Lopez Blogs

It's an age old puzzle isn't it? I used to never get enough sex, now i've shacked up with DazPecs - and it's all naughtiness and niceness, but we found ourselves in a music crisis. Our music tastes really seem to differ - Dazpecs likes dance, but other tunes make me stiffer (!), though at least we prove we're not total muppets, cos we both like The Last Shadow Puppets.... Er, oh dear. Enough of that then. Crikey (though for info, DazPecs is definitely a mecca dobber!)... that Arctic Monkeys inspired "brilliance" is there for your culinary delights because I want to share my thoughts on the rather good Last Shadow Puppets album which i exclusively got to listen to (cough *dodgy download* cough) yesterday and today...First off though, lets investigate what my other fave bloggers thought of it:

• Adem ~ The Monkey and The Flame
• DanUK ~ added soon (his blog won't load!)
• (se)XO ~ Innocence and Arrogance Entwined

First off, let me just say that I strangely love the picture above. Alex's puny forearms have never looked better! And secondly, I am going to ignore any Arctic Monkey's knowledge I have and concentrate on this as a cohesive piece of work as a new act. It's a piece of work that's indebted to the 60s. However, much like Robbie Williams did with Swing When You're Winning, TLSP allow their influences to drench them through and allow these influences to come through as a natural progression of their style. And 60s music is very in right now - Duffy and Adele are rightly enjoying massive success (though why Candie Payne failed is beyond me - perhaps it's The Zutons connection?); Emma Bunton and Cathy Dennis put out the best albums of their careers when they stepped back in time (Free Me and Am I The Kinda Girl respectively); and Marc Almond produced one of his biggest hits with the effortlessly gorgeous, sublime and epic Something's Gotten Hold Of My Heart. Alex and Miles have gone for the epic, dramatic and powerful - and rather than producing something that is winking at it's audience, the album handles the music beautifully.

Lead off single and title track has been discussed by people far more eloquent than I (see links above), for there is no denying it's an amazing piece of pop music. Swimming in saturday morning matinee western, I imagine Brandon Flowers is kicking himself that he didn't come up with this track first. As they sing "kiss me properly and pull me apart" you can't help but want to oblige. It's a relentless tune that sweeps you away and carries you off into a distant sunset. Epic doesn't begin to do it justice. Standing Next To Me continues in the same vein, and their purloining of an orchestra works incredibly well. Melodic and harmonic, it's an entrancing song that - like most of the album - clocks in at under three minutes and leaves you totally desperate for more. Calm Like You shows the charming Mr Turner has a gift for creating songs round characters and bringing the surroundings to life with his evocative descriptions. Separate and Ever Deadly has some great sound arrangement involved that gives the song an echoing quality that gives the song it's much needed bite to match the lyrics.

Highlight of the album for me (in a solid album of highlights) is the incredible My Mistakes Were Made For You. Still utilising the spaghetti western/mariachi influences and mixing them effortlessly with their own style, a drop of Scott Walker and some Bond-esque strings, I shivered the first time I heard it, enchanted by the soaring vocal and easily imagining myself driving through 60s London in my open top aston martini. If this song isn't a single and a huge smash of one at that, I will be in mourning for the rest of the year. Extra bit of advice - be sure to check out the tracks on the EP - all of them worthy additions to the album, particularly Wonderous Place and the XO approved Bowie cover In The Heat Of The Morning. An impressive piece of work that rewards with every listen...

THE place to get a weird and wonderful set of eclectic covers is the marvelous Copy, Right - and there's no way I can top that site...:) But i can post a few of my favourite recent cover versions from the frankly quite lovely Jo Wileys live lounge on BBC Radio One... Enjoy peeps!

Arctic Monkeys - Love Machine (girls aloud cover)
~ there is something insanely brilliant about this cover and just goes to show what an amazing pop tune it is. And while we're on the subject, i totally think that we have PopBoy to thank for the Sugababes covering I Bet That You Look Good...

William Young - Don't Cha (Pussyflap trolls cover)
~ I really wanted to not like the PCD song but it slowly insinuated itself into my brain. Damn it! But Williams version is ever so jazz tinged and lovely. I'm on cloud 8 every time i listen to it (cloud 9 was full)

Kaiser Chiefs - What Time Is Love (klf cover)
~ the jury is out on whether this is a pile of old wet knickers or postmodern comment on the electro trash brilliance of the new millenium. What do you think??

Franz Ferdinand - What You Waiting For (gwen stefani cover)
~ Aaah Gwenners. Definitely picked the weakest songs on her album - bar this one - as singles. Its what i call the Hilary Duff syndrome. Still this was phantasmagorical track and this FF version rocks 1000 times harder than it has any right to :)