It's been exactly a year since I was fortunate enough to see The Last Shadow Puppets live. As I look back on the night, I cannot get over how immensely awesome it was, and how good of a band they really were. During this song especially, the audience was so whipped up jumping around and practically everyone was screaming the song. I chose this performance for two reasons. One is that it's one of the best live performances I've ever seen. The second is that it embodies the epicness of the performance I saw, even though this one was on TV. I hope you enjoy!
The Age of the Understatement
Showing posts with label The Last Shadow Puppets. Show all posts
Showing posts with label The Last Shadow Puppets. Show all posts
Friday, October 30, 2009
Friday, January 9, 2009
Commentary on 2008's Top 50 Lists
I didn't write my Top 50 because, honestly, I only truly loved about 10 albums that I listened to this year. Upon viewing other peoples Top 50 lists, I was very surprised to see a lack of certain albums/songs and this is what I felt should've been in most lists. Note: This is just my beef.
Albums
A Larum by Johnny Flynn-Though folk music isn’t the most popular in the world today, how did virtually no one give Johnny Flynn’s debut ‘A Larum’ the amount of attention that it deserved? I have as of yet seen him on any top 50 lists, which really surprised me. He has an absurd amount of maturity for his 25 years and his sound is definitely one of the most original (at least of this decade) that I’ve seen. This was definitely one of my favorite albums for 2008, so let’s hope that 2009 is a much better year for him.
Age Of The Understatement by The Last Shadow Puppets-Alex Turner’s gone hipster and is not sounding like the Arctic Monkeys and whose this Miles Kane, what has he done? These are two very common beefs people had about this side project. If you don’t think about the two’s other/past projects and you treat this as a stand alone, this album is really good. Owen Pallett even did the strings! How this wasn’t on too many top 50 lists is beyond me.
The Wombats Proudly Present: A Guide to Love, Loss & Desperation by The Wombats-Yes, I know, it’s the Wombats, one the worst groups to hail from England who’ll never be anything more than mindless pop, right? Wrong. Like many groups that manage to top the charts, The Wombats are seemingly no different, except for the fact that their sheer power is undeniable and their drummer (Dan Haggis) and bassist (Tord Øverland-Knudsen) truly know their way around their respective instruments. It’s surprising that they didn’t make it on virtually any Top 50 list, but groups like The Ting Tings did.
Jim by Jamie Lidell-Though this was very different from his previous album (Multiply), as in severely lacking in the electronic sound, that is no reason to forget about such a fantastic artist. Jamie Lidell embraced very tightly his soul abilities and upon hearing it, even just once, you can’t help but fall in love with it. The general compositions are also very well arranged, so he should get props for that at least. I’ve only seen this on one Top 50 list, and that was Under the Radar’s.
Modern Guilt by Beck-I’ve read nothing but good reviews for this album, and upon listening to it myself, I very clearly understood why. The main problem people seemed to have with this album is that it didn’t sound like The Information, which if you know Beck, every one of his albums is different than the previous. I absolutely adored this album and what very shocked to see that The Epitome of Cool was seen in so little Top 50 lists.
Song
Being Somebody Else by The Coral-I know I’m extremely biased when I say this, but I don’t really get why this was in no one’s top ‘songs’ of 2008. I understand wholly that I’m possibly the only one who loves The Coral as much as I do, but it’s a very good song and their first release since Roots and Echoes.
Being Somebody Else
To me the best list I saw was in Under The Radar Magazine so you should check it out.
Happy 2009!
Albums
A Larum by Johnny Flynn-Though folk music isn’t the most popular in the world today, how did virtually no one give Johnny Flynn’s debut ‘A Larum’ the amount of attention that it deserved? I have as of yet seen him on any top 50 lists, which really surprised me. He has an absurd amount of maturity for his 25 years and his sound is definitely one of the most original (at least of this decade) that I’ve seen. This was definitely one of my favorite albums for 2008, so let’s hope that 2009 is a much better year for him.
