PunchBook

Grade - A-

Does everything Arctic Monkeys front man Alex Turner touch turn to gold. Not only is this guy fronting one of the most cutting edge bands out there, now he has this side project called The Last Shadow Puppets which sounds fucking great. His influence from Favourite Worst Nightmare pretty much drives the tone of The Age of the Understatement. It’s got that haunted house rhythm and tone mixed with a little bit of 80’s TV daytime drama theme song. It’s not a duplication of something he’s already created, it’s one hell of a reinvention. In this side project Turner has paired up with Miles Kane (The Rascals) and James Ford who produced the album and plays drums.

The first track of the album, Black Plant, should be studied very closely. This is how great musicians draw listeners into their world for 13 or 14 tracks. It’s steady beat, clear and clever lyrics, and sweeping violin set the stage for a song that speaks of lost love and lust. My favorite lyric on the album:

The paper cuts
From the love letter
You never gave him
Could not meet
Your new found meat
A misbehaving lie

Only the Truth is my favorite song on The Age of the Understatement. The soul pounding bass drum and silence shattering violin dusted with horns piping in between makes your heart race like the climax of a good horror movie. Rightfully so, the manipulative damsel for which the song is dedicated to is one that “wakes the wolves to curse them,” and has “snipered your mind.” I like “snipered your mind,” it’s a more cup-of-tea way to say “head fuck.” This song, and pretty much everyother song on the album is an ode to the tattered women who graces the albums cover.

One thing is for sure, this album is a head fuck - in a great way. Much like Favourite Worst Nightmare this album is filled to the brim with great music and brilliant lyrics. A lot to interpret, a lot to ponder, while at the same time - painting beautiful imagery. Not too many songwriters can pull it off, not to mention create music that support the stories. If what Alex Turner has done with Arctic Monkeys didn’t showcase him as a premier figure on the international music scene - his work with The Last Shadow Puppets plants him there firmly. I’ve drawn a lot of comparisons to the Monkeys last album which is both fair and unfair. Unfair in that this is a totally different album, fair in that it’s an evolution from that recording. Buy this mother and find out for yourself. If you’re an Arctic Monkeys fan, you will love this. If you say “Who the Fuck’s Arctic Monkeys,” you will be intrigued to find out.