The Dead Weather- Horehound
7/10

Arguably one of the most scrutinised releases of 2009, it seems anything Jack White is involved in these days is going to be hyped beyond the clouds. And quite rightfully it should, the man is responsible for cannibalising rock and roll in the 21st Century, inspiring a new generation of musicians the same way Kurt Cobain did in the ’90s. The Dead Weather is White’s third major project, after The White Stripes and The Raconteurs, and despite him sitting behind the drum kit his influence comes through very strongly. The Dead Weather is a deadpan rock and roll band; more complex than The White Stripes and more brutally rigid than The Raconteurs. But it’s not just Jack White’s band, he is joined by Alison Mosshart (The Kills), Jack Lawrence (The Greenhorns, The Raconteurs) and Dean Fertita (Queens Of The Stone Age), and all bring unique elements to the band. The majority of the songs were written collectively, with the exception of ‘New Pony’, which is a Bob Dylan song that originally appeared on 1978’s Street Legal. The quartet turn the song into a beefy rock and roll benefit, crunching, yelping and spinning a classic guitar solo. There are heavy elements to the album as well as lighter, condensed tracks and they all work well together, warping at times into each other, they can become a little to much, but it’s only a minor defect. However just when your head is starting to nod, they hit you with ‘3 Birds’, a blissed-out psychedelic creation that highlights each of their instrumental capabilities and turns the screws a wee bit tighter. Sticking with White’s influential ways, final track ‘Will There Be Enough Water?’ is a slow blues number with White adding vocals and some sharp touches with his acoustic guitar. His obsession with paying homage to the old delta bluesmen again rounds off another album (remember ‘Your Southern Can Is Mine’ from De Stijl and ‘I’m Lonely (But I Ain’t That Lonely Yet) from Get Behind Me Satan).
Nick

Posted by Nick Fulton under Album, Reviews