Age Of The Understatement by The Last Shadow Puppets-Alex Turner’s gone hipster and is not sounding like the Arctic Monkeys and whose this Miles Kane, what has he done? These are two very common beefs people had about this side project. If you don’t think about the two’s other/past projects and you treat this as a stand alone, this album is really good. Owen Pallett even did the strings! How this wasn’t on too many top 50 lists is beyond me.
The Wombats Proudly Present: A Guide to Love, Loss & Desperation by The Wombats-Yes, I know, it’s the Wombats, one the worst groups to hail from England who’ll never be anything more than mindless pop, right? Wrong. Like many groups that manage to top the charts, The Wombats are seemingly no different, except for the fact that their sheer power is undeniable and their drummer (Dan Haggis) and bassist (Tord Øverland-Knudsen) truly know their way around their respective instruments. It’s surprising that they didn’t make it on virtually any Top 50 list, but groups like The Ting Tings did.
Jim by Jamie Lidell-Though this was very different from his previous album (Multiply), as in severely lacking in the electronic sound, that is no reason to forget about such a fantastic artist. Jamie Lidell embraced very tightly his soul abilities and upon hearing it, even just once, you can’t help but fall in love with it. The general compositions are also very well arranged, so he should get props for that at least. I’ve only seen this on one Top 50 list, and that was Under the Radar’s.
Modern Guilt by Beck-I’ve read nothing but good reviews for this album, and upon listening to it myself, I very clearly understood why. The main problem people seemed to have with this album is that it didn’t sound like The Information, which if you know Beck, every one of his albums is different than the previous. I absolutely adored this album and what very shocked to see that The Epitome of Cool was seen in so little Top 50 lists.
Song
Being Somebody Else by The Coral-I know I’m extremely biased when I say this, but I don’t really get why this was in no one’s top ‘songs’ of 2008. I understand wholly that I’m possibly the only one who loves The Coral as much as I do, but it’s a very good song and their first release since Roots and Echoes.
Being Somebody Else
To me the best list I saw was in Under The Radar Magazine so you should check it out.
Happy 2009!
Friday, December 12, 2008
The Friday Thing: The Meeting Place by The Last Shadow Puppets
Sorry for no reviews, I have two in the works so I'll post one or both tomorrow!
Upon hearing the beginning how could you not want to listen? This was one of a series of basic versions of a few of the shadow puppets song and I personally think that the simple combination of an acoustic and electric guitar help make it a very charming performance. I hope you enjoy these two!
.
The Meeting Place
Upon hearing the beginning how could you not want to listen? This was one of a series of basic versions of a few of the shadow puppets song and I personally think that the simple combination of an acoustic and electric guitar help make it a very charming performance. I hope you enjoy these two!
.
The Meeting Place
Friday, November 7, 2008
The Friday Thing: Memories by The Last Shadow Puppets
This'll be one of the very few performances I'll post where I was actually present to see this exact performance. The Last Shadow Puppets did a couple of covers at the concert, one of them included this song, by Leonard Cohen. This performance was awe-striking and I was basically standing in that general vicinity too. I hope you enjoy!
