A mere 18 months have passed since The Vaccines entered the UK Album Charts with their debut What Did You Expect from The Vaccines?, but the young band is clearly endowed with enough energy to pull off yet another bluntly strenuous record. The singles “No Hope” and “Teenage Icon” have hinted at a slightly less straightforward sound than the guitar pop found on their debut album, both bearing a resemblance to early days of The Strokes. “No Hope” is feasibly their strongest lyrical effort so far, depicting an adolescent sinking into utter despondency and tribulation.

The album’s most electrifying point comes with “Aftershave Ocean”, a simple yet effective Blur-esque track, substantially different from anything the band has released so far. And it’s not just this track; the entire album is a respectable step away from irrefutably refreshing, but slightly yielding debut. By any means, Come of Age is not a groundbreaking, historical event in the history of music industry, but it’s nevertheless patently showing progress of a young and promising band.

The Vaccines may have been accused of sounding painfully repetitive and characterless, and in all honesty, tracks such as “Lonely World” and “Weirdo” will hardly help to erase such reputation, despite being fairly popular among the band’s devoted fan base. Still, there is an occasional spark of sheer magic such as the witty “Change of Heart Pt.2”. Another playful part is “Ghost Town”, containing slightly more groovy guitar sounds and sprightly drums.

All in all, the album is noticeably less prosaic that its predecessor and the London four-piece deserve a monumental praise for breaking the spell of unproductivity that seems to surround contemporary bands. Despite being blamed for being posh, tame and altogether too clumsy, the Vaccines’ second album should ensure them a more respectable place in the hearts of fans and critics alike.

Back in 2006, when Arctic Monkeys rose to wider prominence with their highly acclaimed debut album Whatever People Say I Am, That’s What I’m Not, only a handful of music enthusiasts would expect their haughty Sheffield frontman to release an acoustic solo EP in the next few years. Thankfully, at least some of contemporary musicians are still willing to step out of their comfort zone and continually provide us with exceptionally fresh music. Alex Turner proved to be one of them by writing a soundtrack for Richard Ayoade’s debut directorial feature, Submarine. In brief, it’s the precise opposite of everything associated with Arctic Monkeys.

The entire EP is narrowed down to the bare essentials – acoustic guitar, an occasional piano, mellow drumbeat and slightly stertorous vocals. If one were to pick the colossal peak of Submarine, then “Piledriver Waltz” would unerringly secure the laurel wreath. The aforementioned track is a mellifluous amalgam of mollifying guitar work and tenebrous lyricism, which has now evolved into an integral part of Turner’s songwriting. Startlingly, a version of the song was featured on Monkeys’ fourth album Suck It and See but hardly reached the eminence of its original.

Perhaps the most valuable result of Turner’s lyricism is the lingering “Hiding Tonight,” which narrates a story of a dawdling yet sanguine individual that could feasibly be found in each one of us – he/she will be stronger tomorrow but is ‘quite alright hiding tonight.’

Yet another sparkle of immensity is hidden in “Glass In The Park,” which acquires the listener to hold himself in suspense, perhaps even quieten his breathing in order to grasp the track in its full worthiness. As the case may be, the closest to a failure is the fourth song “It’s Hard To Get Around The Wind,” which proves to be slightly arid in comparison with the long sequence of true acoustic gems. Ultimately, the EP’s catchiest track “Stuck On The Puzzle” is presented in two renderings, a short one-minute intro and a blithely pleasant full version, the single most pop-sounding tune to be featured on the record.

Taking everything into account, Submarine is not quite turning the world of rock’n’roll on its axis, but in all honesty, that was far from its purpose. What Alex Turner inevitably proved with his first abundant solo project is his independence and versatility – two qualities that are deemed particularly useful when one is about to launch a solo career. Therefore, Mr Turner, we are eagerly awaiting you.