How Scott Walker inspired Alex Turner’s ‘Submarine’ soundtrack
It’s somewhat strange that Alex Turner has never released a proper solo album. After the Arctic Monkeys took a break following the lengthy touring of their wildly popular (and arguably worst) record AM, Turner began writing what he thought might have been his first full-length solo venture.
However, upon consultation with Arctic Monkeys’ guitarist Jamie Cook, Turner decided to get the band in on the songs, and it eventually became the band’s sixth studio album, Tranquillity Base Hotel & Casino. Of course, Turner had made the foray into creating a solo output when he provided the soundtrack for Richard Ayoade’s 2010 film adaptation of Joe Dunthorne’s novel Submarine.
The soundtrack has since been released as a standalone EP and shows one of the most intimate sides to Turner’s writing, seeing as he is without the instrumentation of the rest of his band. However, the classic Turner approach to writing is ever-present throughout the songs, the simple chord structures and the intimate lyrics of love’s longing nature.
Richard Ayoade explained how Turner approached writing the songs: “Initially, it was going to be some covers, and we had ideas of songs. And he said, ‘I’ll maybe write one,’ and he just wrote more and more; I was just delighted that he did.
The most significant influence on Turner regarding how he wanted the songs to sound was Scott Walker. Ayoade also notes that the singer had been on his mind went Turner set about writing the tracks. “Initially, the idea was to do something a bit like Scott Walker Sings Jacques Brel because that felt less impolite to ask,” he said. “I didn’t want to ask him to write songs. I probably hoped he would!”
In 1981, Walker released a compilation album of the Belgian singer Jacques Brel’s compositions that had been recorded between 1967 and 1969. In turn, Turner took inspiration from the record, but rather than merely cover someone else’s songs, given his undoubted excellence as a songwriter, he couldn’t resist providing his tracks with an inimitable sense of forlornness.
Of course, Turner is no stranger to Walker as his other band, The Last Shadow Puppets, in which he plays with old friend Miles Kane, take significant influence from the vibrant American-British singer, particularly on their debut album, The Age of the Understatement.
However, Turner took the influence to new heights on his Submarine soundtrack. While the ghost of Walker indeed wanders the studio on Arctic Monkey’s recent release, The Car, Turner has yet to pay his respects to the singer in another solo venture. As of yet…
