Review Summary: Miles Kane certainly has the talent to be a great musician and songwriter, and Colour Of The Trap is an accomplished addition to his discography that may give him the recognition he deserves.
The 1960's. It was a renaissance of love, a revolution of peace, a metamorphosis of music, a realization of the self, and above all, it was a very special time and place to be a part of. To quote the late Hunter S. Thompson;
"No explanation, no mix of words or music or memories can touch that sense of knowing that you were there and alive in that corner of time in the world. Whatever it meant."
It's quite astounding how such a brief era in time has managed to hold such a strong influence, even 50 years after it's time. Whether it's the fashion, the ideals, or more distinctively, the music, the spirit of the 1960's refuses to be forgotten. There are an innumerable amount of musicians from a variety of genres that continue to keep the Swinging 60's alive within their person- and here enters, Miles Kane.
Miles Kane has a made a respectable career in reviving the music of the 60's and introducing it to new and younger audiences. Whether it was the Psychedelic-Garage sound of both The Rascals and The Little Flames, the Baroque influences in The Last Shadow Puppets, or the amalgamation of all of these genres that are found in his recent solo album,
Colour Of The Trap. It's almost strange to call this album his solo debut when the majority of the music featured on the album was written collaboratively with a handful of other musicians. For example, Alex Turner helped Miles Kane write the majority of the album to the point were one could consider Colour Of The Trap to be the sequel to
The Age Of The Understatement. The music has a very similar sound to The Age Of The Understatement but that could also be because Miles Kane was the main creative influence behind The Last Shadow Puppets, even though his brilliance was often eclipsed by the much larger marquee name of his partner, Alex Turner.
Miles Kane certainly has the talent to be a great musician and songwriter, and Colour Of The Trap is an accomplished addition to his discography that may give him the recognition he deserves. The album immediately draws us in with
"Come Closer", a seductive cry addressed to a salaciously devious girl. The music has a much more modern sound than most of the tracks on the album. As the opening track ends we descend into
"Rearrange", which unleashes an electrifying riff of explosive psychedelic vibrations that floats through our senses. Its an astounding rejuvenation of the 1960's sound and serves as the exemplary of the album's overall style.
Now there is nothing wrong with being influenced by the 60's, but at times, Miles Kane over does it a little bit. From his smart-dressed fashion taste for Skinny suits, his resemblance of Beatle, Paul McCartney, to even frequently covering a handful of songs from the era.
"Inhaler" is, shall we call it, an alteration of Music Machine's
"Mother Nature Father Earth" from 1969. A group which Miles Kane, needless to say, is a fan of. It's almost the exact same song, with a minor changes in the lyrics and music.
"Better Left Invisible" also draws influence from the string arrangements of John Lennon's
"Cold Turkey". But despite the similarities with their respective archetypes, Miles Kane completely makes
"Inhaler" and
"Better Left Invisible" entirely his own. There are supernovas of explosive psychedelia throughout both tracks that make for an exciting listen. And what is most surprising is that despite their retro styling, paradoxically they have a very modern feel. Other examples are the versatile sound of
"Counting Down The Days", the sultry yet hypnotic ambience of
"Telepathy" and of course the flirtatious duet,
"Happenstance". Within these songs, Miles Kane has created a perfect coalition of old meets new. And this is a quality that at times redeems Colour Of Trap from being seemed as an "imitation" of 1960's rock and roll. And in the times that it is an imitation, it at least does a remarkable job.
"Quicksand" comes immediately to mind. It's a song that is perfectly orchestrated and infectiously catchy, but lacks a modern touch that could have redeemed it from the "imitation" accusations. But Miles Kane also shows an experimental side within the album. The tribalistic
"Kingcrawler" and the Mediterranean ballad,
"Take The Night From Me", both songs stand out from the rest of the tracks as their sounds are quite unique- not quite 60's, but also not modern. Evidently, the album also revisits the Baroque influences of The Age Of The Understatement within the ballads,
"My Fantasy" and the eponymous album closer,
"Colour Of The Trap".
Overall, Colour Of The Trap is a wonderfully orchestrated album filled with possible hit singles. The only problem is that Miles Kane is still practically an unheard name, especially outside of The United Kingdom. But steadily, he is growing a strong following and he definitely has the ingenuity and the music to becoming widely popular. There is still a lot of room to grow, but at such a young age, Miles Kane displays a maturity within his songwriting well beyond his years. And if he keeps following this path, as well as maturing along the way, he will one day be recognized for more than just his participation in The Last Shadow Puppets, but as an an up-and-coming musician with a talent that demands respect.
