How have I gone 13 years with never listening to the supergroup that is The Last Shadow Puppets?! I know there’s been a time in the past where I’ve seen the name pop up on Sirius XMU, but I never stopped long enough to listen. Well, it appears the Youtube algorithm finally peaked my interest enough to finally give the band a shot. Best click of my life? For now!
I will say that my other reluctance for never checking this band out is that I’ve always sort of held a disdain for the Arctic Monkeys. Perhaps it’s the musical hipster in me that wanted to ignore their flame while it was burning in the US with songs like “Are You Mine?” and “Do I Wanna Know.” But I’d have to say after the rousing success that is The Last Shadow Puppets, I might just be giving the Monkeys a real chance.
Something that perhaps convinced me to listen to this group is the fact that it is a supergroup. Drummer and producer James Ford comes from Simian Mobile Disco, bassist Zach Dawes hails from Mini Mansions, and Miles Kane and Alex Turner share vocal and guitar duties. Their voices together are so perfect that it makes me smile when I hear them seamlessly blend together or harmonize. I mean, that lineup is some serious musical talent! After just one listen to that Youtube recommendation, I switched over to some live performances, which whether they are from 2008 or 2016, are near perfection. I can only hope that they decided to get together for a third album someday soon, because I would love to catch them on tour!
It also just seems like this band has a lot of fun together! Aside from the core quad of members, there are plenty of supplemental touring members and a full-fledged string section! The strings is what really sets this band apart from a lot of what I normally listen to, and for whatever reason I love it! It probably doesn’t hurt that Royal Blood’s string version of their latest song “Limbo” has been living in my head rent free since it was released. Regardless, the strings lend some seriously cool elements to the songs. Some of those songs are helped further with the addition of a horns section! As a momentary band geek back in the day, I really appreciate what they can bring to the table.
With all that being said, let’s jump into the track list of this supergroup’s debut album, The Age of the Understatement! Right off the gate, the title track is a banger. Think The Beatles meets The Animals and music you’d find in a classic Western film. In fact, a lot of the album really encompasses the latter two elements a lot. I know the influence for most of the record was 50s and 60s era music, so my callouts seem to make a lot of sense. The thing is, it really works for them! Not a single song off of this record was stagnant, which from a debut is really impressive! Another thing I saw in the comments for a lot of their videos was that they should get tapped to write the next Bond theme. I 100 percent agree!
If you listen to “My Mistakes Were Made for You” and “Black Plant” and don’t immediately thing of the opening credits to any Bond film then you are fooling yourself. Those two songs were obviously knockouts, but I found myself drawn more to the songs that I’d liken to true duets. The way “The Chamber” echoes their voices in and out from each other is a real delight for my ears (also cool that it’s the first song they made together!). Similarly, I love the duets heard in the fun “Separate and Ever Deadly,” but I just as much was drawn to the beautiful “The Meeting Place.” The fact that that one still gets played live is a testament to its strength. I’d also be remiss to ignore a song that I saw pop up in every live performance I watched, “Standing Next to Me.” It’s hard for me to describe what about that songs resonates, but I promise you’ll be singing it to yourself “again and againnnnn!”
Really, there are no weaknesses in The Last Shadow Puppets’ 12-song debut and I can’t implore you enough to check these guys out. I’m sure the fan base is already pretty large, but I’m glad I’m catching up now! Can’t wait to give their sophomore album a spin!