Memories
Memories
Saturday, November 1, 2008
SHOW REVIEW: THE LAST SHADOW PUPPETS LIVE @ The Grand Ballroom in NYC
On Thursday, I went to see The Last Shadow Puppets in New York City, which apparently became sold out during the past week. I got into the city around 5:00 and went to get a bite to eat. At around 6:00 we decided to just go straight to the venue and see if we could get in. When we got there, there were already people waiting in line, but at least we were part of the first third there. After standing, for about an hour and a half, mind you it was 30º, they finally started letting people in. We ran up 14 flights of stairs to the top where the ballroom was. We immediately bought shirts and staked out a place in real close to the front,
being that it was general admission standing. After a half an hour of waiting, the time had come: 8:00. After about a half an hour more, we just assumed the opening act, Stephen Fretwell, just forgot to come, but like a ship in the night, he comes on at around 8:35. He introduced himself as ‘Hi, my name is Stephen Fretwell, not The Last Shadow Puppets’. Though very angry that he didn’t come on at the set time (8:00), I can’t say he was bad. His songs were a good combination of pop, indie, and folk. It was just him and his guitar. He had quite a wit about him too as seen when someone yelled ‘I love you!’ he quickly said ‘If I could see you, I might love you too’ and he kept saying we were all ‘very kind’. He did five songs, my personal favorite was his last one ‘Emily’. He was done at around nine and I just assumed the Puppets were only minutes away, but no. All the guitar techs/microphone techs and such came out. For a half an hour, they plucked/spoke/banged around, and quite frankly, they were too picky being that the show was supposed to start an hour and thirty minutes ago. The orchestra were the first to come on. When the house lights finally turned down, the crowd freaked. They began to play the basic theme of the album and Miles Kane and Alex Turner came out. I was awestruck and said to myself ‘Are they really there?’. We were positioned about 5 feet in front of Miles and 15 or so feet from Alex. They were both wearing jeans and a leather jacket, but Miles came on these black, slight-aviator sunglasses. They weren’t exactly hard on the eyes, if you know what I mean. They immediately went into ‘In My Room’ which was very suiting to start. It was so much more powerful than it was on the album that it surprised me. Afterwards they moved into ‘Age of The Understatement’, which was one the best performances I’ve ever seen. The way they worked the crowd fit the mood of the music perfectly. ‘Only the Truth’ was extremely well done. They got the tight opening parts down which helped make it one of their cleanest, yet heaviest performances. ‘Separate and Ever Deadly’ was the most interesting performance. Miles said 'This is Separate and Ever Deadly'. Alex said 'What did you say?' and Miles replied 'I fucking said Separate and Ever Deadly' and everyone clapped and screamed. They nailed the beginning, but right after the slight break in the middle finished, Miles came in a second too early thus making it sound very off. He proceeded to stop the band and say ‘I fucked it up’. He then said that he wanted to redo that bit to get it right but Alex said ‘You really want to enjoy that handsome maverick bit’. It was very funny! It was kind of charming how he decided to explain it to the audience Alex what he had done. I had heard that they were playing ‘I Want You (She’s So Heavy)’ at the gig previous to this one, but I hadn’t e
xpected them to play it here. Miles’s part sounded much more into it than John Lennon ever did. For the encore, their version of Leonard Cohen’s ‘Memories’ was my favorite performance. Miles got so into his part and the way he awkwardly lazed around the stage really made the performance. They closed with, clearly the fan favorite, ‘Standing Next To Me’. In general, the show was everything I expected it to be and more. I never dreamed I’d be standing that close to either of them or that I’d actually be able to hear this live. Though I was standing a few feet next to amp, I still got the idea that the quality of sound was almost recording quality. The only complaints I do have are that more people seemed to be piled on Alex’s side (surprise(I was on Miles’s)), the way they made you wait in the beginning was mildly ridiculous, and the orchestra were a decibel or two too loud. Next time they come around, I strongly suggest seeing them, I know I will!
