As frontman of the Rascals, one part of the supergroup duo The Last Shadow Puppets, and with a solo career to-boot, Miles Kane has been a prominent figure of the British rock music scene for almost two decades now. Rose Hitchens listens to his fourth solo album ' Change The Show' and explains that Kane is back on the scene with an effervescent, 60s infused record to get you off your feet.
With a career beginning all the way back in 2004, at just aged 18, Kane joined indie rock band The Little Flames before going on to form The Rascals in 2007. After leaving to pursue a solo career in 2009, Miles has arguably become a figure synonymous with the indie rock and glam rock communities. On the side of all this success, as a solo artist, Kane grew his following when he formed The Last Shadow Puppets with Artic Monkeys frontman Alex Turner in 2007, and the duo have been performing together ever since. On top of all this, Kane was recently praised for his work on Lana Del Rey’s 2020 record Blue Bannisters, where Kane contributed his vocals and song writing abilities to the track Dealer.
Three groups and one successful solo career later, Miles Kane has built his reputation as a staple figure in the British indie-rock scene. With his newest album Change the Show, released January, Kane is branching out into previously unexplored territory in his discography by navigating his way through a mix of blues and rock inspired influences. Starting off strong, Tears Are Falling has all the ingredients of a classic Miles Kane track. Contemporary and retro are pooled together in perfect harmony here, as spasmodic analogue synth chords start the song off strong, which when coupled with as Kane’s reverbed breathy vocals, give the track its retro edge. Building up into a torpid yet commanding chorus, Kane manages to invoke an energy reminiscent the swinging ‘60s through his combination of classic rock instruments and synths, while somehow keeping the energy modern through his lyrics which twinged with a sense of melancholy. A stand out track indeed, Tears Are Falling is for long-time fans and first-time listeners alike.
With the next track Don’t Let It Get You Down, the album picks up a more soulful, high tempo edge as influences of Motown are fused with Kane’s classic glam rock style. While the inclusion of brass instruments and choppy drums is unexpected, it is a fresh, innovative, and welcomed inclusion into Kane’s discography which has rarely strayed from its classic rock influences. Don’t Let It Get You Down is sure to give long time listeners of Miles Kane an insight into his own personal collection of music and influences which haven’t been explored as in depth on previous works.
"Kane’s lyrics throughout expresses a sense of optimism which is tinged with an saturnine air of discontent"
Nothing’s Ever Gonna Be Good Enough sees Kane collaborating with Corinne Bailey Rae for the next track. Famed for her 2006 classic hit Put Your Records On, the inclusion of Rae on this track is an unexpected collaboration for sure, yet it manages to set the tone for the album as a whole. The optimistic tempo juxtaposed by melancholic lyrical content is a theme we see heavily recurrent across this body of work, as Kane’s lyrics throughout expresses a sense of optimism which is tinged with an saturnine air of discontent. This is no more clear than is this track, where Kane and Rae state ‘’Cause it’s all I’ve got // But will it ever be enough?’ to an ABBA-esque piano and bluesy brass background.
The next few tracks, See Ya When I See Ya, Never Get Tired on Dancing, and Tell Me What You’re Feeling continue this trend of lively rock tracks which are coloured with elements of soul and funk, albeit with lyrical content which is more plainspoken and invocative of a nostalgic era passed. However, compared to the tracks before it and the similarity in tempo and lyrical content that these three songs share, this felt like a slight lull in the album. The album slows down slightly with Coming of Age, where obvious influences of 1960s American rock comes to the forefront. In a plain-spoken way, Kane explores the challenges of coming of age, and the question of what exactly that constitutes. ‘But there’s always something in the way // And there’s always something left to say // Yeah there’s always a little hesitation’ the track simply, yet eloquently explores the well-known struggles to listeners of the difficulty that comes with transitioning into to adulthood and not knowing how to act your age. The simplicity of the lyrics doesn’t feel lazy, rather the opposite. The directness of Coming of Age makes the track feel like these words have come directly from Kane himself and evoke a natural, personal expression of navigating adulthood which is greatly admired.
The breezy feel of Constantly transports the listener to the hills of Hollywood, as Kane reminisces on his time spent in Los Angeles. Drawing on surf-culture with an overlaying mix of acoustic and electric guitar, this track seems to be a modern take on the likes of the Beach Boys and Dick Dale. Kane’s vocals invoke the carefree and tranquil atmosphere of summer, as he draws on Americana imagery of the Fourth of July, while juxtaposing the bright lights of L.A. night time culture with his own feelings of love and fears of self-destruction. Inspired by his own experiences in California, he confides in the listener "Now I’m trying to figure out // how to get out alive." Miles away from the fast-paced tracks of this album, such as Don’t Let It Get You Down, the atmosphere of tranquillity exuding from Constantly gives the record a well-timed change in momentum.
Caroline brings the pace right back up, with its loose and saxophone-infused energy which makes the track feel like you’re hearing it live. As with much of this album, Kane’s own retro-60’s rock inspired style is beautiful complimented by Motown-inspired sax and backing vocals, which feel like a nod to groups such as The Supremes and The Four Seasons. But, this is far from being a cheap imitation of the artists who have come before. Rather, Kane takes the very best of the Motown artists who have influences him and has transported them into the 21st century in his own rock-pop way that is unique to him. He states in the track “Caroline // You’re living on the edge of time" and I think that perfectly summarises the essence of Miles Kane as an artist, and the album Change The Show as a whole. Change The Show closes out with its final track, Adios Ta-Ra Ta-Ra. Building from a simple beginning acoustic chord progression and drumbeat, the tune builds up in a culmination of everything Kane has explored in ‘Change The Show’, lyrically and sonically. The playfully simple verses feel like a nod to Kane’s own roots in indie rock, but the animated brass and layered backing vocals in the chorus serve as a reminder of the journey this album has taken in terms of its expansion into previously unexplored genres.
"A fresh and innovative bluesy-infused rock album"
Dabbling in genres such as Motown, funk, and jazz, Kane implements these influences into his own style of retro twinged indie rock which has dominated the majority of his work. While we’ve seen these influences explored only slighting in his previous albums, such as 2018’s Coup de Grace, in Change the Show we are able to uncover a whole new side to Miles Kane. Never straying far from his love of 1950s and 1960s era rock music, the inclusion of more blues and jazz infused rock tracks gives us an insight into Kane’s own personal collection of music and how his love for genres such as Motown influence his artistry. As the listener, we take a journey with Kane as he explores the struggles that come with adulthood and the trials and tribulations he experienced during his years away from home in LA. The end result is a fresh and innovative bluesy-infused rock album which represents a welcomed change that only adds to Kane’s already strong body of works.
Rose Hitchens
Edited by: Joe Hughes
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