  Rhymeswithrawk Member Username: Rhymeswithrawk Post Number: 771 Registered: 11-2005 |
Thanks to a friend, I'm now rocking out to "Icky Thump," the latest from Detroit's favorite turncoats, the White Stripes. Initial, overall reaction: Way the hell better than "Satan," better than "Elephant" and diverse like "White Blood Cells." By now, most people have heard the first single, the keyboard-saturated title track. That organ sound makes an appearance on many tracks on this platter, but, fortunately, it's in much more moderate and less annoying proportions. I had feared the worst after hearing the debut single and all that crap with the Chicago radio station and MTV, not to mention all the trash talkin' he's been spewing about my town. After the disappointing album with the Raconteurs. I was fearing he'd sold out. I am pleasantly surprised, no shocked, at how good this record is. It's eclectic. He's matured vastly as a songwriter. He's not relying solely on catchy guitar hooks. Folks, buy this when it comes out next week. Overall, I give it 9 out of 10. Let's go track-by-track, shall we? 1) "Icky Thump" - A great, monstrous guitar riff and solid lyrics are ruined by obnoxious, amateur-sounding keyboard noodling. But how can you not love rapid-fire lyrics like, "Whoda thunk sittin' drunk on a wagon to Mexico"? And is Jacky White getting political on us? "Why don't you kick yourself out?/You're an immigrant, too!" I'm sure that's a line that'd resonate here in Southwest Detroit, home of the Hotel Yorba, Jack's boyhood home and Mexicantown. A solid rocker and good pick for an opening track. My problem with this track is the Argent-esque, Rick Wakeman-channeling keyboard wankery. I hated this track the first few times I heard it, but it's grown on me a bit more. 2) "You Don't Know What Love Is (You Just Do As You're Told)" - An awkward transition as this one is slow and alt-countryish. Reminiscent of "I'm Finding it Harder to be a Gentleman." Here he re-examines what happens when childhood innocence and love mix. A solid riff in this one and a real nice bridge about a minute and a half in that really serves this one nicely. Lyrically not as solid. This one feels like it was spawned after spending too much time hanging out with Brendan Benson. 3) "300 M.P.H. Torrential Outpour Blues" - Another slow jam. "There's all kinds of redheaded women I'm not supposed to catch/And it's that color which never fails to turn me blue." Marcie Bolen? It's real slow and then ho.lee.fuck. Out of left field at 2:05 comes this frickin' intense, short burst of fret shredding. Then back to slow. Then again around 3:05 with the shredding. Not one of my favorite tracks on first listen, but on the second pass through it struck me as brilliant. It's an eclectic track in that "Paranoid Android" kind of way - though not anywhere near as epic or genius. 4) "Conquest" - Ahh, probably my favorite song on this LP. Eat your heart out, Herb Alpert. This one features (and starts off with) bursts of Tijuana-flavored horns, which might be a first for this band. Maybe not, it's late and I'm tired. Anyway, this Patti Page cover is frickin' intense. It's fun as hell. It's way better than the original and certainly rocks way more than the Page's (cuz she recorded it 50 years ago). The lyrics are silly in that Marlene Dietrich kind of way. Jack takes a big band song and makes it frickin' smoke. If you love the Stripes' cover of "Look Me Over Closely," this song will make you shit your pants. Can't see them pulling this one off live, but I've listened to it 10 times already. I dare you not to sing along as he unleashes "CaaaaAAAAAaaAAAAAaaaaAAAAAnqu est!" 5) "Bone Broke" - Another rocking number in the early White Stripes mold. Similar to "Let's Shake Hands" and stuff off the self-titled record. Lyrically kind of weak, but very, very garagey. Nice to know a band that debuts its shit on MTV hasn't forgotten its roots. Hard to believe someone could write a song like this in Nashville. It's straight up Detroit. We're talkin' GTO, motherfucker. And all of that rocking segues into ... 6) "Prickly Thorn, But Sweetly Worn" - ... some kind of "Riverdance" mandolin-and-yodeling crap. Sucks. 