the last shadow puppets

I know. This album came out a year ago, but I'm listening to it now. I put it off for quite a bit because I felt that the Arctic Monkeys were somewhat overrated (though I like them too). Maybe its my penchant for bombast (the opening riff to "The Age of Understatement" sounds an awful lot like the opening riff to Muse's "Knights of Cydonia") but I like the fact that Alex Turner listened to a ton of Bowie, got the guy who does the string arrangements for the Arcade Fire, recruited the London Symphony Orchestra, and made a cool album. But, according to Pitchfork, there's an improvement that goes beyond the arrangements:

So obviously the biggest difference between the Last Shadow Puppets and Turner's main gig is in the lyrics. Though less immediately noticeable than the majestic production, the change in the scale of Turner's songwriting is ultimately more profound. The video for "The Age of the Understatement" is set in Russia, and compared to the Arctics' insider-ish dispatches about Life Among the Chavs or Life As the Biggest New Band Since Oasis, these songs are Tolstoy in their bird's-eye omniscience. "Burglary and fireworks, the skies they were alight," Turner sings on "Calm Like You", describing a once-exciting city and the bitter romance that took place there.

Maybe that was my problem with the Arctic Monkeys - I don't enjoy any time bands are too self-referential (that's why I so often hate most band's second album where they ruminate on what fame has done to them. Give me a break).