Stripes Unfurled, Solo Rollin': "Blunderbuss" by Jack White (Cover to Cover)

During the last decade, Jack White has been an almost ubiquitous presence in alternative rock music, as half of the White Stripes, member of the Raconteurs and the Dead Weather, and producer for acts, like country legend Loretta Lynn. Therefore, it might be a surprise to some that Blunderbuss (released on Third Man Records) is White’s first solo album. It would be far too easy to attempt to compare it to White’s past projects as well as a disservice to the album itself; Blunderbuss more than stands up on its own. However, that isn’t to say comparisons can’t be made at all. The album’s second single, “Sixteen Saltines,” is the most typically White Stripes-esque of the album. The song is raw and loud with the distorted guitars and fierce drums that encapsulate the Stripes’ style. The album is also full of White’s love of the blues, country, and Dylan, threads that connect a great deal of his work, but now are processed through his vision alone.

With White’s recent divorce and the split of the White Stripes last year, it would also be very easy to fall into the trap of viewing the album purely as a postmortem statement on those personal situations. Of course, it would also be naïve to say those things didn’t influence the album at all. As White said in an interview with the Montreal Gazette, "As an artist, you're a victim to your environment. I'd like to make up a scenario, but my writing ends up having a lot to [do] with things I've felt and observed." The most overt comment on his former band mate comes in the clever and bittersweet track “Hip (Eponymous) Poor Boy.”  He sings, “So I get into the game, but always keep it the same / And I'll be usin' your name,” a reference to his use ex-wife/ex-drummer Meg White’s last name. Despite this track, like his idol Bob Dylan, White’s lyrics are almost always too vague and obscure to pinpoint his precise meaning or inspiration. (Not that that has stopped anyone from trying.)

The album’s title track “Blunderbuss” is another highlight. It is beautiful and vulnerable and conveys raw emotion lyrically the way tracks like “Sixteen Saltines” do so musically. Other highlights of the album include the flat out awesome cover of Little Willie John’s “I’m Shakin’,” “Hypocritical Kiss,” and “Freedom at 21,” which strongly echoes Rush’s “Tom Sawyer.” The album Blunderbuss is a perfect blend of rock, blues, country, and even pop. Whether you’re a fan of White’s previous work or just looking for something new, this album cannot be recommended highly enough.

The Epic and the Lackluster: "Fallen Empires" by Snow Patrol (Cover to Cover)

Reviewing a Snow Patrol album is an awkward position to be in, because it seems like many people have long ago made up their minds about the band; either viewing the band’s singer/songwriter Gary Lightbody as a poet of his generation or seeing the band as a lesser version of Coldplay. The band’s latest album, Fallen Empires, shows that both camps are certainly justified in their thinking.

The album features quite a few guest appearances, such as Michael Stipe and Queen of the Stone Age’s Tony Van Leeuwen. However, the two most notable appearances come from the LA Inner City Mass Gospel Choir and folk singer Lissie. Both feature on multiple tracks and add a level of emotion and intensity that might be lost otherwise. This is particularly true of Lissie who essentially saves the tracks “The Garden Rules” and “Those Decent Bells” with her somewhat haunting voice that is often reminiscent of Stevie Nicks.

While the songs are all very beautiful and well-constructed, some suffer from flaws that have plagued the band for most of their career. The biggest flaw being a tendency to lean on one-line choruses that repeat far too much, such as in “The Garden Rules,” “The Weight of Love,” and “Life-ning.” It’s a shame, because it bogs down songs that are otherwise beautiful and sweet.

Though the album has its flaws there are also many moments of sheer brilliance. One such moment is the album’s third single, “New York,” which some might compare to the band’s well-known ballads “Run” and “Chasing Cars.” The swell of the chorus is epic and timeless, the lyrics heartfelt and genuine (“I miss it all from the love to the lightening / And the lack of it snaps me in two”), and there’s no other way to describe the overall effect other than that it twists your guts.

Another highlight on the album is the title track, “Fallen Empires,” which harkens back to the more “obscure” and “alternative” of their catalog, such as “Last Ever Lone Gunman.” The best way to describe this track would be: if flames could make music, this is what they would sound like. The bass line grabs you, the drums are tribal, the vocals hypnotizing and sinister, and the whole thing just commands you to move. If this song isn’t released as a single sooner or later that would be an absolute crime*. In fact, for any and all flaws the album may have, it is worth a listen simply for this track alone. Fallen Empires may not mark a big or lasting change in sound for Snow Patrol or change how some view them, but it is a beautiful and worthwhile album.

*Incidentally, it never was a single and yes, I do think that was a huge mistake.

The Bad Beginning

I've said it before and I'll say it again, writing the first post of a blog is always difficult and awkward. It's almost as bad as filling in those "description" or "about me" sections on various sites. When a blog has a central idea or goal, the awkwardness can be lessened, but that isn't the case here. Unlike my other music blog and the various ideas I have that have yet to see the light of day, there is no real central premise to this blog.

Basically the idea of this blog is for me to post monthly reviews of recent albums, but that is just the minimum. If a given month has a lot of interesting albums released or should a song or video strike my fancy, I will write about those as well.

Unfortunately, most of the upcoming releases this summer look fairly boring to me. With that in mind, I will be posting a couple of reviews I wrote for my college newspaper for records released by Snow Patrol and Jack White last year. After that, I will likely be reviewing the latest albums from Paramore and Fall Out Boy, but that might change over the next few weeks.

For any other quick updates about this blog or others, I am on Facebook and Twitter.