Raconteurs
The White Stripes changed my life. Their third album, “Elephant,” specifically the track “Ball and Biscuit,” sent me on a path backwards in time and exposed me to the genre of music I most love today: blues.
Because of this, I’ve always felt like I owed Jack White something. He gave me this gift, so I will forever buy any album he’s involved with out of a bizarre sense of obligation.
The first Raconteurs album, “Broken Boy Soldiers,” was a solid work I enjoyed for a few days but never went back to. Their new disc, however, “Consolers of the Lonely” is going to be played in my apartment and car until the CD wears out. When that happens, I’ll buy another copy, and I’ll probably do it again after that. I’ll offer up some of my favorite songs.
The titular first track is like two catchy tunes in one package. It’s like a summary of all of the great aspects of this band: White’s screaming guitar is used to counter Brendan Benson’s beautiful harmonies, and the two different rhythms used in the two sections of the song perfectly highlight the band’s ridiculous rhythm section, drummer Patrick Keeler and bassist Jack Lawrence.
Track seven, “Top Yourself,” sounds like “De Stijl”-era Stripes, but with banjo, bass and more layered percussion. White doesn’t put on a “blues voice” when he sings a blues tune, and the result is an honest, modern take on an old genre.
The last song I’ll mention is my favorite on the album, track eight, “Many Shades of Black. “Where White’s songs are more rootsy and heavy, Benson has a great sense of melody, and so his songs take the most twists and turns melodically. What results is a song with a great horn section and a fun one to sing.
This album’s shifting styles and instrumentation offer up songs for many moods. If you’re a fan of blues-rock, or somebody enjoys catchy songs with a killer groove, you should pick this up.
