I hate very long posts in blogs. It was my hidden objective to try to write succinct installments, so that my readers from all around the world would not get bored.
This time I am gonna write something about music. This 2008 should bring nice new records. In the English side, we expect new releases from The Verve (who reunited last year and are now touring), Coldplay (whose album I got today, and I am currenyly analyzing) and, if I am not wrong, PJ Harvey should release something soon. In the Spanish side, Babasonicos have released a fine album (not very original, though); in his tradition, Spinetta should also release a very dense yet beautiful piece later this month. Finally, Los Bunkers (my favorite band from Chile) should publish their new record in September. I am sure I am forgetting an artist or two in this list.
The above are the expected albums. My real intention is discuss a bit about an unexpected album. Discovering new music is a difficult but rewarding process. Changing the usual stuff you hear is sometimes necessary, and finding great stuff during those experiments is something I enjoy a lot. This is the case of The Last Shadow Puppets, who released a terrific album. The best thing I have heard in months.
I got to know these guys in the most unlikely of the ways I discover music: watching youtube videos. I had read about some controversy related to the solo project of The Artic Monkeys' leader. The controversy was because the first single of the album (called 'The age of the understatement', just like the album) was suspiciously similar to Muse's Knights of Cydonia. I proceeded to compare the songs by watching the videos. The entrances are indeed similar, but nothing more. A publicity trick, I am sure, that worked smoothly with me.
I have to say that the video simply captivated me from the very beginning; the song was meant to be assimilated in a more slowly way. The video is placed in Russia and it's simply great. I love the concept of military tanks and choirs; the way the camera moves in the square is splendid:
After seeing the video, I was very curious about the band, and read a bit more. These are two guys (Alex Turner from The Arctic Monkeys & Miles Kane from The Rascals) who are doing some sort of break from their respective bands by recording an album together. In the real life Alex and Miles are friends.
After this bit of information you could have read in wikipedia, let me try to describe their music. In a nutshell, they do James Bond inspired rock. I would dare to say that several of the great moments of the album would fit perfectly in the glamour and sophistication that James Bond transmits in his movies. The songs have a lot of energy, but nothing out of control. Everything seems perfectly planned; guitars and drums are strong and play a prominent role. They're shaken, not stirred, you could say. In these times of stupidity, I am happy to report the lyrics are very decent, although their quality varies a lot (given that these are two kids in their early 20s, I think we shouldn't ask more.) Songs are like capsules, none of them lasts more than 4 minutes: they have something to say, they play the thing passionately and that's it. I love that concept.
As in every album, not every single song is great. I think all songs are very good, but some of them are one level below. My favorite songs are the James Bond-like: "Standing next to me", "Calm like you", "Only the truth", "In my room". Last but not least, the best song of the album: "My mistakes were made for you". This is the performance in Jools Holland's show:
(You might also enjoy hearing/seeing this acoustic version.)
To conclude, I can say two things. First, the Last Shadow Puppets is a great record, full of sophistication and carefully added energy. I really recommend it. Second, I am unable to write short posts. Now it's worst, as I make things longer by embedding youtube videos.
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