MILES KANE GEARS UP FOR ROUTE 66 WITH GLAM ROCK INFUSED RECORD “SUNLIGHT IN THE SHADOWS”
ALBUM REVIEW | MILES KANE – SUNLIGHT IN THE SHADOWS By Michaela Roper
With almost two decades of well-revered industry experience under his belt, there’s no denying that Miles Kane’s crooning twelve-track project ‘Sunlight In The Shadows’ has been crafted as a sprawling, cumulative tale that pays homage to the singer-songwriter’s stellar career as the golden boy of the naughties’ indie landscape. Infused with Northern Soul attitude and big band instrumentals that hark back to the 1960s, this new album sees Miles Kane revved-up and rearing to take to the winding roads of Route 66 – whilst clad in patent leather boots and leopard print, naturally.
The former The Last Shadow Puppets frontman has effortlessly spearheaded the glam rock revival since 2013, intertwining theatrical, stomping guitar rhythms with a polished vocal sound and unmistakable sense of self. Miles Kane has always refused to stick to a single musical lane, and ‘Sunlight In The Shadows’ serves as an undeniably cool marker of a new chapter in the rocker’s Hollywood Americana approach.
Produced by Dan Auerbach of The Black Keys, ‘Sunlight In The Shadows’ is a raw energetic run of psyche infused rock n roll. His influence on the record is admirably strong in an instrumental sense, but lyrically each track stands on its own, infused with touches of terrace culture that feel so quintessentially Miles Kane. From the opening power chords of the very first track, the album smoothly transports us onto the set of a Quentin Tarantino motion picture, with a sprinkling of his signature rippled tremolo guitar. The commencing track ‘Love Is Cruel’ is driven onto Western Americana plains on the backseat of thundering drum beats and lush, screeching guitar work that fans of The Last Shadow Puppets are bound to reside with. The opening line, “she’s a midnight scooter rider” falls nothing short of classic Miles Kane – an edge that adopts the attitude of Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid with the aesthetic of a scene from Quadrophenia. This sentiment follows through each hook, riff, and lyrical stint.
‘Electric Flower’ stands out as the album’s leading single, a funk-infused pastiche of glam rock influences that shine a light on the rocker’s love for the likes of Marc Bolan. The basslines carry the track along waves of anthemic crescendo and a top-down summertime feel; a toe-tapping taster of an album that toes the line between raw, energetic rock and laid-back crooning anthems. The record’s titular track follows this coastline towards 1970s LA. ‘Sunlight In The Shadows’ adopts a twangy surf rock sentiment, supported by backing vocals and rhythm that almost remind you of The Beatles, a nod to Miles Kane’s music-centered boyhood back in Birkenhead. However, his early string of tracks couldn’t feel geographically further away from the Mersey if they tried; shimmering guitar efforts and humming harmonies fly the aptly-named record into the sunlight.
‘Always In Over My Head’ offers a shift in tone, taking a foot off the gas to propel Miles Kane’s psyche into the spotlight. The trickling guitars and piano-driven soundscape embrace the blues influences of producer Dan Auerbach in a wistful, melancholic ode to nostalgic romance. The same reflective nature follows into tracks like ‘Blue Skies’ and ‘Walk On The Ocean’ that encase heartfelt lyricism in moonlike instrumentals. The project reverberates with a sense of friendship between singer and producer. The album’s heart beats with a shared love of Motown and psychedelic funk, with bending strings and the majesty of mod culture flowing through its veins.
Miles Kane knows his way around a crooner of a song, there’s no doubt. His efforts to intercept the leading drum work and 80s Britpop guitar riffs are a pleasant addition to every record in his discography – with ‘My Love’ serving this very purpose on ‘Sunlight In The Shadows’. It’s a ballad laced with romantic yearning almost akin to The Beach Boys in sound, with surfy guitar efforts and softer vocals that showcase the singer’s side outside of his rockstar persona. These embellishments have never felt more personal on a record before; the tracks act as mirrors reflecting upon decades of musical exploration yet really give an insight into Miles Kane’s contentment at his current stage in life. After two decades of building a discography, it’s certainly a refreshing touch.
‘Sing A Song To Love’ and ‘I Pray’ get the engines fired up again, feeding into that classic British Indie sound that Miles Kane has never shaken off, but for good reason. He’s back in his leopard coats and three-stripe boxing boots to close off an album that feels deeply personal and raw, both in energy and in reflection. The record doesn’t feel like a requirement to tick a box in his discography, or even a farewell project, but a shining verse novel that underlines the rocker’s desire to fulfil his own dreams over others’.
‘Sunlight In The Shadows’ becomes a well-polished exhibition, a bricolage of past experiences and future yearnings encased within a glittering soundscape that wouldn’t sound out of place on a US road trip in the 1970s. There’s no standing still, just the sound of an accelerating engine over heartfelt sonic constructions; it’s so clear Miles Kane has no intention of slowing anytime soon, and this record perfectly encompasses his desire to become a golden boy, and not let go of the label. He’s packing a punch up his sleeve that we might not have even witnessed yet.
