The Age Of The Understatement

I enjoyed this! It pulled on a thread of the 60s that isn't visited as much by revivalists. Part of me thinks the Arctic Monkeys guy should have stuck to this path.

I didn’t mind this, I liked the stings and horns though a lot of the songs blended together and I wasn’t a huge fan of the guys voice. Again I am working on other things rn so I’m a little distracted. I do think I would listen to this again at least once but from this listen I thought it was alright for me. 2.819/5

Never heard of this band but so far digging what I hear. It's someone from the Arctic Monkeys who I like. Feels like that early 2000's indie rock which is a sweet spot for me. Just good upbeat rock and roll. I like some of the instrumentation in these songs but as it goes on it tends to overstay it's welcome. Decent album overall.

Alex Turner and other british acts of that time doing baroque pop like Scott Walker. I thought the songs influenced by Love's Forever Changes were good like "Standing Next to Me". Rest was fine upper 2.5 rounded to 3

Hey, I've got a great idea. How about just one of you wankstains sings at a time?

Cool alternative music, listened with pleasure

Four and a half stars, sounds very Arctic Monkeys (which makes sense) but a different vibe. Definitely a fun listen.

I <3 the last shadow puppets. Great album but missing something for me.

Jag är förvånad att jag inte hört det här albumet förut, med tanke på hur mycket jag lyssnade på allt som Alex Turner skapade när jag var tonåring. Oavsett är det ännu bättre än jag förväntade mig!

Some albums are weird aren't they. This has all the elements of something I'd like but did nothing for me. Maybe it's what I brought to it too. The last 2 tracks are decent

First time hearing this, didn't know it existed. Love the 60's feel and the cinematic quality of these songs. But, man, the songs feel claustrophobic as they aren't allowed to breathe at all. I know I'd like this better on repeat listens. The heightened pop style works well but I wish the band would relax a little with the arrangements and production.

Didn't know this project existed. Wasn't too impressed with it to be honest, some songs sound like monkeys b-sides and the ones that are trying to be more out there in a 60s pop direction dont really work for me. A couple of good ones and it's all fine but another that i would question why it's in this book.

Perfect cover: here comes a 60s jazzy, cool version of the Arctic Monkeys, inspired by Serge Gainsbourg (that last part is not entirely complimentary)

Dumb

Not my favorite Alex Turner project but still pretty good. 3.75

The addition of strings in some songs was nice, but the album as a whole was just fine.

The Good: 30 minute album... The Bad: 28 minutes too long... The Ugly: That we were warned about it being an understatement... Someone rated this album with a 3* stating that this was more insulting than a 1* album, as 3* means you really had no emotions while listening to this... I'm inclined to agree... I listened to this album 2 times, in the course of a week, just to be able to wrap my brain around what I really think about this ouvre... and I think it is 30 minutes lost. Not that it is bad... it just isn't much more than stuff that has been done before, by other artists, who put in a better effort. So, avoiding the possibility that this rating takes longer to read/write than the length of this album, let's just give is a 3* rating and go on to the next...

Meh, boring. I was skipping ahead by the second song. At one point I heard something I thought I could get on board with and I looked up to find out that it was the music on a commercial playing between songs.

ok this is hella cool. i'd already enjoyed some arctic monkeys albums in the past so I was definitely jumpscared by the singer's voice here- even outside of that hypnotic english boy, though, this album absolutely bangs. Calm Like You and My Mistakes Were Made For You were some particular standouts but I really enjoyed the whole thing. thanks mr monkey!

I enjoyed this! I like that it shows a different side of his taste than what AM was putting out at this time. (Maybe not as different as current day AM though.) Fav tracks: The Age of the Understatement; Calm Like You; Time Has Come Again

Didn’t realise how much I like Alex Turner’s voice, maybe it’s just familiarity

60's/70's revivalist mod rock. It has a cool James Bond jazz feel at times along with some disco and glam all spruced up for the 2000's. The is a weird dark tone to some of the songs as well. Some of the songs sounded like they were recording in an empty room, had a weird echo thing going on. Overall this was a cool record to discover on the journey.

