As wondrously understated as the shadowy croons cast by The Last Shadow Puppets several spins of the sun past, Alex Turner's first foray into the luminous spotlight of solo songwriting and indeed of soundtrack is as swoonsome as your first dance with the opposite sex under glimmering disco ball reflections in the basketball court-cum-ballroom. Submarine, the Swansea-set debut full-length from director Richard Ayoade of cult celebrity (Nathan Barley, The IT Crowd, The Mighty Boosh) sees light penetrate celluloid later on in the week, set to be projected onto Islington's Screen On The Green amongst other independent cinemas the length of the UK. Following the abrupt raucous of Brick By Brick we'd begun to wonder whether the cult of celebrity that's brought Ayoade to the surface of attention had also dragged Turner's songwriting down to the depths of nothingness, yet his Submarine EP rubbishes any such notion to the tune of gorgeous naïvety. It's Hard To Get Around The Wind comes across a little like No Buses turning a toned down Cornerstone, whilst the aqueous Glass In The Park is reminiscent of Richard Hawley's Coles Corner attempting to waltz with your reluctant heartstrings. Piledriver Waltz is pure Blackpool despondence set to shuffle score and lyrics of miserable waitresses and wretched meals, although it's Hiding Tonight that showcases Turner's soul-soothing vocals most explicitly. Stuck On The Puzzle steals the show however, subtly introducing the EP before being later reincarnated in a more full-blooded, fleshed-out format, returning nostalgically as if you've lived with its bittersweet hum from the day you first set foot on firm earth underfoot. Turner affirms as forcefully as his ingenuous vocal chords permit: "I'm not the kind of fool who's gonna sit and sing to you" over slow-motion circus sonic backdrop, before unleashing his most affecting chorus since The Bakery, and it's quite simply stupefying. Gorging on his Submarine EP, it's almost impossible not to situate yourself within cinematic frame, just as it's almost unfathomable to consider that the film itself shall be anything short of sublime.
Stream: Alex Turner, Stuck On The Puzzle.
