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Virtually thrown away amongst the Arctic Monkeys veritable canon of work are two rare gems of even greater than average glory. One is Baby I'm Yours, a cover of a 1965 R&B song first recorded by Barbara Lewis and tucked away on the b-side of Leave Before The Lights Come On. The other is Choo Choo, written by Alex Turner himself and a fair stab at the same genre, yet to be available anywhere other than on the unofficial bootleg Beneath The Boardwalk.
Which leaves the Age of Understatement as the first time he has thrown into the ring the fact that he can do this type of song better than any god of Motown, better than Phil Spector, better in fact, than anyone and anything. And why bother to make it an Arctic Monkeys song, when he can have it all to himself while still finding a way to shun the solo spotlight (sorry, but Miles who?).
From the first groundswell of a wall of sound you can't help but climb, The Age of Understatement will have you on your feet, looking for the nearest Bond girl to swing around the room as the chandeliers sparkle, the menfolk adjust their tuxedos and the world dissolves into an alternate universe where guitars, rock'n'roll and mad husbands never took away the innocence of The Ronettes and they married Scott Walker instead.
And the relevance of the title? Just this: no matter what words you use, you will never understand how great this song is until you hear it. Go listen.
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