Album Review: Alex Turner - Submarine EP

It was about time Richard Ayoade cashed in the favour owed to him by Alex Turner for the numerous contributions he has made to the Arctic Monkeys. Ayoade – who most will know as Maurice Moss in The IT Crowd – has directed three Arctic Monkeys videos, including the brilliantly surreal video for ‘Florescent Adolescent’.

He also directed the phenomenal live Arctic Monkeys DVD, At The Apollo, which won ‘Best DVD’ at the NME Awards in 2008. In return, Arctic Monkeys’ frontman created the Submarine EP – the soundtrack to Ayoade’s directorial debut film, Submarine.

This is Turner’s first foray as a solo artist, and he demonstrates a startling maturity on this EP - which consists of a short intro and five full songs. From start to finish Turner sounds very comfortable, with his voice purring over beautiful acoustic guitars. The first track is the melancholic ‘Hiding Tonight’, where the minimal acoustic guitar brings Turner’s vocals to the foreground.
The next track, ‘Glass In The Park’, is more of the same, with Turner’s vocals swooning over the gentle strumming of the acoustic guitar. ‘It’s Hard To Get Around The Wind’ feels reminiscent of Bob Dylan, especially with its folksy guitar, as Turner croons: “It's like you're trying to get to heaven in a hurry, And the queue was shorter than you thought it would be, And the doorman says, You need to get a wristband”.

The drums make their first appearance on ‘Stuck On The Puzzle’, starting with a pounding beat before the acoustic guitar returns once more – probably creating the most pop-orientated song on the EP. However, the final song, ‘Piledriver Waltz’, eclipses all that went before, with Turner at his lyrical best, as he sings: “Your waitress was miserable and so was your food. If you’re gonna try and walk on water make sure you wear your comfortable shoes”. Turner’s ability as a 21st - century lyrical story teller never fails to disappoint, effortlessly working words into poignant social observations.



Ayoade’s film is a coming-of-age, comedy film with a dark edge, and therefore, Turner’s Submarine EP would appear to fit Ayoade’s vision perfectly. He captures the awkward idealization of first love in the wistful acoustic melodies, as well as the dark-edged humor that abounds from his cutting lyrics. The Submarine EP is an accomplished first solo project for Turner, one that at times is reminiscent of some of Arctic Monkeys’ wonderful acoustic B-Sides, such as ‘No Buses’ and ‘Despair In The Departure Lounge’. Once again Turner has reinforced himself as one of the best musicians around, with a beautifully sublime – not to mention poignantly funny – work of music. Ayoade can count his favour well and truly returned.

4/5