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The Last Shadow Puppets – The Age of the Understatement
CD, Rs. 350
From the get go, The Age of the Understatement plays like the soundtrack of a cowboy western film, or soundtrack that would find itself in a Quentin Tarantino flick and that in no way is a bad thing.
A meeting of the minds of two of modern day punk rock poster boys, Alex Turner, lead singer and guitarist of Arctic Monkeys and Miles Kane, also lead singer and guitarist of Brit punk rock trio, The Rascals, The Age of the Understatement, is highly stylised at a fresh sounding rock.
The 12-track CD consists of a unique blend of rock and an element of dramatic, movie-like fanfare orchestrated by the London Metropolitan Orchestra. The Quentin Tarantino comment stands strong as the stylised rock and heavily-layered orchestra creates a movie like atmosphere.
At first listen, it can be a little unsettling as you expect to hear a rock album but are treated to the movie soundtrack like music. The beauty of this CD is that it grows on you. Some of the more notable tracks are “The Chamber”, “Only the Truth”, “Blank Plant”, “The Ominous”, and the title track of the album, “The Age of the Understatement”. Though not all the songs in the album are all out rock songs, the CD ends on a low note with mellow tracks like “In My Room”, “The Meeting Place” and “Time had Come Again”.
A unique sound, a fun listen, perfect if your looking for the next new thing in rock or are just game to experiment with a new style of music.
Radiohead – The Best Of
Parlophone Records
1 CD, Rs. 350,
2 CD Special Edition, Rs. 620
DVD, Rs. 595
A gap of 16 years is too long to release a “Best Of …” compilation, what with most newer bands coming out with one almost every five years. But like their music, Radiohead has exercised a sense of maturity in the matter. The result. A two disc, 29-song compilation of their absolute best.
“Radiohead – The Best Of…” comes in a variety of different packages. A single CD consisting of 16 tracks, a two CD set that houses the complete collection of 29 songs and a special edition DVD which is a rare treasure trove of Radiohead videos and live performances.
Though the title of the compilation is Radiohead – The Best Of, fans of the recently-released “In Rainbows”, may not find their favourite tracks like “Nude” or “Weird Fishes”, as this best of album chronicles their greatest work since their inception in early 1992 with Pablo Honey and their last opus Hail to the Thief in 2003. All albums were released by Parlophone Records before Radiohead recently signed up with XL/TBD for “In Rainbows”.
The single CD version contains tracks like “Just”, “Paranoid Android”, “Karma Police”, and the bone-chilling “Everything In It’s Right Place”.The two-CD compilation, in addition to the first disc also contains a bonus disc with tracks like “Airbag” and “I Might Be Wrong”,
If visual stimulation is your cup of tea, Radiohead has also released a DVD collection of their best videos and live performances. Most might beg to differ that for a band like Radiohead, it is really hard to define such a compilation, simply because their tracks have a higher profound sense and lasting appeal, with their ethereal melodies and sublime lyrics.
In no way is the album a let down, but if you’re a die hard Radiohead fan there isn’t anything new here. The DVD edition is a must have.
And like any best of compilations, it’s a great way to get new fans into the fold.
AKSHAY RAJMOHAN
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