2011: 15 of the Best. #3…
December 14, 2011
03. Alex Turner – Stuck on the Puzzle
From: Submarine
Released: March 18, 2011
Label: Domino
Buy it: Here.
Last year was the first time in this blog’s history that an Alex Turner composition failed to make my year-end best-of list. He must have noted this, releasing a solo EP, Arctic Monkeys album and appearing on Miles Kane’s solo debut all within the course of 2011’s 12 months. But while the Arctic Monkeys album failed to hold my attention as their previous efforts had, I was stunned by the lad’s original songs for Richard Ayoade’s first foray into feature films, in particular “Stuck on the Puzzle.” It’s got all the great hallmarks of early Arctic Monkeys B-sides—the melancholy but gorgeous melody, the swelling musical backdrop, and the surprisingly-tricky skill of using 5 big words to say something that can be said with 2 small ones. Few people can make a line such as “Something in your magnetism must’ve pissed them off, forcing them to get an early night” (aimed at stars, no less) sound regal and beautiful as opposed to pretentious and begging-for-an-ass-kicking. I don’t know how he does it or why he should be able to when others can’t, but Turner pulls it off. Again. Welcome back, Al.
