The Score

The Last Shadow Puppets is a collaboration between Alex Turner from The Arctic Monkeys and Miles Kane from The Rascals. Who are The Rascals, you say,? I don’t know either as they’ve not put anything out yet, but this is certainly a canny way to put your name out there, partnering yourself with one of the super successful Arctic Monkeys.

Much has been made of this album’s tip of the hat to Scott Walker, and indeed it is reminiscent of Walker’s more jaunty 1960’s epics (think of the likes of ‘Jackie’). After hearing this album though you are probably better going straight to the source of these chaps enthusiasm and checking out Walker yourself. It’s a sterling effort and the sound is very authentic, but I can’t help feeling that the project has a whiff of, “I’m much more than the Arctic Monkeys doncha know!” from Turner. Or, less cynically, perhaps there is a genuine excitement from these guys in discovering this fine old music and that exuberance is caught on this record.

The orchestral arrangements by Arcade Fire collaborator Owen Pallett are authentic and create a great atmosphere, the problem being that they rub too harshly against Alex and Miles’ Yorkshire/Wirral inflected voices. Both guys sound remarkably similar and the only way to tell them apart is by their differing accents.

The songs are pleasant enough but nothing sticks out. This album was made in a couple of weeks and it shows, the melodies don’t linger but there is a zestful zeal that results from a hasty recording.

This is certainly an admirable effort by Turner and Kane to think outside of the guitar, bass, drums box and try something different but it can’t help but sound derivative and perhaps they should’ve titled the album The Age of the Underwhelmed.

Mister Fusty