- Release date:
- May 6, 2008
- Artist/Band name:
- The Last Shadow Puppets
- Record label:
- Domino
- Official Web Site:
- http://www.theageoftheunderstatement.com/
- Overall User Rating:
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Why you should care: Turner is one of more interesting lyricists and frontmen the Brit-rock scene has produced in recent years, and Kane is no slouch, either, even though the Rascals remain largely unknown outside the U.K. For both, “Understatement” represents a bold departure from the aggressive guitars and dance-punk rhythms of their main gigs. Every track here is dripping with reverb and big, melodramatic orchestrations, evoking the lush ‘60s pop of groups like the Association and the Moody Blues, with a hint of Ennio Morricone’s spaghetti western soundtracks thrown in for good measure.
Verdict: Ironically, the production work on “Understatement” represents one of the grandest overstatements you’ll hear all year. When Turner and Kane’s songs rise to the occasion, all those layers of reverb, strings and vintage organs are great fun, but too often, there’s not much memorable music underneath all the bombast. Standouts include the menacing, organ-led “I Don’t Like You Anymore” and the lovely, Bacharach-esque “The Meeting Place,” which hints at what this album could have been if Turner and Kane had obsessed over their melodies as much as they clearly did over their arrangements.
X-Factor: The B-side of Last Shadow Puppets’ first single features two covers that reveal some of Turner and Kane’s biggest influences: “Wondrous Place,” a song by British ‘60s pop crooner Billy Fury, and “In the Heat of the Morning,” a Donovan-like track by a pre-“Space Oddity” David Bowie.
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