Bringing the Puppets Out of the Shadows

The Arctic Monkeys are one of my favorite bands in the world...this post is not about them. However it IS about the side project of lead singer Alex Turner, who has teamed up with Miles Kane (lead singer of the Rascals, a band about which I know nothing) and James Ford (who I don't count as part of the group but technically does some work composing and producing...just no real instruments or singing) to create something quite brilliant.

The Last Shadow Puppets are the aforementioned brilliance. This band is a bit of a step down from the amazing indie rock that is Arctic Monkeys. However, it is something quite different, while still maintaining the brilliant sound Turner brings to Arctic Monkeys. The Last Shadow Puppets have some slower songs, compared to Arctic Monkeys, though the majority of their songs are up-tempo numbers that blend the very complimentary vocals of Turner and Kane with driving guitar runs. The Puppets' lyrics are smart, sharp, and snappy, painting everything from stories of sweet romance to bitter portraits of resentment. Perhaps the best thing about the Puppets is that they are accompanied by an ORCHESTRA! That's right, as in a whole lotta professional musicians playing the instruments that you have to be wearing a tux to play. It's beautifully oxymoronic to have a symphony added to British rock music, but it works PERFECTLY.

The Last Shadow Puppets currently only have one album out (2008's The Age of the Understatement (it receives a grade of A from me)), yet they also have an abundance of b-sides that can be found on youtube, and probably in other nooks and crannies. Their album is amazing, go buy five copies of it now.

I cannot say enough good about the Last Shadow Puppets to be honest, they're one of the better bands I have discovered during the last year...yet I don't know a single person that listens to them apart from myself.
You shouldn't miss it.

A few favorites:
My Mistakes Were Made For You
Age of the Understatement
The Meeting Place
Paris Summer
(their cover of Rihanna's S.O.S. makes me laugh)

Visit their official page HERE.