being that it was general admission standing. After a half an hour of waiting, the time had come: 8:00. After about a half an hour more, we just assumed the opening act, Stephen Fretwell, just forgot to come, but like a ship in the night, he comes on at around 8:35. He introduced himself as ‘Hi, my name is Stephen Fretwell, not The Last Shadow Puppets’. Though very angry that he didn’t come on at the set time (8:00), I can’t say he was bad. His songs were a good combination of pop, indie, and folk. It was just him and his guitar. He had quite a wit about him too as seen when someone yelled ‘I love you!’ he quickly said ‘If I could see you, I might love you too’ and he kept saying we were all ‘very kind’. He did five songs, my personal favorite was his last one ‘Emily’. He was done at around nine and I just assumed the Puppets were only minutes away, but no. All the guitar techs/microphone techs and such came out. For a half an hour, they plucked/spoke/banged around, and quite frankly, they were too picky being that the show was supposed to start an hour and thirty minutes ago. The orchestra were the first to come on. When the house lights finally turned down, the crowd freaked. They began to play the basic theme of the album and Miles Kane and Alex Turner came out. I was awestruck and said to myself ‘Are they really there?’. We were positioned about 5 feet in front of Miles and 15 or so feet from Alex. They were both wearing jeans and a leather jacket, but Miles came on these black, slight-aviator sunglasses. They weren’t exactly hard on the eyes, if you know what I mean. They immediately went into ‘In My Room’ which was very suiting to start. It was so much more powerful than it was on the album that it surprised me. Afterwards they moved into ‘Age of The Understatement’, which was one the best performances I’ve ever seen. The way they worked the crowd fit the mood of the music perfectly. ‘Only the Truth’ was extremely well done. They got the tight opening parts down which helped make it one of their cleanest, yet heaviest performances. ‘Separate and Ever Deadly’ was the most interesting performance. Miles said 'This is Separate and Ever Deadly'. Alex said 'What did you say?' and Miles replied 'I fucking said Separate and Ever Deadly' and everyone clapped and screamed. They nailed the beginning, but right after the slight break in the middle finished, Miles came in a second too early thus making it sound very off. He proceeded to stop the band and say ‘I fucked it up’. He then said that he wanted to redo that bit to get it right but Alex said ‘You really want to enjoy that handsome maverick bit’. It was very funny! It was kind of charming how he decided to explain it to the audience Alex what he had done. I had heard that they were playing ‘I Want You (She’s So Heavy)’ at the gig previous to this one, but I hadn’t e
xpected them to play it here. Miles’s part sounded much more into it than John Lennon ever did. For the encore, their version of Leonard Cohen’s ‘Memories’ was my favorite performance. Miles got so into his part and the way he awkwardly lazed around the stage really made the performance. They closed with, clearly the fan favorite, ‘Standing Next To Me’. In general, the show was everything I expected it to be and more. I never dreamed I’d be standing that close to either of them or that I’d actually be able to hear this live. Though I was standing a few feet next to amp, I still got the idea that the quality of sound was almost recording quality. The only complaints I do have are that more people seemed to be piled on Alex’s side (surprise(I was on Miles’s)), the way they made you wait in the beginning was mildly ridiculous, and the orchestra were a decibel or two too loud. Next time they come around, I strongly suggest seeing them, I know I will! ----------------------
Set List:
In My Room
Age of the Understatement
Calm Like You
Black Plant
Only The Truth
Gas Dance
Little Red Book
Separate and Ever Deadly
Hang the Cyst
I Want You (She’s So Heavy)
My Mistakes Were Made for You
In The Heat of The Morning
I Don’t Like You Anymore
The Chamber
The Time Has Come Again
The Meeting Place
ENCORE
Memories
Standing Next To Me
----------------------
Set List:
In My Room
Age of the Understatement
Calm Like You
Black Plant
Only The Truth
Gas Dance
Little Red Book
Separate and Ever Deadly
Hang the Cyst
I Want You (She’s So Heavy)
My Mistakes Were Made for You
In The Heat of The Morning
I Don’t Like You Anymore
The Chamber
The Time Has Come Again
The Meeting Place
ENCORE
Memories
Standing Next To Me
----------------------
Note: I got the first picture from here and I got the 2nd picture from here. I hope this review gave a decent review/picture of what I'd seen. I have to get something out: I read 3 reviews of this show and I disagree with all of them. One (male) reviewer said that if you were a women, and you saw Miles make eye contact with you while performing, you would've thought 'What and asshole!' but, I know for a fact that that reviewer doesn't know how a woman's minds works.
