The Last Shadow Puppets: the first album review

I have some friends in Belgium (why, dahling, of course I'm international) who are awesome and similarly awesome are their tastes in music. The last time I saw them, they burned a fraction of their itunes library for my enjoyment, including the debut album from The Last Shadow Puppets, The Age of the Understatement. The band is one part guy from the Arctic Monkeys, who I don't care for, one part guy from the Rascals, who I know nothing about, and one part guy from Simian Mobile Disco, who I adore. For the album, the group also employed the London Metropolitan Orchestra. Enticing line-up if ever there was one! If nothing else, we know it sounds British...

Of everything my Ghentlefriends gave me, I find myself listening to the Age of the Understatement the most, well, at least top five. Why, pray tell? Well here we go.

As seems to be a big fat trend with indie Brit pop, the overtones come right out the sixties. Not being an expert in this genre or music at all really, I can only suggest reasons for this: the strings which actually sounds stringy as opposed to synthy, the occasional electric organ and tambourine, those Beatle-y ahs and an echoing, scratchiness to the vocals (surely there's an actual word for that quality). And the drama, o lord, it's glorious. When I listen to music, I tend to pay attention to the sounds first, then the words, and one great thing about this album is the two are so well suited to each other, you hear lust, longing, heartache, and angst whether your ears guides you to the instruments or the lyrics.

The title track captivates immediately. Chugging drums underlie a larger, urgent mix of electric guitar, strings, and is that a horn section frosting the tips of this song? Whatever torrents of instrumental and lyrical angst build throughout "The Age of the Understatement," those outlaw, horse-chase drums keep charging along. Cinematic: there's an adjective for this song, and it sets the tone for the whole album.

The album takes an slightly optimistic turn after the first few tracks, with covers of of Billy Fury's "Wondrous Place" and David Bowie's "In the Heat of the Morning" (I had to look that up on wikipedia. I WISH I had that kind of familiarity with Brit pop). But after tipping their hats to their influences, The Puppets continue with tortured, spiteful separation anxiety fire crackers of songs, interspersed among quieter, but still pained melodies. And sometimes in the same song. "Separate and Ever Deadly" revisits the driving drums of the title track, and "Only the Truth," "Black Plant," and "In My Room" could easily find themselves in a spy movie. In fact, I found myself thinking of James Bond more than once as I listened to The Age of the Understatement on repeat. I recommend "I Don't Like You Anymore" to anyone going through a break up, or anyone who has, or well, anyone really. The last two tracks, "Meeting Place" and "The Time Has Come Again," bring the energy level down, but conclude the album on an appropriately forlorn note.

All in all, a fantastic album that balances perfectly woe-is-me-I-hate-you-but-I-would-take-you-back melodrama and get-up-outcha-chair-and-dance pop rock.