Many people came to know of the Last Shadow Puppets from the early success of Alex Turner’s other band the Arctic Monkeys. While it’s always good to have some name recognition, the vibes of the band are singular in how they relate to the Monkeys. Flanked by Miles Kane, James Ford and Zach Dawes on this second, very good record, Turner is able to step away from the success of A.M. for a brief instance and make a record that’s not only focused and varied in styles, but also solidly stands up against their previous record from eight years ago, The Age of the Understatement.
For a record full of jangling melodies and easy moods, the album is a great reminder why these musicians have had so much success in their various bands outside of TLSP. Track two, Miracle Aligner, whispers with sweet nothings backed by a mid evening waltz through a stylish ballroom. Think the environment of a ball inside a pristine hotel, much like the one in “The Shining,”except of course without all the death and horror.
This element and hazy sound is solely implanted through the whole album, and while the music is well executed, some of these great qualities only come across because the record is mixed in such a gorgeous, flowing way. The record in itself though isn’t a complicated or frenzied mood like what you might expect from this group of lads. The record for me, feels very much like a vacation, and except for the brief intensity of track six Bad Habits, the majority of the album has a carefree element to it that makes it both easy to enjoy and relaxing to your ears.
Sadly noone knows when the Last Shadow Puppets will began grace us with a new album, but if the space between the debut album and this one is any indication, it would appear they’ve firmly embedded themselves on the Tool/ Portishead road of releasing albums, which means it’s going to be years and years. Again though, if this next album is as good as the one i’m currently reviewing it’s worth the time to wait. And if not, the band is hitting a giant amount of festivals this year, so you can enjoy the serene beauty of the Puppets in a lot of places for the months to come.
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