The Last Shadow Puppets - The Age of Understatement

May 29 2008

By Sam Dimmer

AFTER one listen to the new album from Arctic Monkeys frontman Alex Turner and another indie whippersnapper Miles Kane I had a bizarre image in my head. For some reason, don't ask why, I could visualise Vladimir Putin really rocking out to this. Dressed in a Manchester United shirt, I could see him picking up his Kaleshnikov, playing a bit of air guitar and screaming out Turner's lyrics. Perhaps, if you've got a weird imagination like me, you can see him smoking a giant cigar, possibly with a stars and stripes bandana round his head. Why? Well this album is so over-the-top grandiose that I can imagine that powerful people can relate to it. Can folk like you and I enjoy it though? Well, we sort of can. But this isn't Favourite Worst Nightmare all over again. This is very different to the Arctic Monkeys - all luscious string arrangements and epic, potent melodies designed to work their way under your skin slowly. Turner's previous work was like solid-gold catchy musical bullets, whereas this is much less instant. I don't know why, but I didn't fall head over heels in love with this batch of swooning, dreamy tunes. It's good, but at times it is so distant that you can't help but feel detached. But this is not the Arctic Monkeys - so perhaps I should get over it. Judging from the critical acclaim The Last Shadow Puppets are here to stay. A bit like Mr Putin then.