The Age of the Understatement-The Last Shadow Puppets

In May, Alex Turner of the Arctic Monkeys and Miles Kane of the Rascals teamed up as the Last Shadow Puppets and released their first LP The Age of the Understatement, which spurred on to a large spread outbreak of Arctic Monkeys fans and Rascals fans, but still has not gained much recognition for the dynamic duo from "across the pond."

The record starts out with the title track of Age of the Understatement, which dragged me into the record from the start because of its attractive up-beat tempo with its techno-esque intro, and then takes it just a bit slower in the second track Standing Next to Me which combines a little bit of up-beat acoustic but still has that dark side to it that is so familiar in Favourite Worst Nightmare (Arctic Monkeys', 2007 release) and Rascalize (Rascals', 2008 release). Which is why they're one of the most perfect combinations because of the mutual darkness in their style of music. It keeps up that same pace all throughout the record, but the song that truly stands out is the fourth track Separate and Ever Deadly which is hard to explain, but it's seemingly a perfect rock ballad.

The record has its downsides. It sounds like all Arctic Monkeys songs, despite having one of the Rascals, and although consistency is not a bad thing, it gets a little old because the band is basically using the same material and putting a new name on it. Not that it isn't good, it's just nothing new. Although, there were a few changes to the music itself, they still had the basic Arctic Monkeys sound. Even though the record has its advantages and it is a great record, it's not perfect, and could use work in a lot of areas. The duo has not quite mastered the sound, but they're close to accomplishing it, and they'll get it if they release a sophomore record."

The Kooks-Konk

Once again, I'm back with a review. This one is a little tough to do too, because one thing you have to remember is that no matter how much you like a band, you have to be brutally honest and overall, unmerciful. So, Konk, by the Kooks is on the chopping block for this post.

 

Konk, first of all, was named after the studio that recorded the record. That's just a little background information. This was the Kooks sophomore record (succeeding Inside In/Inside Out which could be considered as one of the best records of this decade thus far) and it had a lot of hype to live up to, due to the success of Inside In/Inside Out. 

Now, I'm not going to say that this was a bad record. This record had a lot of solid building blocks in it. The guitar throughout the entire record was impressive to say the least, and thank Kooks' guitarist Hugh Harris for that. The guitar work really stands out, especially in the song Gap and as well as See The Sun (cleverly related to the blog name.) A lot of the guitar stands out though, not because of swill solos, but rather eccentric hammer ons and slides that give it an extra pizzaz, rather then over-the-top solos that drag the songs out.

 

Now, I have to bring up the lyrics that Luke Pritchard wrote for this record. Now, I'm definitely not saying that the lyrics sucked, but compared to that of Matchbox (From Inside In/Inside Out) and other examples from that record and various EP's they released. I mean, Inside In/Inside Out was just far superior lyrically, because on Konk, Luke wrote songs like Do You Wanna which was a great guitar song, but the incredibly repetitive chorus of "Do you wanna/Do you wanna/Do you wanna make love to me?" It just gets hard to listen to after a minute and a half of the same fourteen words over and over again.

 

I do actually suggest buying this record. But, I'd get a better feel for the Kooks prior to doing so, because I didn't really think this was the Kooks. I give this three and a half stars, based souly on the lack of deepness in the lyrics. So, if your at the record store or BestBuy or whatever it may be, get Inside In/Inside Out first, and if you own it, get Konk, but get it with special bonus disk Rak because it has songs on it that are like the ones on the freshman record (such as Watching the Ships Roll In).

Kevin

Jakob Dylan-Seeing Things

Although, yes, I usually do straight-edged articles that are accurate, legitimate interview articles, I decided that I would do a review. Also, although this record has not been released quite yet, I have heard it. I have to say, not quite Jakob Dylan anymore. Nevertheless, it's not too bad of a record.

 

He started out playing with a small time band...kind of, called the Wallflowers as their lead singer. You know, he doesn't sound anywhere near what his dad (the one and only Bob Dylan) did/does. And if that man can sing is a very debatable topic. There is common ground between father and son. The deepness of their lyrics. They both were masters of the pen, and were able to take nothing in a song, and turn it into something.

Voice-wise, Jakob does sound the same. I think giving up and flying solo made him start writing considerable deeper lyrics, and although to be a successful musician, you have to be able to back those lyrics up with a good voice, he has turned into a good and solid solo musician. Meaning that the lyrics he wrote has to be able to balance out with the voice, to stick in the mind of the listeners, so that they can see what the artist was trying to accomplish with this song, or that verse, or that stanza. So on and so fourth.

It wasn't a very disappointing record, but if you're a big Wallflowers' fan for Jakob, then you may be just a little bit disappointed. It's good, but not great. There's small blotches in song placement, and the record does get a little bit repetitive at some points. It is a record though, that you can just sit down and listen to, and really ponder on the lyrics this guy writes.

Interview with Scott Monaghan...aka Mr. Pitiful

Chicago, Illinois. Birthplace of the Baby-Back Rib, mass transit and public transportation, and most importantly…jazz. It is here that in 2005 Scott Monaghan decided that it was time to sit down and get serious about his love for music that he had since he was a kid. It was time to perfect his music the way he wanted, and get it the way he wanted it to sound.

                This extravagant "new-jazz" sound that Scott invents and perfects comes from the Soul artist Otis Redding, which is also how he got his name of Mr. Pitiful, coming from the famous song of Redding's that is known by many jazz fans today.

                His feelings on music reflect those that are of every true music fan. The thing he loves most about music, he says, is the way it makes him feel. He says, "It's like nothing else. It takes me to a place where I can't get any other way. I guess you could say I'm a music addict. Maybe I need an intervention."

               Some say that in order to make good music, the music has to have a meaning and a purpose. Music has to have a certain flavor and beat to make it just right for the listener. Scott's songs have this kind of meaning in them, such as in his song "The Wedding Song" because it is a soulful and meaningful song, that at the same time has a catchy slow-tune, that relates directly to him and his life.  "[It] was written for my wife when we got married. I performed it for the first time as a surprise on our wedding day."

                What could one classify this type of music as though? "Some people call it soul, some people call it country, some people call it folk. I just try to write songs that people will like. Classic pop music." That's what makes good music. The fact that you play for your audience and for yourself, and not for a record company just for the money.

                Overall music is about individuality and being different.  What separates on from other artists then is important in today's music business. So what exactly is it that separates Scott from other artists today? "From my point of view, the biggest difference is that I'm me and other artists are someone else.  I see myself from the inside out and other artists from the outside in."

                Look out for Mr. Pitiful's latest record on iTunes, and his website which can be found through his MySpace.