NEVER HEARD OF THEM. Wow, it gets more obscure every day. Obviously from England if they're on this list, but these guys never made a dent in the USA. Shocked to see they have so many listens. Jaw dropping numbers with tracks logging in at 86M, 63M, 48M, 36M, etc. "Boring vanilla" was the first thing I thought of halfway through this one. Kinda like most Arctic Monkey's songs, too wordy, no true hook, too English. 2.5 stars. Just nothing music, zero reason to ever listen to it again.

Okay

Sometimes an album takes you by surprise. I had never heard of this band and had zero idea what to expect. I was blown away by the arrangement and songwriting from the very first track! These guys, to my ear, sound a bit like if Muse and The Living End wrote a soundtrack to a spaghetti western spy thriller. This is definitely going in my library.

another one i’d never even heard of and it’s pretty great. basically britpop doing their take on 60s chamber pop

I love Arctic Monkeys and this group’s second album holds a very special place in my memory, which is why I was surprised at how little of this particular album I remembered. I still enjoyed it though!

Shoutout to when I played “Calm like You” in the car one time and Emily said “damn this just sounds like off brand Arctic Monkeys” There’s a bunch of really good tracks on this one: the aforementioned “Calm Like You” has been in my liked playlist for a couple years, love the way it ebbs and flows and how Turner performs on that one. I Don’t Like You Anymore has a completely different energy but I love the guitar performance on that one. Turner’s vocals are great and the bands sound is just really solid all around. Lyrics and songwriting are actually better than you’d expect from the genre I don’t have too many complaints, other than the fact that the album can drag a bit in places and the highs aren’t really quite as high as I’d like for a truly special album Easy 9/10 album for me, where just one more great song would make it near perfect. If you took Miracle Aligner or Sweet Dreams Tennessee from their other album and put them on this one it would be an easy 5. Still a great ride from start to finish

feels like im in a parallel universe where someone moved a chair slightly to the left and this is the music arctic monkeys made instead Obv a joke since its the same guy lol. i liked the orchestral bits with the high energy. its a fun sound for sure!

Decent enough baroque pop that doesn't hit the highs of the Arctic Monkeys, but doesn't hit the lows of their most recent output either.

I don't mind this, I would say it's fairly average. It keeps up a decent tempo, but it doesn't really have a point where it peaks, I feel. It's definitely got flare to it, but there isn't something that really grabbed me at any point. I just felt a lot of it ends up sounding similar across the album. It's a good sound for the most part. It's just, it's not very defined. Fav Track: Black Plant

We have Arctic Monkeys at home. Arctic Monkeys at home:

Not the biggest fan of this album. It's not similar to Arctic Monkeys despite having the same singer. I just didn't get anything from it.

Not bad.

Enjoyed this one quite a bit even though I’d never heard of it before! 4/5 ⭐️ 267/1081

This was dreadful. Pretentious bollocks. Deliberately and desperately trying to sound “retro”, with some terrible lyrics thrown in. First 1 star rating in a while.

Bloody fantastic, like a proper real good album, all tracks added to my library!

Meh. Mah. Boh. Sound già sentito

oh I'm sorry no one told me alex turner of arctic monkeys and miles kane of the rascals were in a band together? and released these BANGERS this is actually diabolical, this album is easily going in rotation for me holy moly

Not bad, didn't love the vibe of this kinda 2000s artic monkey type rock but aight

I bought this when it first came out and also saw them live, so was a fan back in the day. Haven't listened to it for quite a while so was happy to do so again. Love the 60s overtones and the homage to Scott Walker, Bacharach and 60s movie soundtracks. Will have to make sure I listen to it more!

It’s the same thing over and over again.

I think its more than a 3 but not a 4... If you like new arctic monkeys its for you

Interesting discovery. Wikipedia calls it "baroque pop" which is funny. Alex Turner's voice is iconic.

This was pretty good, might revisit this. It's close to a 4 but not quite there

The string elements add grandiose layers to the album. As a whole, it has an older yet timeless quality. Strangely, i found the vocals to not quite fit at times. 3.4/5.0

Zuhause, Gerstetten, Deutschland. Tolle Scheibe!

