With Mini Mansions’ sophomore album ‘The Great Pretenders’ landing only yesterday, the moment we’ve been waiting for has finally arrived. Cue Alex Turner.
With Arctic Monkeys frontman, Alex Turner, providing a cameo for the second verse of album track ‘Vertigo’, he kindly took the time to make a brief appearance in the official video which you can view below or here.
Staggering around (or should we say swaggering) with what we believe to be a small measure of Diet Coke, Alex Turner delivers his trademark verse with all the attitude of a seasoned frontman. It’s just a shame he was eventually upstaged by an ocean of boobs.
Shuman said of the track:
“The night before the shoot we played this strange private party for Saint Laurent with Bleached and Sky Ferreira, where we each played 15 minute sets. So there was plenty of time for debauchery afterward. Us and Alex managed to stumble onto set for the shoot at 9am with a half dozen naked ladies waiting to partake in the shoot. I’d say it was a pretty ideal setup for the making of this video.”
Just another average day in the life of Alex Turner then.
If you’re wondering why we all love that cheeky scamp Alex Turner of Arctic Monkeys then take a seat and make yourself comfortable. Oh sorry, did we mention that we’ve moved your chair? Oops.
We’re about to explain exactly why this Yorkshire chap makes us smile, without ever really smiling himself. Actually he never really smiles. Like literally never. Nevertheless, here’s some our reasons why we all love Alex Turner, inspired by our video: Alex Turner’s Best Moments of 2014 which recently broke 100k views.
10. His Dad Dancing.
If you’ve ever seen Arctic Monkeys live, then you may wonder why Alex Turner skipped the socially acceptable period of dancing and went straight to Dad dancing. My advice is, don’t question it. I’m not sure we’ll ever know.
9. He’s a snappy dresser.
Gone are the days of a loosely fitting polo shirt, or even the brief period in history where he regretfully wore a vest. These days, you’re more likely to see him sporting a Ray Brown suit that will make your ovaries ache. Or if you have none, you may just question your sexuality instead.
Here’s another part of Alex Turner which we perhaps shouldn’t question in fear of what we may find. Nevertheless, this bromance has been going strong ever since Miles Kane featured on tracks such as ‘505’ and ‘The Bakery’. They went on to form the The Last Shadow Puppets and their relationship is still going strong today, even when women have come and gone. Moral of the story: bros before hoes.
7. He’s available for weddings and bar mitzvahs.
In 2014, photos emerged of Arctic Monkeys at Tom Rowley’s wedding. However, a multi-award winning band couldn’t just attend the wedding could they? Book now to avoid disappointment.
6. He’s strangely accurate at saying people’s names backwards.
When Alex Turner and Matt Helders appeared on Australian Radio Station ‘Triple J’ to perform a cover of Tame Impala’s ‘Feels Like We Only Go Backwards’, we discovered his amazing new talent. You’ll just have to suck it and see for yourself, won’t you? Watch above.
5. He makes a mean margarita.
And we mean literally mean. If you’ve seen the legendary ‘View From’ videos (which documented many hilarious moments during their early ‘Humbug’ era) you’ll know that Alex Turner is always making a marg. Always. But don’t expect to be invited to the party, as the poor camera guy regularly discovers.
4. His sense of humour.
With tongue firmly in cheek, most of Alex Turner’s humour often goes undetected or baffles those not in on the joke. His lyrics are full of subtle quips, his music is occasionally full of somewhat ironic influences and well… who could forget the Cornerstone video?
3. His ever changing image.
With every new Arctic Monkeys album, we’re almost guaranteed a new reinvention of Alex Turner along with it. From the journalist-snubbing kid from Sheffield right up to the self-assured rockstar from LA, rest assured that Alex Turner always has the hairstyle to match.
2. He dropped it like it’s hot.
Who could forget that fateful moment at the 2014 Brit Awards? After an endearing speech that left many onlookers questioning Alex Turner’s sanity/sobriety, he eventually concluded with the now legendary phrase “invoice me for the microphone if you need to”. The rest is history.
1. His music.
Granted, we all love Alex Turner for many reasons, but it all started from a love for his music. Whether it’s the modest chords of ‘Suck it and See’, the meaty riffs of ‘Do I Wanna Know?’ or the tongue twisting lyrics of ‘Pretty Visitors’, I think we’re all in agreeance: Alex Turner is just a damn good musician. God Speed, Mr Turner.
Alex Turner’s effortlessly sleek vocal performance on Mini Mansions ‘Vertigo‘ is arguably the best unexpected collaboration since bacon and maple syrup. But how did the Arctic Monkeys frontman end up in this sticky situation?
“I’ve known him for probably six or seven years. We first met doing a benefit show in LA for a friend of ours and he was doing a couple of songs with Miles for Last Shadow Puppets and I was playing with Queens.” said Shuman when speaking to Gigwise.
“Over the last year and a half, Arctic Monkeys took us out on multiple tours in the States and we just became really close. They all moved to LA a while ago and he’s just one of our drinking buddies and good friends.”
Mini Mansions are formed of Queens of the Stone Age bassist Michael Shuman along with Zach Dawes and Tyler Parkford. Apart from a stint with Miles Kane with The Last Shadow Puppets and a brief solo period, Alex Turner’s full-time occupation has always been with Arctic Monkeys.
“We thought about a couple of different things, and we were in the studio looking for some kind of different character that hadn’t yet been touched on by Tyler or my voice and we actually heard some kind of British-type thuggish kind of voice in the track, on that second verse.”
“Then a year later when we were tracking it, Alex was just coming down to the studio and hanging out. He was hanging out nearby where we were recording and he’s a good friend, he was there, it was just the right time with the right person.”
He added: “I always thought it as some kind of character out of a guy Ritchie movie, that’s how I always saw that voice coming in. It’s a very West Coast hip-hop-influenced song, so we wanted to give it that sense of different dudes coming in and giving it that different verse. Alex has more of like a sexy, swagger that what we were initially going for, which turned out better than anything we could have imagined, really.”
What did we think of Mini Mansion’s ‘Vertigo’ featuring Alex Turner? Find the full review here.
Mini Mansions latest track ‘Vertigo‘ is a mini masterpiece, aided by the tongue-twisting vocals of Alex Turner. Having recently performed at Tom Rowley’s wedding, I’m beginning to wonder if he might also be available for birthdays and bar mitzvahs too.
Los Angeles trio, Mini Mansions, are no stranger to the Arctic Monkeys frontman, having performed ‘Vertigo’ live multiple times across their American tour in 2014. However, we needn’t squint at grainy, motion-sickness-inducing YouTube videos any longer: ‘Vertigo‘ has been immortalised in all its psych-pop glory.
Opening with eerie synth and spooky piano, electronic percussion sets the pace for this undeniably danceable affair. The chorus chugs along with playful falsetto vocals and a bassline that’s somewhat hypnotic in its execution.
Alex Turner’s effortlessly sleek vocal performance is the icing on the cake of an already ambitious record: as he whispers “run for cover”, it’s hard not to get an immediate chill down your spine. It’s a collaboration that just works.
Los Angeles based band Mini Mansions have been doing the rounds with ‘Vertigo‘ alongside Arctic Monkeys frontman for several months now.
With a staple line-up of Queens of the Stone Age bassist Michael Shuman along with Zach Dawes and Tyler Parkford, Mini Mansions feature the one and only Alex Turner for the track ‘Vertigo’. Their debut album is due for release on the 23rd of March and they’re currently touring the UK as support for Royal Blood, who have also supported Arctic Monkeys in the past. It’s just one big happy family. Their remaining tour dates are as follows:
