The Last Shadow Puppets - Everything You've Come To Expect (Album Review)
Wednesday, 06 April 2016
Written by Liam Turner
Eight years is a long time. In the world of music it’s even longer. Bands come and go, chart-toppers become lost in the annals of history and new trends banish the old, leaving a trail of irrevocable destruction in their wake. Dubstep, anyone?
Now, almost a decade since the release of the Last Shadow Puppets’ debut, ‘The Age of the Understatement’, Alex Turner and Miles Kane have returned with its long-awaited follow up, ‘Everything You’ve Come to Expect’. With such a large gulf in time between records, it would be wise to think that much has changed. And, although the album features a familiar array of violins, violas and cellos, that is at least partly true.
Whether you define the Shadow Puppets as baroque-pop, orch-rock or just indie-rock with a few frilly bits, those labels still very much apply here. On the opener, Aviation, subtle strings accompany a relentless, foreboding guitar riff and Kane’s recounting of “glum looking beauties”.
On the lead single, Bad Habits, incongruous viola stabs punctuate erratic shouts of “sick puppies” and ‘“red lollies”. It’s one part the Verve, one part the Velvet Underground.
But there are notable points of difference. There’s a certain bullishness, a kind of swagger, to this second outing. Where ‘Understatement…’ recounted stories of heartbreak and uncertainty, this LP is more concerned with tales of lust bordering on lechery. “Go and get ‘em tiger/Get down on your knees again,” Turner commands on the beguiling Miracle Aligner. The word louche has possibly never been more applicable.
Album two also differs from its predecessor in that it’s not particularly ‘puppety’. The majority of songs on offer here are good, but many feel like Monkeys b-sides from ‘Suck It And See’ or ‘AM’, just with a bit of extra fluff. Despite being two of the best songs on the album, The Dream Synopsis and The Bourne Identity sound like variations on No. 1 Party Anthem and Piledriver Waltz respectively. The only real difference is Turner’s incessant croon.
The overall craftsmanship here, though, simply can’t be undermined. The musicianship is tight and intricate, and the songs are balanced and largely enjoyable. ‘Everything You’ve Come To Expect’ might not be the breath of fresh air that ‘Understatement…’ was all those years ago, but that’s not to say it isn’t worth inhaling.
The Last Shadow Puppets Upcoming Tour Dates are as follows:
Sun April 24 2016 - CAMBRIDGE Corn Exchange
Mon April 25 2016 - MIDDLESBROUGH Town Hall
Wed May 25 2016 - DUBLIN Olympia
Thu May 26 2016 - DUBLIN Olympia Theatre
Fri May 27 2016 - DUBLIN Olympia Theatre
Mon May 30 2016 - NEWCASTLE UPON TYNE City Hall
Tue May 31 2016 - LEICESTER De Montfort Hall
Fri June 24 2016 - BRISTOL Lloyds Amphitheatre
Sun July 10 2016 - MANCHESTER Castlefield Bowl
Tue July 12 2016 - BRIDLINGTON Bridlington Spa
Wed July 13 2016 - BOURNEMOUTH BIC
Fri July 15 2016 - LONDON Alexandra Palace
Sat July 16 2016 - LONDON Alexandra Palace
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