Like many people, I came across The Last Shadow Puppets through the Arctic Monkeys. Having never been disappointed by anything Alex Turner has ever produced, I was hopeful when I ordered their 2008 album, ‘The Age Of The Understatement’.
And I was not disappointed. By the time ‘Everything You’ve Come To Expect’ was released I couldn’t wait to hear it.
As I bought the album from Amazon, I got the MP3 version as well, which has the track The Bourne Identity on it, which the CD (and I presume vinyl) version doesn’t. For that reason, I would strongly recommend buying the album of amazon, as I absolutely love The Bourne Identity, which I think really rounds off the album, and (I’m sure I’m not alone on this!) I get an enormous amount of satisfaction from having physical albums.
The first thing that struck me about this album was that compared to the earlier album and to Arctic Monkeys albums was how much more mature (and lovestruck) the album sounded.
Without a doubt, I would describe the album as polished. With The Age Of The Understatement, I sort of get the sense that Alex and Miles were slightly mocking themselves and not taking it completely seriously, whereas with this album. it seems like they were very clear on what they wanted to achieve and what kind of sound they wanted.
Lyrically, the album is reminscent of the love struck tone of Arctic Monkey’s Suck It and See album, with words like ” All of our exchanges are by candlelight” (Miracle Aligner), “Lipstick on my pillow via my cheek” (Dracula Teeth), “It feels like your entrance just caused the temperature to rise” (The Element of Surprise) and “Ain’t I fallen in love” (Sweet Dreams, TN) giving the album a sense of being dedicated to someone in particular (Presumably Alex Turner’s girlfriend, Taylor Bagley).
Despite the maturity, the album’s song The Dream Synopsis talks about “…a wicked gale came howling up through Sheffield City Centre…” and says “Both well aware that there’d be trouble if the manager should find us/You’d got a leaning tower of pint pots in your hand, you can carry much more than I can”. To me, this sounds like a reference to Alex’s work as a Barman in Sheffield as a teenager. Talking about “Some kid I went to school with” also appears to be a sign that he is thinking more about his hometown of Sheffield.
The album as whole (with the exception of Bad Habits) has a very relaxed, lazy Sunday morning feel to it, with elaborate, layered music and nothing abrasive in the slightest. Bad Habits stands out due to its faster base, and louder, harsher vocal style. Personally, it’s my favourite song, after Sweet Dreams, TN.
Although I do really enjoy listening to this album, it is not really the type of thing I would usually listen to, and I can also see why it gets played on Radio 2 a lot. It definitely appeals to the older audience, perhaps more than to teenagers. Having said that, Alex and Miles are both 30, and as their previous album was released in 2008, many people who bought the album at the time will be of a similar age.
Personally, I listen to whatever music I want to, and I don’t really care about what people think, so it doesn’t bother me that my mum likes it as much as I do (if anything, that’s a good thing, as it means I can get away with playing it loudly in a way I never get away with playing Bullet For My Valentine!).
My main criticism of the album is that it’s so polished some of the meaning of the lyrics are lost to me. Watching live performances on YouTube (I couldn’t get tickets to see it live myself), the passion of the words, particularly in Sweet Dreams, TN, comes through more than the highly produced album version does. On the other hand, it means that the album is perfect background music.
On the whole, I would definitely recommend this album, although I would recommend listening to Aviation on YouTube first, as that opening song really sets the tone for the whole album, so allows you to get a taste of what the album is really like.
Thank you.
Glass Onion Blog 