The age of the understated retro influences
Ever wondered what would happen if the Arctic Monkeys and The Rascals did the soundtrack to a spaghetti western? Well wonder no more, for here is the result of Miles Kane’s and Alex Turner’s little side project. And like all good side projects, it’s far more than the sum of its parts.
Not a million miles away from Muse’s cyber-western-sounding ‘Knights of Cydonia’, this Scott Walker-esque single wouldn’t sound out of place on a sixties version of TOTP. But it doesn’t sound dated, if that makes sense. In fact, The Last Shadow Puppets wear their influences on their sleeve with the single’s b-sides (yes, they actually still call it that too): David Bowie’s ‘In the Heat of the Morning’ and Billy Fury’s ‘Wonderous Place’. Talk about eclectic.
‘The Age of the Understatement’ is a bit of a contradiction. It doesn’t sound either like The Rascals or the Arctic Monkeys, sounds both old and refreshingly original, with simple lyrics backed by soaring orchestral and choral moments, and the obligatory tremolo guitar twangs here and there. Just sit back and enjoy it for what it is, not who made it.