Consolers of the Lonely

by

The Raconteurs

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First of all, forget whatever you thought you knew about The Raconteurs. This album would be hard-pressed to be much more different from "Broken Boy Soldiers," their 2006 debut. From Jack's first searing guitar notes of the title track, which opens the album, through the quirky Dylan-esque "Carolina Drama" that closes it, this album shows that the Racs did not just drive up to the stop light and then continue on after the light changed. They hung a right and buried the gas.

What's different from "Broken Boy Soldiers"? The energy level is higher, for one thing. While there is a mix of different paced songs on the album, overall they've taken the energy to a new level. The first album had a "sound" that extended throughout the entire album; this does not. It's also not as polished an album as their first (and that's a good thing, not a bad thing - nor is it a criticism of "Broken Boy Soldiers"). While Brendan's pop-meister sensibilities and skills are evident (their cover of Terry Reid's "Rich Kid Blues" is a good example), they are not as pronounced as on "Broken Boy Soldiers". There are some rough edges to the sound that add to the energy and a dark edginess that lurks in the background ("Top Yourself" is an excellent example). Some of their influences, such as country, are more obvious (Dirk Powell's fiddling is lovely). And Jack III's love of the blues is much more evident. The use of the Memphis Horns on some tracks raised my eyebrows until I heard them; the use is sparing and fits beautifully (I can't begin to count how many rock songs have been ruined by the addition of horns - Jackie Bollweevil and Brendan Boy knew exactly what they were doing here). And some of Jack's slide work will positively make your skin crawl!

It's premature for me to add any detailed commentary on the individual songs (I've only given the album three careful [translate: headphones] listens, although it's been playing constantly since I got it), but "Carolina Drama" is definitely my fave so far - it's killer good. Side note: "Five On The Five" has evolved considerably since it was played in concerts on the 2006 tour.

What I can say is, even though it's only March, this is easily one of the best albums of 2008, and it's going to be very heavily played at this house for a long time to come. My advice is to buy this album, put it in your car stereo, turn it up all the way, and drive around town with all the windows down (even if it's snowing, and definitely in the rain) - that is what rock `n' roll was intended for, and this is most definitely rock `n' roll of the first order.

While this album is very different from "Broken Boy Soldiers", it is absolutely outstanding in every way. This is grand stuff, indeed. So much for the sophomore album jinx.

The Racs are back,

Pickin' up the slack.

Jack White is kind of an up-and-down fellow: he can put together some absolutely brilliant songs that really put you in the mood to rock, no matter how off-kilter it is, or he can end up in a rut. As an example of this, I would posit that his most brilliant work (Meg of course is a creative non-factor) would be Elephant, Icky Thump, De Stijl, and Broken Boy Soldiers; all great albums that range from the super-catchy (Elephant) to the rather dissonant (Icky Thump), or the classically influenced, yet fresh (Broken Boy Soldiers). Sometimes, though, it just doesn't work; the White Stripes self-titled debut album, Get Behind Me Satan, and this album.

After the home-run of BBS, I was eagerly awaiting Consolers and picked it up on the enthusiastic recommendations of many friends. However, it just doesn't hit the same nerves as BBS; instead of the slow, rambling charm of BBS' best songs, it keeps rhythms we're much more accustomed to in classic rock, and the lyrics change from their unfocused, simple subject matter to more conventional themes, which are clearly Jack's weak spot. Where BBS could make a beautiful song about nothing more than hands, or the phase of the moon, Consolers tries to capture relationship blues almost exclusively. One can see why he's stuck to nonsensical, free-association lyrics for so long: when he tries to tell a story it crumbles.

As for the instrumental sound of this album, it is more structured than we are accustomed to from either the Raconteurs or White Stripes, with less of the solos and riffing that we all love to hear from Jack. The addition of horns are well-done, and fit with the bluesy composition. Unfortunately, all the songs blend together with both their theme and musical sound, and you'll be hard pressed to distinguish one from the other after you're done listening.

Overall, this album is unremarkable and weak in comparison to the majority of Mr. White's impressive aural resume. It lacks the catchiness, incredible solos, and silly charm of other album's songwriting. If you'd like to hear an album by Jack White that will appear more familiar and bluesy than his other work, buy this one, otherwise stick to the rest.