album #33

icky thump (the white stripes)

This is an exhiliratingly badass album. Ferocious and ballsy, hard rocking guitars, playful lyrics that trip off the tongue. It’s a serious breath of fresh air, a completely different thing than all the milky, subtle stuff I’ve listened to lately.

I love the first several songs. “Icky Thump” is heavy, furious and fierce, a garage rock masterpiece within the first thirty seconds. It makes me think of driving in a hot summer, blasting music with the windows down. “You Don’t Know What Love Is,” heavy, catchy and soulful, probably my favorite, reminds me of Exile on Main Street- era Rolling Stones. Except better. If this song had been on that album, maybe I would actually agree with Exile’s reputation. “300 M.P.H. Torrential Outpour Blues” nicely mixes hard rock and relaxed, catchy guitar work. “Bone Broke” is pretty damn satisfying in a generically good rockin’ way.

The album fades down the stretch, unfortunately. After several early explosions of brilliance, the rest of Icky Thump mostly settles into a generically good, bluesy-rock pattern, not really capturing my attention or affection.

There are some interesting asides, the howling Flamenco “Conquest” and the Highlander duo of “Prickly Thorn, but Sweetly Worn” and “St. Andrew.” “Effect & Cause” is a nice, funny, chill closer, my favorite of the second-half songs. Overall it’s a decent album, but those first few tracks are magnificent, and it’s great to listen to a band like this after all the moody tenderness I’ve subjected myself to.