2008 marked mach speed on the Arctic Monkeys’ ride to fame. With the fastest selling debut album of all time, followed by two successful records, frontman Alex Turner was in the eye of the storm.
Slinking away from the massive stardom and newfound genre obligations of the Arctic Monkeys, Turner teamed up with former The Rascals frontman, Miles Kane, Simian Mobile Disco drummer, James Ford, Mini Mansions bassist, Zach Dawes and renown conductor/arranger Owen Pallet to give birth to The Last Shadow Puppets.
Eight years later, the fame of the Arctic Monkeys persists with great fervor. With a large time gap between release dates, many felt a new The Last Shadow Puppets release would be improbable. However, after listening to “Everything You’ve Come To Expect,” it’s clear the project was needed for Alex Turner to explore sides of his creativity not touched on by his main act.
Departing from the symphonic pop of their previous release, Kane and Turner trade in their black turtlenecks and Beatles haircuts for slicked-back hair, sunglasses, open-collared shirts and a couple of piña coladas. The predominantly 70s-styled California burnout sound is accentuated by Pallet’s string arrangements, making him the unsung hero of the group.
While this beachside theme is overarching, there is a great deal of variety within the tracklisting. The jangle of the Kane-centric album opener, “Aviation,” speeds the listener along an open road toward a deserted California beach. The powerfully intoxicating melody of “Miracle Aligner,” a standout track, is only emphasized by the post-chorus guitar riff. The track “Dracula Teeth” features the most grandiose chord progression on the album and “Used To Be My Girl” takes on a more sinister tone. For Arctic Monkeys fans, think of this album as the result of the collision between “Humbug” and “Suck it and See” with nuanced bravado.
Another strong point of this project is how well it flows. With an ever-increasing, single-based musicsphere, album cohesion has somewhat been overlooked in recent years. The weaker tracks are complemented by the stronger ones, and vice-versa. When listened to from top to bottom, there is no particular low point because of this coherence.
Though not boldly pretentious, the album’s title rings true. This project is in fact what we expected: great.
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