the member's main band. The Last Shadow Puppets is one of those bands. The Age of the Understatement is better than both releases by the Arctic Monkeys in every respect; the thunderous guitar riffs and drumwork, the Ennio Morricone western-feel that the album carries, the boyish yet commanding vocal performances. The tempo of the album rarely shifts, as the title track opens with galloping accolades and continues all the way through. There are occassional breaks, but the album is outstanding; it's short, sweet, and ultimately tight with only a few minor kinks.

Being an Arctic Monkey's fan I was curious about this release. I checked out a vid on youtube and was blown away. Tony Hatch meets Ennio Morricone with a venomous wit in the voice. Way more "over the top" then any of the "Lounge/Soul/Retro" acts today it succeeds in it's bombast and satisfies with each listen. It may borrow from the past but this is NEW music that is as exciting as it's predecessors, if not more. Owen Pallet (arranger) and James Ford (producer) are unsung heros that need to be watched. This thing is massive, I hope they take it on the road.

(3 & 1/2 stars) This CD has a nice retro feel. There's a lot of the Walker Brothers in there (a stated influence), but I also heard an occasional Moody Blues sound in the songs' orchestral choruses. I thought most of the tunes were semi-fun throwbacks to the '60s (except for such relatively unlistenable cuts as "I Don't Like You Anymore" and "Only The Truth"), but the band & this disc have two major problems. First, the songs are relatively mundane, lacking any real degree of catchiness. It's sort of like a bunch of 2nd-rate Yardbirds or Zombies out-takes or something. Second, it's very hard to imagine this '60s-ish music generating any degree of interest in today's rock-buying public, at least in the USA. There are a few other problems, such as some bad song outros, especially the bizarre, spacey-spooky coda on "The Chamber," which undermines any impact the song may have created. I mildly enjoyed listening to this CD as an historical exercise, but I don't expect it to have any lasting value in the 21st Century.

Heard this on the way to a show the other day and was really taken by it (long review forthcoming).

I love this CD, a nice collab of the arctic monkeys and le strokes. I love both of these artists, and when they are combined to make a new CD, it was genious! It has up-beat lyrics, and will make you want to sing a long. I would reccomend this to people that love either the arctic monkeys, or the strokes :D