The Last Shadow Puppets
‘The Age of Understatement’
(Domino)

The Last Shadow Puppets are Alex Turner from Arctic Monkeys and Miles Kane from The Rascals.

Alex Turner and Miles Kane, both 22-year-olds, are in inspired form on their debut

Firm friends ever since Arctic Monkeys toured with Kane's previous group, The Little Flames, the pair were so inspired by listening to the likes of Scott Walker, early Bowie and David Axelrod, that they hatched a plan.

The result is 'The Age Of The Understatement'.

The album is a wide-screen, bold and brilliant introduction to the band. An album of 12 full-blooded songs, ‘The Age of Understatement’ is brassy, full of drama, wit and melody, that source the past but avoid falling into pastiche.

Both Miles and Alex are 22, and this is a youthful record, full of life and the sheer pleasure of music making.

The Last Shadow Puppets recorded the songs at Black Box studios near Nantes, France in two weeks during the summer of 2007, with producer and drummer James Ford.

The sweeping strings underscore these songs of characters and relationships, from “the girl with many different strategies” in ‘Only The Truth’ to “this relentless marauder” in ‘Age of the Understatement’.

It’s also a big feature of the record that the two voices are intertwined, sometimes in harmony, sometimes swapping the lead.

You can tell the voices are different but you can’t tell when it changes which makes it an even more fascinating listening experience.

You just don’t notice when one drops out and the other comes in.

The album is a voyage of discovery for all concerned, and you can hear that sense of wonder, of enthusiasm, of sheer rightness. Reinvigorating the past, it sounds just right for now. Turner and Kane bring a youthful edge to these recordings that sound completely natural, which is always the best way. ‘The Age of Understatement’ is a wonderful record that fills the senses.
(4/5)

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