I don't much care for the Arctic Monkeys but surely they have at least more album that is worthy of inclusion than this. Just painfully dull

This was a real blind listen. Thought it sounded familiar and then saw the band lineup. Tracks 4-8 were the highlights.

4.4/5 - cool.

Don't really enjoy the 60s movie-soundtrack production here. Strings with heavy reverberation, Morricone guitars. It's all ok, but it don't really need Arctic Monkeys with the Yourtown Philharmonic. It's not as bad as the Metallica Symphony Orchestra -- and thank god these are new songs actually composed for this production and not old songs ruined by it -- but still... it ends up feeling a little flat and samey. 2.5/5, rounding down. Easy to drop this from the list.

Why did he make this band I don’t know maybe so he has an excuse to touch miles Kane but whatever it’s good music

I've heard some Arctic Monkeys before, and I was aware that this band was a side project. The music is in the same vein as Arctic Monkeys (dark and mysterious). This album brings in more theatrical and dramatic elements, as well as being fast-paced and tight in both timing and musicality. It sounded like a soundtrack to a James Bond film, complete with strings. I liked this a lot.

Not sure how to describe this, 70’s rock? But tbh the whole picture was boring.

Álbum sem relevância e sem muita inspiração, apesar da sonoridade agradável.

Wer hat das Ding denn aus den 60ern in unsere Gegenwart gebeamt? Kein gute Idee.

This is all forgettable album with nothing to say. Doesn't make it bad, and I actually thought it finished strong. However, how can it possibly make this list? There is nothing special here.

giving 60s, spaghetti western vibes. sounds like what Arctic Monkeys would do later with AM but more intense in its baroque sound. nothing really stood out to me for this album, just the fact that baroque pop really is pop/rock + orchestral strings.

A pretty good album. Arctic Monkeys spin off. I will play again.

Not bad but kind of forgettable. A decent supergroup though.

Not essential. Like their second album a lot better. Still song nice songs tho

This is a fucking excellent album tbf, the orchestral accompaniments work so well it feels like a bond album. Cinematic, catchy, it does start to run out of steam about halfway through though. But still great. 4.0/5.0 Best Song: Calm Like You

Very cool album. This was a fun listen, uptempo, lots of instrumentation, driving rhythms and varying styles. I’ll come back to this one.

Very Artic Monkeys vibes with a 60s twist. I enjoy some of the orchestral parts 4/5

mi sono detta "ah cazzo sembra di ascoltare gli arctic monkeys"...

Black Pistol Fire ahh

Started off exciting and a full vibe but the lyrics are meh and songs slid into the mundane.

Completely new to me. I probably heard about it from Arctic Monkeys fans, but I’ve never been big on them. Not a hater and like quite a few songs. They just haven’t been a band where I’ve felt the need to visit their albums. Alex Turner seems to be a respectable musician but his voice doesn’t entirely work for me. That was the case here, although I appreciated this more than the Monkeys. Unlike the indie/alt music that Alex otherwise channels, this seems inspired by baroque pop and even film scores. There’s specifically an Ennio Morricone type of sound on some songs. The album is fun. I won’t revisit and that’s okay.

I think I’m starting to get a lot of the albums the UK, which is the origin of this list, found important. Got Robert Wyatt, Supergrass, and now this. It’s all been okay. I’m not a huge Arctic Monkeys guy, but I enjoyed some of the songs here. Feel like the album fell off a cliff a bit towards the end. But I thoroughly enjoyed the title track, Standing Next to Me, and The Chamber. Overall solid but not something I’d revisit.

Best Track - "I Don't Like You Anymore"

Interesting

Side projects are rarely essential. Hollow production and orchestra is like an add on rather than organic.

Sounded like Sergio Leone, brit-pop and Nancy Sinatra were put into a blender. It didn't work great for me but it was interesting. 3 out of 5.

An interesting sound…but also bland. Very 2008 (derogatory). Not sure what makes this essential. Must be something British I’m missing.

Old school undertone to it, quite dramatic. Big departure from turner's early arctic monkeys albums but carries it off much better than some of the later arctic monkeys albums. Very strong showing.

