We've all waited two years. Finally, The White Stripes have released a new album. To be quite honest with you, I was hoping for another White Blood Cells or another Elephant, because both of which are superb albums. But I'm fine with Icky Thump. It's more hard-rocking than Get Behind Me Satan, and more diverse than some of the other albums by the band. Overall, it is a satisfying release.
The title track kicks off the album as being one of the greatest songs on here. "Icky Thump" is a fantastic song with everything I love about The White Stripes in it. It's raw. It's got power. It's bluesy. It's flat-out fun. The main thing that truly bugs me about this track is the over-usage of the Univox synthesizer and
some (and I use this term loosely) bland guitar-work, but overall, this track is very diggable.
Another one of the highlights of this album is the track that immediately follows the title track. "You Don't Know What Love Is (You Just Do As You're Told)" is a shining moment on here. The song is just great fun, much like the song that precedes it. The guitar is not wankerish in any way whatsoever. It's smooth, and the riffs go right along with the flow of the song, whereas in "Icky Thump", there was some over-usage of wankerish guitar-playing and such. This song is a nice country-ish tune, with an old, classic rock sound to it. "Icky Thump" is the better song, but this is quite enjoyable as well.
Already we have straight-forward rock and roll (with some strange elements to it) and a country-esque tune. Those are two highlights, so yeah, we're off to a superb start. But, not everything is fine and dandy, and you will learn this by listening to "Conquest". It does grow on thyself after many listens, but it is certainly not a highlight, by no means. It is similar to "I Think I Smell A Rat" off of White Blood Cells, but that is a much better song. This track is a cover of some old 50's tune, and while it may be considered experimental for the Stripes to put this on here, it's really just an annoying (yet catchy) song that has a Latin feel to it.
Also, the celtic Scottish folk songs are not that great either. They may be better than "Conquest", but these are not highlights at all. One of these two tracks did happen to grow on me though. "Prickly Thorn, But Sweetly Worn" is by no means a crappy number, but compared to some of the other things that this album has to offer, it is not that great. Now, "St. Andrew (This Battle Is In The Air)" comes right afterwards, and it follows the same tradition as the track that precedes it. The two are in fact almost identical. So in conclusion, St. Andrew is Scottish filler, but Prickly Thorn is a grows-on-you-after-numerous-listens type of track.
Hey Sonic, wait just a minute. What is
your personal favorite song on the album; a song that everybody should hear or download? What is a track so delightfully catchy and fun that it deserves to be two lines seperated from everything written above it? Well, my friend/enemy, the answer to that question is this:
Rag And Bone. This track is the main highlight of Icky Thump. This is a classic Stripes song if there ever was one. The pure, bluesy catchiness of this song is magnificent and unmatched by any other song on here. The guitar? Jack White's playing is simple and subtle, and I cannot stress this enough: It's freaking bluesy. The song is Meg and Jack talking, singing, and playing their instruments. The two of them describe the events of being rag-and-bone people. They take one person's junk and turn it into something useful. This song shows that the band still have a good sense of humor, and that they know when to record a goofy and fun track like this. It blows everything that surrounds it right out of the water.
The remainder tracks on the album are also quite well-done, but nothing compared to the sheer magnificence of
Rag and Bone.
In conclusion, The White Stripes'
Icky Thump is a pretty good album, and it is truly their best album since 2003's Elephant. It is not quite White Blood Cells, which is (if you have not yet guessed by now) my favorite Stripes album. It cost sixteen dollars, but after listening to it many, many times, I truly think that it was money well spent. So, once again, the Stripes have put out a very enjoyable record, and it is one that fans of their more rock-oriented material will greatly enjoy.
The Best:
Icky Thump
You Don't Know What Love Is (You Just Do As You're Told)
Rag and Bone
The Worst:
St. Andrew
Conquest
3.75/5
