EVER since the speculation started to circulate thanks to an unexpected tweet from previous collaborator Owen Pallett, the new album from The Last Shadow Puppets suddenly seemed like less of a misguided pipe dream and more of a full blown possibility.
The much-loved yet long-neglected side project of Arctic Monkeys kingpin Alex Turner and the heir apparent to the mod throne Miles Kane, their sole LP The Age Of The Understatement more than stands the test of time and remains every bit as captivating as it did when they first unleashed it upon the music industry.
Despite the fact that it has most certainly became one of the most anticipated albums that we’ll be graced with in 2016, basically every other aspect of the album has remained shrouded in mystery. What we can confirm about the record is fairly limited but is telling for a number of reasons.
One important factor which must be taken into account is the personnel which the band have enlisted to put the album together, the duo have called the services of Owen Pallett and the obscenely talented James Ford.
What is most notable about this is the fact that there’s been no major deviation or departure from the star studded line-up that meticulously crafted the extravagant, stirring and commendably adventurous debut that we’ve all come to love.
Owen Pallett’s role in the making of the original album was that of a conductor, leading the London Metropolitan Orchestra through many of the album’s most defining and outright imaginative moments that enabled Turner and Kane to pay homage to the iconic Scott Walker; a man whose incredible output impacted the record like no other.
With Pallett resuming his duties at the helm of the album’s more grandiose arrangements; not to mention his Twitter proclamation that the album had “crossed the threshold into classic status”, all signs suggest that Turner and Kane are intent on picking up exactly where they left off from a sonic standpoint.
Appointing Simian Mobile Disco’s James Ford to once again take charge of the LP’s production and percussion is indicative of just how much the album must be revered by the artists themselves.
The Last Shadow Puppets have left us in a state of limbo that is on one hand frustrating yet undeniably riveting. The sense of occasion that once surrounded an album’s release has been all but diminished in the wake of albums streaming ahead of time and being leaked to the public prior to when the artists intended for the world to hear it.
Carefully guarding the album’s content and taking a vow of relative silence has served to enhance the anticipation. What remains is the hope that the record is once again, a bonafide cultural release. One that we await with unquenchable desire.