7) "St. Andrew (This Battle Is In The Air)" - Well, it's different. The same bagpipe and mandolin stuff breaks into a jig with spoken word vocals that sound like Jack on helium. Lyrically it's neat, but it's not at all listenable. "Where are the angels?/St. Andrew don't forsake me," Jack says. Funny, I was going to say the same thing to you, Jacko. Great name for a song, though. Not sure if it's a nod to the rock venue by the same name on Congress and Brush in Detroit. I'll pretend it is. 8) "Little Cream Soda" - Back to the nifty. Another primeval, power cord-heavy rock number. Key word: heavy. This thing is going to be a real crowd pleaser. I can see all the kids jumping in unison with their fists pumping in the air. "Well every highway that I go down seems to be longer than the last one that I know about, oh well," Jack says matter-of-factly. "And every girl that I walk around seems to be more of an illusion than the last one that I found, oh well." Ain't that the truth. "There was a time when all I wanted was my ice cream cone and a little cream soda, oh well." That "So it goes," laissez "oh well" appears again and again throughout. It's a solid track and ends with him repeating "There's nothing left for me to tell you, oh well, oh well, oh well, oh well." It's a shame that it ends after a mere 3 minutes and 45 seconds. Oh well. 9) "Rag & Bone" - Starts off with a little riff that sounds like "Rock 'n Roll Nurse" by the Compulsive Gamblers (covered, incidentally, by Jack's favorite band, the Von Bondies). But then Jack starts having some kind of weird-ass dialog with Meg. It's lyrically weak like "Hardest Button to Button," but, like that ditty, this one has a sweet riff. But once it gets a-rockin' it goes back to a-suckin' when Jack and Meg start talking about weird "stuff" (their word, not mine) and how they're going to make things out of "the stuff" and how "we're gonna give the stuff a home." It's not a bad song, but it's totally one that you can skip over - and stuff. 10) "I'm Slowly Turning Into You" - Eerily similar to "I Want to be the Boy to Warm Your Mother's Heart." Lots of organ. It's a slow number, but the song isn't called "I'm Quickly Turning Into You," so that shouldn't be a surprise. Good lyrics. Lots of quick starts and quick rests. Then this slow, low, plodding bridge comes in and you realize this is a really great song. Not as great as some of the rockers on here, but it's the best of the rest. "I even love it when you're fakin' it," Jack says before busting into a fuzzed out mayhem over a slow drum beat and organ accents. This one smokes, folks. Let's put it this way: I'd put it on a mix. 11) "A Martyr For My Love For You" - After a looooooong fade out and 10 seconds of silence following the last track, you're bashed in the face with this cataclysmic organ-drum-guitar crashing intro and then ... ... slow, plodding acoustic guitar. Another one of the alt-country tunes, this one is sweet and soft, talks of angels and leather shoes and teenage dreams. But then he interrupts this pillow talk with loud guitar and a raised voice: "I could stay a while, but sooner or later I'd break your smile," he growls. The midpoint of this song is about as solid as this album gets and showcases and capsulizes Jack's maturation in under 5 minutes. There's a solid instrumental break and then he cuts loose his biggest, "Icky-iest," "Thumpiest" bomb thus far: "We might share a kiss, but I feel like I can't go through with this/And I bet we could build a home, but I know the best thing I can do with you - is to leave you alone." Wow. Since when did Jack become the Heartbreak Kid? Pat Benatar best steer clear. 12) "Catch Hell Blues" - It's fitting that the song with the baddest-ass-est name on the LP would be bad-ass. You know how the live version of Son House's "Death Letter" sounds? Well it's a lot like that. He busts out his blues steel and lets it fly. Slow, thudding drums. Frantic, bluesy, steely, gritty, sloppy guitar. Every time I hear it I keep waiting for him to bust into "Motherless Children Have a Hard Time." Alas, it never comes. I'm really glad this song is here because it'll make longtime fans happy and remind them of the good ol' days. Far more importantly, it makes me happy. Too bad it's buried so far down in the track listing. Seems like it would have been better placed than between two slow, heartfelt tunes. Which leads us to ... 