Icky Thump Packs a Punch
Waving the Black, Red and White Flag Proudly.
Band: the White Stripes
Album: Icky Thump
Release Date: June 19, 2007
Label: Warner Bros.
Genre: Rock
Members: Jack White, Meg White
Guests: Regulo Aldama, Jim Drury
From: Detroit, Michigan
Since White Blood Cells in 2001, the White Stripes have released an album every two years. It’s become as natural as the sun rising in the morning. This time, though, when the sun rose it brought a whole new palette of colours along with it.
Yet there’s something somehow familiar about Icky Thump – perhaps a sense of déjà vu or a recurring dream. That’s because the album is a triumphant return to classic White Stripes – unadulterated, gratuitous and shameless grungy blues.
The title track is void of any subtlety and gets things started right. A battered and broken organ is accompanied by grim and gory guitar thumps, dragging the song along the dirty ground by the hair. Jack White’s lyrics divide the song into acts, with Led Zeppelin-induced blazing blues riffs acting as the intermission.
The following track, “You Don’t Know What Love Is (You Just Do What You’re Told)” is highlighted by a slick and gorgeous guitar solo so highly tweaked the end of Jack’s guitar should have caught fire.
Jack and Meg
The blistering and discordant noise of tracks like “Icky Thump”, “Bone Broke” and “Catch Hell Blues” is neatly balanced by that delicate chemistry between Jack and Meg that’s always worked so well. Jack is a master songwriter and storyteller, and some of the most warming stories feature Jack and Meg themselves.
“Rag and Bone” is by far the best example of this – more so than the sweet “I’m Slowly Turning into You” because of the hilarious spoken-word verses. It starts in some junk collector’s mansion, filled with an endless array of treasured sounds left to collect dust and fade away. Overexcited like a kid with a stack of mint Zeppelin and Hendrix records at his feet, Jack says, “You sure you don’t want it? I’ll take it. It’s just things you don’t want. We can use ‘em. Meg can use ‘em. We’ll make something out of them. Make some money out of them at least.” And that they will.
What results from those treasures is a very dynamic record. One gets the impression that Jack was getting tired of the limiting sounds of the group, resulting in a whole new level of experimenting on 2005’s Get Behind Me Satan. With the Raconteurs, he was able to explore new terrain – he learned how to create something new without taking it to extremes. The songs never capture the energy of past singles, but they manage to stand firmly on their own, proof of Jack’s development as a composer.
A Few More Goodies
Songs like “Conquest” are a breath of fresh air – it sounds more like a luchador introduction than a White Stripes song. The heavy barreling drum beats, mariachi trumpets and tango-inspired grooving bass evoke an image of Jack in a black and red mariachi suit, holding on to his Cheech and Chong-inspired moustache as he belts out the theatrical “Conquueeest!”
“Prickly Thorn, But Sweetly Worn” is a festive barefoot romp through the luscious highland hills; as refreshing as Zeppelin’s “Bron-Y-Aur Stomp” and complete with some sweet bagpipes.
The only disappointment here is the lack of that country tinge from songs like “Hotel Yorba” or the tranquil folk sounds of an “I Can Tell That We Are Going To Be Friends.” This record proves change is good, though. Very good.
Icky Thump by the White Stripes
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