AFTER previous collaborator Owen Pallett tweeted that he was working on transcending the realms of a “classic” with the hashtag “#TLSP2,” the internet’s musos were sent into fits of hysterics at the prospect of a new LP from The Last Shadow Puppets; the widely applauded side project of Arctic Monkeys frontman Alex Turner and Liverpudlian rock ‘n’ roll revivalist Miles Kane that took the music world by storm some eight years ago.
Once feared to be a fleeting moment in time instead of an ongoing concept, the duo haven’t reconvened to produce a TLSP album since their debut; the grandiose affair known as The Age Of The Understatement that pitted their already established songwriting chops against extravagant instrumentation to tremendous effect.
With thousands doubtlessly digging back in their record collections or typing the often overlooked moniker into Spotify since the news broke, what they will find is that it’s aged like a fine wine and is a pivotal stop in the careers of two of our times most recognisable songwriters.
The record was released while both artists were at something of a crossroads in their respective careers. Arctic Monkeys’ had just released Favourite Worst Nightmare which cemented their place as a leading light of modern guitar music while Miles Kanes’ The Rascals failed to set the world alight. The project was actually something of a daring move for two artists to step so far out of their comfort zones and thrust themselves into the relative unknown with reckless abandon.
Born of a mutual appreciation of cult idol Scott Walker and his very own brand of melodramatic pop, the sheer scale of the crooner’s music and his tendency to incorporate orchestral flashes into his output is clearly a driving force behind the record’s creative process without treading too close to becoming a pastiche or flagrant tribute.
The previously mentioned Owen Pallett is also absolutely intrinsic to the album, providing terrific arrangements that compliment the beautifully rendered songs of Turner and Kane and embellishing them in the best possible way.
The album’s pulse racing eponymous track seems every bit as magnetic as it did back in 2007, sounding almost decadent and dangerous thanks to the ceaseless percussion and Ennio Morricone-esque twangs of guitar, the unorthodox harmonies of Turner and Kane only amplify its various strengths.
A classic piece of pop music that could’ve been torn from the pages of McCartney and Lennon’s illustrious songbook, ‘Standing Next To Me’ more than holds its own alongside anything that the two have conjured up before or since; while ‘Calm Like You’ and the lyrical eccentricity that can be found in lines such as “Burglary and fireworks, the skies they were alighting, accidents and toffee drops and thinking on the train” aren’t a far cry from the abstract wordplay that defines Arctic Monkeys.
For Miles, working under the tutelage of Turner seemed to have provided him with a renewed sense of confidence and an overt willingness to venture back to bygone eras, something which was an essential aspect of his solo material that has seen him regularly touted as the heir to Weller’s so-called mod throne.
The ornate delicacy of tracks such as ‘The Chamber’ and ‘Time has Come Again’ nestling alongside the punchy ‘Black Plant’ demonstrates the impressive scope of the album, proving that the elaborate production needn’t be a staid affair.
An unquestionable highlight of the record is ‘My Mistakes Were Made For You’, a gripping affair which guides the listener effervescently through a twisted and tempestuous relationship that was doomed from the start against a backdrop of cinematic strings, militaristic percussion and dense guitar.
With Arctic Monkeys recuperating from the lengthy touring schedule that was willfully undertaken after the release of the outrageously successful AM and Kane lying low after 2013’s Don’t Forget Who You Are, it appears that the timing couldn’t be any more idealistic for the duo.
Whether they decide to flirt with gorgeous orchestral arrangements once again or push themselves in an entirely new sonic direction, it’s sure to make for essential listening and shall pique the curiosity of everyone that was so moved by their debut all those years ago.