13) "Effect & Cause" - It's a lot like "It's True That We Love One Another" but without Holly Golightly and the silly words. Lyrically this song is brilliant. I haven't pulled out a lesson or theme. It plays out more like he came up with all these great one-liners that didn't fit into other songs and through them into some sort of rock 'n' roll gumbo. A taste of said gumbo: "Well, you burned my house down and then got mad at my reaction." "Making sense of it all takes a whole lot of concentration." Basically, as the song's title hints, he's flipping the cause and effect. A taste: "Well, you can't blame a baby for her pregnant mom." "I'm not saying I'm innocent, in fact the reverse." "If you're headed to the grave, you don't blame the hearse." It sounds silly, but it works swell. It's not the best way to end an album, but it's a neato little track. Fin. | ||
Bulletmagnet Member Username: Bulletmagnet Post Number: 621 Registered: 01-2007 |
Nice work on the review Rhymeswithrawk! I wasn't sure if I should buy this one, but now there is no doubt. I don’t know if I could put that much effort and thought into critiquing music, but it seems like you like this kind of stuff. I would like to send to you a home made album of my own for you to listen to, if you don’t mind. A self produced bit with me on all the over dubs. The title is "Bullets Barn Burning Blasts". Its a lot like my photos, only audio. | ||
Fishtoes2000 Member Username: Fishtoes2000 Post Number: 220 Registered: 06-2005 |
Thanks, Rhymeswithrawk. I just ordered the album on a custom Meg White USB (available on the whitestripes.com web site.) | ||
Soulhawk Member Username: Soulhawk Post Number: 312 Registered: 04-2004 |
cool review. I had the same feeling about the obnoxious Icky Thump keyboard thing. But, since you hated it too, and still recommended it; I'm gonna get it. Thanks. | ||
Deandub11 Member Username: Deandub11 Post Number: 110 Registered: 05-2006 |
So obviously this doesnt change whether the music is any good or not, but just out of curiosity, does anyone care that he basically bailed on Detroit? Is this a case of doing whats best for him and something that he needed to do to further himself or did he just sell out rock city? Personally I say fuck him for talking trash on the d, but thats just my opinion... | ||
Barnesfoto Member Username: Barnesfoto Post Number: 3648 Registered: 10-2003 |
Sometimes, you need a little time away. | ||
Detroitej72 Member Username: Detroitej72 Post Number: 557 Registered: 05-2006 |
Think maybe Jack will pull a Bob Seager and go "hollywood' before coming back home? I hope not, but at the very least,I hope Jack will come back home before the rest of America forgets The White Stripes just as they had Seager, Iggy, Alice, The Temptations, Diana, and the rest who hailed from the "D". (Message edited by detroitej72 on June 13, 2007) | ||
Valkyrias Member Username: Valkyrias Post Number: 463 Registered: 02-2005 |
i got a *sneak peak* of the album as well, and i gotta say i thoroughly enjoyed it from beginning to end. it does kinda remind me of more 'old school' white stripes. good stuff!  | ||
Chitaku Member Username: Chitaku Post Number: 1417 Registered: 03-2006 |
i also got a peak and really dig it, Meg is now a Los Angelean so she went Hollywood. | ||
Vas Member Username: Vas Post Number: 734 Registered: 01-2004 |
The music rules. I think he got sick of the image based scene, the legal battles with an ex-producer and well everyone acting soooo cool-which can be pretty evident. I'm glad its not like get Behind me Satan, that was just off. | ||
Thecarl Member Username: Thecarl Post Number: 1022 Registered: 04-2005 |
whoa! i instantly found the track "icky thump" to be quirky, kinky, and addictive! i first heard it on xm recently, and the blown-out, bagpipe-sounding squalls contrast nicely with the solid, heavy, driving beat - and the frenetic, squawking lyrics. i find the ditty to be creative and clever, and a welcome exploration of the "garage band" sound. cheers to the white stripes! | ||
Thecarl Member Username: Thecarl Post Number: 1023 Registered: 04-2005 |
quote: white stripe flight? yikes. | ||