Sunday, July 6, 2008
THE AGE OF THE UNDERSTATEMENT-The Last Shadow Puppets
The Age of the Understatement-
The Last Shadow Puppets
Status: Out as of 2008
Status: Out as of 2008
Label: Domino
Rating: 4 Feathers
When you take two 22 year olds, you would expect a record to be a bit punk, possibly angry. What you would not expect is a big bold orchestral section with pieces of brass and slightly softer sounds. Well, that's pretty much what Alex Turner of Arctic Monkeys and Miles Kane of The Rascals did, with strings provided by Owen Pallett (Final Fantasy) and drums provided by James Ford (Simian Mobile Disco). The album kicks off with the title track 'The Age of The Understatement'. The song opens with strings that sound like seagulls that move into drums and guitar reminiscent of 'Knights of Cydonia' by Muse. It's extremely epic sounding, not what you'd expect. Miles's and Alex's vocals sound similar enough that them singing together creates a grander feel. 'Standing Next to Me' seems like it could've been taken from the hit-list during the 60's. It is upbeat and has a pop-y feel. 'Calm Like You'(s) vocals at the beginning sound almost like they could be from an Arctic Monkeys song but the orchestral feel continues to make it their own. 'Separate and Ever Deadly' is the sort of song where if you listen to it once, it grinds into your skull, sets up camp, and as it says in the song, 'won't let go'. It has a somber, but frantic feel and you will want to listen to it over and over again. Apparently, 'The Chamber' was the duo's first try at the whole swapping vocals thing. Well, they've got that down. The message of being 'cornered by yourself' adds to the sullenness of it. The quiet of 'The Chamber' is the exact opposite of 'Only The Truth'. It kicks in with the two shouting 'only the truth' which'll surprise you if you're not ready. This isn't my favourite song because it sounds like too much like 'The Age of The Understatement' in the sense that the guitar is just too similar and the drums are also not as fitting as they were in the title track. 'My Mistakes Were Made For You' starts with a drum-roll and moves into a very acoustic-y sort of feel with Alex singing alone. It, to me, is beautiful due to a single voice against a melodic orchestra and acoustic guitar. It's got the perfect amount of calm, but just enough of a darker feel to make you love it. I mega-loathe 'Black Plant'. I just don't like it. It's by far my least favourite. The beginning is annoying and I hate the upbeat pace that's punctured by slow movements and a horn that just follows the vocals. Miles's and Alex's vocals don't mesh in this song at all in that the harmonies are all screwed up. 'I Don't Like You Anymore' is very, let's say, different, but in a good way. The beginning is a little slow, but once Miles comes in, you can hardly understand his thick Liverpool accent because he sounds like he's putting his heart into that stanza. It's a very odd journey that leaves you thinking 'What WAS that?' 'In My Room' is a very, very dark song and it ends on an awkwardly happy chord. 'Meeting Place' is amazing. It's so beautiful, that when listening to it in a certain mood, it may make you cry. Its sound is so filled with hope, though the lyrics are about a guy leaving a girl, that the mood init of itself makes it so brilliant. 'The Time Has Come Again' has a solo acoustic guitar, later accompanied by strings, and an echo-y vocal that make it the perfect ending for such a grand, epic album. This album, specifically, sounds like 50's-60's orchestral pop, with a modern, youthful, epic feel. Miles and Alex are both promising lyricists and musicians. You'd expect an album like this to be done by a critically acclaimed musician that's nearing his 7th or 8th album, but the fact that they are so young just makes this album that much better. Noting each of their band's works, The Last Shadow Puppets definitely took a huge risk. These guys have guts and I would strongly suggest this album for listening to. A Monkey and a Rascal: Who knew.
-
"I walked into the studio when they were doing 'Meeting Place'; this little song you've written in your bedroom is being played by an orchestra! I went cold".
-Miles Kane
Video For Standing Next To Me
-
The Age of The Understatement Official Site for the Album: Features performances and promos
Note: I took the picture myself. Also, I posted a rating and a video in the Vampire Weekend post to, so check it out. I hope you enjoyed!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
