“The Age of the Understatement” (Domino): B
Best buddies Alex Turner (of Arctic Monkeys) and Miles Kane (of UK up-and-comers the Rascals) recorded this shockingly good side project during Christmas break. The usual Monkeys’ business of cynical, gritty realism has been replaced by grandiose, dramatic pop in the manner of Scott Walker or cw0nascent Cat Stevens and Bowie. The 22-piece London Metropolitan Orchestra snakes wonderfully around the duo’s rich, harmonious vocals. Brilliant stuff - and it topped the British charts, outselling Madonna and Leona Lewis. Download: “The Age of the Understatement.”