Detroitej72 Member Username: Detroitej72 Post Number: 560 Registered: 05-2006 |
Meg is now a Los Angelean so she went Hollywood Since when? Disappointed in Detroit, detroitej72... | ||
Andysrc Member Username: Andysrc Post Number: 179 Registered: 07-2005 |
Nice review Rhymeswithrawk. Overall it's a pretty darn good album. I love the single Icky Thump. But I think Conquest is the song I like the least on the album, while I really enjoyed Prickly Thorn and St. Andrew. | ||
Quozl Member Username: Quozl Post Number: 757 Registered: 07-2005 |
Blender magazine gave the Icky Thump CD 4.5 stars out of 5. They also had a fairly good article about Jack and Meg and his relocating to Nashville. | ||
Johnlodge Member Username: Johnlodge Post Number: 617 Registered: 10-2003 |
I bought the set of Jack and Meg USB albums. Cannot WAIT to get them. I had some buyer's remorse at the $100 price tag, but with only 3,333 being made of each, I definitely think it will be worth it in the long run. | ||
Quozl Member Username: Quozl Post Number: 758 Registered: 07-2005 |
I saw that JohnLodge. Not all that familiar with the Apple LossLess audio codec data compression. They look cool, hope you enjoy them.  | ||
Rhymeswithrawk Member Username: Rhymeswithrawk Post Number: 777 Registered: 11-2005 |
So obviously this doesnt change whether the music is any good or not, but just out of curiosity, does anyone care that he basically bailed on Detroit? Sure, I care. As I wrote: "I'm now rocking out to "Icky Thump," the latest from Detroit's favorite turncoats, the White Stripes." I've been hard on him before, but I'm over it. I, too, left Detroit for job reasons, but it never left my heart and I always knew I'd be back. Do I see him moving back? No. Does that mean I will stop listening to his albums? No. I mean, Iggy Stooge left the Mitten, too, but there's no way I'm turning off the "Raw Power" in my "Fun House." | ||
Andylinn Member Username: Andylinn Post Number: 424 Registered: 04-2006 |
when did meg move!?!?!?!?! rhymes, the record collector forum makes me sad. how can we pump it up? | ||
Fury13 Member Username: Fury13 Post Number: 1773 Registered: 10-2003 |
Any bass on this record? If not, Jack still has a lot to learn, and I'll pass. | ||
Rhymeswithrawk Member Username: Rhymeswithrawk Post Number: 780 Registered: 11-2005 |
rhymes, the record collector forum makes me sad. how can we pump it up? I wish I knew. I tried flyering, but that got us nowhere. | ||
Jerome81 Member Username: Jerome81 Post Number: 1497 Registered: 11-2003 |
Anyone notice some tracks are crisp and clear while others sound a little "muddy"? For instance Icky Thump and You Don't Know What Love is seem very clear, the 300mph blues seem to be muddy. I find myself turning it up but it doesn't matter. I've noticed it is better on headphones, but in the car I have a hard time hearing the change in the notes. Then when he starts rockin on 300mph it again sounds like it all kinda runs together. I'm sure it is intentional, but makes you wonder if you got a bad CD or something Still going through it....so far, I like some, some others not so much. With that said, each of their last ones at first I found strange and didn't think I liked it. Then I listen a few more times and it stands on its own and I find I love most all of their albums. Each one is completely different from the last. Maybe that's why I keep coming back. All great variety. Do love their hard stuff best though. When they wanna really rock, they can (Icky Thump, Dead Leaves and the Dirty Ground, etc). I find myself wanting an entire album of that type of stuff.... Oh and where do I get a USB one?? | ||
Quozl Member Username: Quozl Post Number: 806 Registered: 07-2005 |
http://whitestripes.kungfunati on.com/ | ||
Jerome81 Member Username: Jerome81 Post Number: 1499 Registered: 11-2003 |
Listened a few more times. I dig. Where did meg live in Detroit? I haven't heard about anything to LA. | ||
Chitaku Member Username: Chitaku Post Number: 1432 Registered: 03-2006 |
she lived in Woodbridge and then Indian Village | ||
Dougw Member Username: Dougw Post Number: 1754 Registered: 11-2003 |
She hasn't sold her house in Detroit, though, so she might still be a part-time/occasional resident. |
