Icky Thump

So I'm in Target the other day, and even though I prefer to buy my music from small shops such as the Electric Fetus, the Exclusive Company, or Newbury Comics I saw the new White Stripes cd and just had to pick it up. In these times of downloadable singles and cd's crammed with filler, the White Stripes are one of the few bands who make truly good albums, a way underappreciated and nearly lost art.

Most people, due to the ubiquitous nature of the White Stripes, are unaware that 'Icky Thump' is the band's major label debut (Warner Bros.), and from the bizarre notes of the lead-off title track, any fears they would sell out or tame their sound are assuaged. In fact, a quick perusing of the listener comments on iTunes shows the opposite to be true - lots of people are confused and angered by the unmelodic instruments, but they are philistines as far as I'm concerned. This song kind of picks up where 'The Nurse' left off on their previous album.

The second track is 'You Don't Know What Love Is (You Just Do What You're Told)', and only because they're the White Stripes do I give a pass on the use of parentheses in the title (I hate parentheses!!!) Jack White recently spent some time producing an album for Loretta Lynn, and it shows on this track. It has a little bit of a country feel to it, and it's a little predictable, but Meg's drumming adds an edgy touch.

'300 M.P.H. Torrential Outpour Blues' has a nice poetic, easy flow, but it is a little derivative - this is nothing they haven't done a few times before. But it's still better than 90% of the new music out there, so I can't complain too much.

After the previous two mellow, sleepy songs, 'Conquest' hits the spot. Jack gets the whole Latin thing down in a way that he tried to but couldn't quite do on 'I Think I Smell a Rat' on "White Blood Cells". The interplay between the guitar and the trumpet is almost worth the cost of the cd all by itself. I predict that this song will open the next Quentin Tarantino movie.

I don't have much to say about 'Bone Broke' - it's a good rock song, something that sound like it might have been a leftover song from their self-titled debut.

The next two songs, 'Prickly Thorn, but Sweetly Worn' and 'St.Andrews (The Battle is in the Air)' (there are those damnable parentheses again!) are Scottish-themed songs that blend easily into each other. Towards the end, it sounds like Meg is having some sort of ecstasy flashback, but not in a bad way. Plus, you get bagpipes - if it's not Scottish, it's crap!



'Little Cream Soda' takes a dark and nihilistic turn, and that's an avenue that the White Stripes don't go down very much - too bad, as this song rocks with an urgency they don't usually show.

'Rag & Bone' is probably my favorite song on the album; a nice, fast-paced number, and funny too. As near as I can tell, this song is a narrative featuring Jack and Meg as a couple of vagabonds wandering the suburbs dumpster diving...no other band could pull this off.

'I'm Slowly Turning Into You' starts off very pedestrian and predictable, but is saved by the happy dirge of the chorus. I do have the feeling that this song might grow on me a little as I hear it more.

'A Martyr For My Love For You' is a sweet and sad song about the art of the preemptive breakup, and all of the rationalizing that goes along with it.

'Catch Hell Blues' has a classic blues feel, but is also fresh and innovative in both the guitar and drum work. If I were putting this album together, I would've ended on this song.

'Effect and Cause' sounds like an afterthought, and also sounds quite a bit like 'Summertime Blues' by Eddie Cochran. I suppose you could kind of look at this song as maybe something that takes place after the album, some silly thing just for fun, to unwind.

All in all, a great album I recommend to anyone. Seven thumbs up!