Obviously, as I make my way through my obsession of The Last Shadow Puppets, it’s only natural that I listen to one of the core member’s solo music. Thus, I am listening to Miles Kane’s first solo record, Colour of the Trap. Spelt that way because he’s British, but I’d probably let him get away with it even if he weren’t.
Right off the bat, I can tell this is going to be a more pop effort than anything else I’ve listened to related to The Last Shadow Puppets. I also kind of expected that based off the few recent singles Miles has released over the last several months. With that being said, it’s not an obnoxious pop record like most of the crap being played on mainstream radio these days. Certain songs off this album stood out to me immediately on the first listen, but giving it another run through allowed some other songs to shine. I was also tickled to learn that Miles’ friend and The Last Shadow Puppets band mate, Alex Turner, co-wrote a lot of the tracks off Colour of the Trap.
The few songs that really, really stood out to me on the first listen included “Come Closer,” “Rearrange,” and “Inhaler.” The first song I mentioned, and also the opening track off the record, “Come Closer” was definitely upbeat and had a funky bass line that really caught my attention right off the bat. “Rearrange” had an excellent guitar riff, but it also reminded me of Peter Bjorn and John “Young Folks” and had vocals reminiscent of Cage the Elephant’s Matt Shultz. The latter of these three songs, “Inhaler,” was perhaps the most different sounding track off the whole record. Miles more or less hoarsely screamed the lyrics and had much heavier riffs. It made quite the contrast to the song immediately before it, “Quicksand.”
After a second listen of the album, “Counting Down the Days” really stuck out as sounding like something out of Cage the Elephant’s catalog, especially the chorus. “Better Left Invisible” is something that I could see belonging on a record by The Last Shadow Puppets, as the instrumentals seemed to be similarly inspired. Another song off the record that was quite unique was “Happenstance.” Aside from Miles Kane singing, the song was also interspersed with a female’s vocals (not sure who, though) and was a bit hypnotic. Overall, the song made me think of the few new ones I’ve heard off of Miles’ upcoming solo record. “The final song off the record, and the title track, “Colour of the Trap,” was a bit more mellow of an outing, but I could also definitely tell Alex Turner helped write this one.
The rest of the songs off the record were a bit forgettable or just completely not my taste, but overall, the record was catchy and a pretty good effort for a first time solo release. I think Miles might be someone who thrives better with a band, but he’s got great vocals and deft fingers for the guitar, so I’ll take what he’s got to offer! I’m interested to hear any progression in his next two efforts, or see what’s similar. I’ll also be interested to see if his 2018 release was influenced by The Last Shadow Puppets’ 2016 release. Be on the lookout for more!