While still counting down the days until June 19th, Icky Thump leaked. Up until this album, I had always had to wait until the release date to hear new White Stripes material...so my anticipation got the best of me, and though I felt slightly guilty (especially after the radio-leak episode and Jack's ensuing rage), I listened to Icky Thump endlessly for about a week.
Wait - a week? Elephant didn't leave my CD player for months, and GBMS was more or less my soundtrack to 2005. So what happened to Icky Thump?
I love most of the songs on the record ("Conquest" gets stuck in my head almost daily and "Catch Hell Blues" makes me want to cause a drunken ruckus), but something was missing:
the relationship between feverish fans and the anxious artist; hearing the beginning of the first track as you flip through the album's booklet; even the experience of ripping off the cellophane as soon as you get out of the store and into your car.
I still happily bought the CD as soon as I could on Tuesday - I'll always buy the album when it comes to The White Stripes - but now I better understand why devoted Arcade Fire fans refused to listen to Neon Bible when it leaked. To quote a different band featuring Jack White: "I'm through rippin' myself off".
So, back to my original thought: Could it get any better?
It's hard to say - I feel kind of cheated of being able to fully enjoy this album, and that's completely my own fault. However, my first impression still stands: delight mixed with a little disappointment, most likely because GBMS was such a punch in the gut for me - so surprising and jaw-dropping yet still incredibly & uniquely White Stripes. Icky Thump had some big, rockin', peppermint-colored shoes to fill, and while it follows in the same formidable vein as GBMS, that's just it: it follows, and that makes it slightly less impressive.
There are still some experiences to be relished now that Icky Thump is officially in stores: listening to it with good quality at loud volumes, playing tracks from it on the radio, and getting to see Jack and Meg rock the album live this July.
Quick Review of Tracks:
1. Icky Thump: Sounds the way black licorice tastes. Still one of my favorites, even after hearing the rest of the album. Surprisingly political lyrics. I wish there were more songs like this one throughout this record.
2. You Don't Know What Love Is (You Just Do As You're Told): Feels like it should come at a later point in the album. Brutally honest lyrics over what feels like less-than-sincere music.
3. 300 M.P.H. Torrential Outpour Blues: An excellent, somewhat slower, searing blues number.
4. Conquest (Patti Page cover): Made me smile immediately upon hearing it. Best played at extreme volumes and sung at the top of your lungs.
5. Bone Broke: Classic White Stripes sound. This track seems somewhat unremarkable, but it's good & reliable rock that balances out the other, more experimental tracks.
6. Prickly Thorn, But Sweetly Worn: Another strongly unique song featuring unexpected cultural influences (fans can now add Irish-folk to the list of explored genres by the White Stripes). Way less annoying than Flogging Molly.
7. St. Andrew (This Battle Is In The Air): Weirdly beautiful and interesting, this transitional track is like some sort of prayer, orated perfectly by Meg.
8. Little Cream Soda: Squealing/crunchy guitar and anticipation-building drums make this track one of the highlights of Icky Thump.
9. Rag and Bone: Endearing and mischievous dialogue mixed with the playful execution of this track make it something fans will love.
10. I'm Slowly Turning Into You: Makes you want to wail along with Jack as he notices that: "...I'm doing all the little things that you do, except the same little things that you do are annoying - they're annoying as hell, in fact", followed by the admission that idiosyncrasies are what makes someone appealing in the first place.
11. A Martyr For My Love For You: Heart-wrenching track about self-ruination. This one went unnoticed the first couple of times I listened to the record, but it's definitely worthy of some attention.
12. Catch Hell Blues: My personal favorite from Icky Thump (for now, at least). It hits you dead-on with Meg's trademark thumping & crashing, and Jack's yowling & screaming (from both his guitar and his vocal chords).
13. Effect & Cause: Clever lyrics typical of Jack's "tell-off", or advisory, songwriting style. Consistently leaves me wishing there were more tracks to follow.
For those interested:
I will be playing a solid hour of The White Stripes' music on July 5th, from 10pm-11pm (EST). It will be part of an All-American Music Marathon on U92 FM. You can listen online here.
Also, if there's anyone left out there who doesn't have it yet, here's my current favorite track from Icky Thump:
Download - Catch Hell Blues
I will be playing a solid hour of The White Stripes' music on July 5th, from 10pm-11pm (EST). It will be part of an All-American Music Marathon on U92 FM. You can listen online here.
Also, if there's anyone left out there who doesn't have it yet, here's my current favorite track from Icky Thump:
Download - Catch Hell Blues
