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THE RACONTEURS
RATING: 7
PLAY THESE: STEADY AS SHE GOES, HANDS, INTIMATE SECRETARY
SKIP THESE: BROKEN BOY SOLDIERS
A band composed of "supposed" holidaying musicians whose priorities "supposedly" still lie with other groups, The Raconteurs' debut effort Broken Boy Soldiers won't change your life, but it's still fun to listen to. The most famous group member, of course, is White Stripe guitarist / vocalist Jack White, but he's not the only dude whose presence is obvious. Detroit-based singer/songwriter Brendan Benson writes all of the tunes with Jack White, and he sings on at least half of the tracks. And even when he's not singing lead, he's harmonizing with Jack White, which sounds pretty darn good at times. The other group members are the rhythm section from The Greenhornes, both of whom shall remain nameless on this website. In other words, who gives a crap? OK?
To get to the point, this whole album sounds like it was made quickly, but one also gets the impression that the group put a lot of effort into the final product. It's not some throwaway solo vanity project like Thom Yorke's recent Eraser CD - it's actual music made by an actual group, backed up by a bunch of actual SONGS, and not some freaky looking English geezer with a lazy eye pushing some keys on his PC keyboard and cutting and pasting the shit out of the recording. As such, it is a very successful album, and Meg White should be worried right now. After all, it is very weird to hear Jack play guitar with a drummer that can hold a tempo - and it does sound quite good. As far as influences go, the obvious one that springs to mind is The Beatles' 'Revolver,' as its psychedelic flourishes and Epiphone Casino guitar sound-through-Vox-amps ooze out of the tracks on this CD. There are also hints of The Rolling Stones, though, and Led Zeppelin influences can also be found on the album in spots. In short, it is stoned power pop, with a bit of the blues thrown in every once in a while too.
The best song is undoubtedly the lead-off single 'Steady, As She Goes,' which sounds like an honest to goodness mid-period Beatles, with some added modern production values. Very catchy song. The sly, early 70's glam-like 'Hands' is another winner, with a great melody and a great vocal delivery from Benson. 'Intimate Secretary' is a fun eastern psychedelic (note the oxymoron) influenced pop tune that will get you hopping about, while 'Level' is garage rock at its best. The slow burning Led Zep-like 'Blue Veins' is surprisingly powerful, while 'Yellow Sun' sounds like a song that Ray Davies could have written. The only really annoying thing on the album is the (ironically) White Stripes-like title track, with some really nasal Jack White vocals and a disappointingly unfinished ambience. On the whole, though, this is an enjoyable album with very little filler that might not sound terribly innovative, but it's very good at what it's intended to be.
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