Some of the arrangements were sneakily creative and I liked the usage of horns.

I wanted to like this album and what it was trying to be. I wanted cool, but all I heard was derivative nostalgia—youthfully earnest retro takes on music from another time. This album is that bad movie sequel they made instead of spending money on something new.

The only thing these songs have in common to me is that they are just unmistakedly British. The first song sounds like an over-orchestrated proto-Cage the Elephant song from an unreleased James Bond film. The rest are just sort of uber-lyrical indie songs featuring a modern take on 60s mod sound. The best demonstration of the Bond vibe was in "My Mistakes Were Made For You" - everything really comes together here. However, it was overall so middling sounding to me that I couldn't imagine having a really strong opinion on this, hence the rating. Favorite tracks: The Chamber, My Mistakes Were Made For You, I Don't Like You Anymore

? Nobody needs this man

thought it was okay until i learned it was the arctic monkeys guy

It's a shame I can't stand his voice.

Completely unremarkable although perfectly fine. What is this doing here?

I didn’t think this was half bad. There was a 60s vibe to it, like it was straight out of a tv show or movie from that era. Kinda fun. Not that it was great music, but it was an interesting listen. Standing Next To Me was the standout track to my ear.

Alex Turner AM

Never heard of this band but Alex Turner's voice is immediately recognizable. Their sound is certainly comparable to Artic Monkeys, but with less punch and more... swoop, deriving from their 60s mod flair and lush instrumentation. Pretty good!

🙂

4.5

It doesn't necessary top any of Arctic Monkeys best work but Alex Turner and Miles Kane bring some of the best of each other out for some chamber pop inspired indie rock filled with clever lyrics filled with this lush atmosphere and honestly Alex Turner really brings the best out of Miles Kane. Everything is so dramatic, even in the slower, calmer moments, and it really grabbed my attention and held onto it until the last track was finished.

6.0/10 Pretty groovy

Some good tracks here but I just keep hearing the beginning of the end of Arctic Monkeys when I listen to Las Shadow Puppets, so its hard to be objective. I love the sound though, its clean, high production value and everything else we are accustomed to, but it doesnt do it for me.. I was excited when this came out for an Alex Turner project and instead got this attempt at cinematic and artsy album. Everything sounds to me like Alex was listening to James Bond movie soundtracks non-stop and this is what came out.

Can this actually be from 2008? When were Arctic Monkeys big? I am getting uncomfy here I feel like there is some timeline glitching here... Pretty short album, but I liked it a good bit. I'd probably say more than Arctic Mokeys as well, at least at the moment. I thought the string arrangements were very cool on a lot of the tracks. Light 4 I'd say.

Meh, it's fine but nothing to write home about imho. I like the orchestral elements, but apparently I can't separate Turner from Arctic Monkeys at all, making this album sound like a weird cover album 2.8

I don't think I'm a reliable marker of this album because my Alex Turner limit has been reached. I used to think he was fun and creative, I now think he's a pretentious crashing bore as Morrissey would say, it all sound lounge musicy to me now - in other words tuneless and boring lyrically. I can't ne bothered to give it more effort if it's not that

Hits quite a few of my reference points but when Turner makes these kind of shifts in style I just think others do it better - Jarvis Cocker, Hawley...and thats just within Sheffield.....

It’s a valiant attempt to do something different, but aside from delivering a few catchy songs which wouldnt be out of place in a Tarantino soundtrack, the album largely fails to rise above “unspectacular to decent” status, and it’s hardly what it categorise as a “must hear”. Listening to it 18 years after release I’m largely of an unwavering opinion to what I felt back in the day. Unlikely to listen to it ever again.

Eh

These all sound like James Bond themes

9 keepers in 12 (75%). Just a lovely album. Hit play and let it run anytime. 4 stars.

was a bit intense for the vibe im going for rn, liked a couple of songs tho!

A precursor to what Arctic Monkeys would become, perhaps without the histrionics and hammy delivery that plagues those songs. The strings are quite well done and overall, I don't mind it, but it feels inessential