Fighting the good fight
The Raconteurs
Broken Boy Soldiers
The Raconteurs are a band of familiar faces. They include the eccentric guitar- wielding Jack White, the harmonising romantic pop poet Brendan Benson and two members of 60’s garage rock obsessed The Greenhornes, Jack Lawrence (bass) and Patrick Keeler (drums). If their past musical triumphs prove one thing, it’s that The Raconteurs are capable of much more than superfl uous side project fare. They’re a retro blues-rock supergroup from the heart of Detroit, and expectations are high.
Any fears that their potential would not be fulfi lled appear to be instantly destroyed as the stomping bass beats and juddering guitars of Steady, As She Goes burst through the speakers. It’s an encouragingly strong start to the album, with Jack and Brendan going on to trade overlaying lyrics during the incredibly catchy, pounding rock n roll chorus.
This equal sharing of lead vocals continues throughout Broken Boy Soldiers, with Brendan’s warm voice collaborating effortlessly with Jack’s raw, visceral tones. In fact, the entire sound of this band is a delicate balance between the two front men’s musical personalities, with each one dominating in equal measure and neither wishing to overshadow his counterpart.
At points, on slower tracks Together and Call It A Day, the melodies on these tracks seem unnaturally strained, and simplicity of the lyrics sometimes grates, only being saved from the completely meaningless by the endearing sincerity with which they’re sung. However, the rest of the album easily surpasses these slight glitches.
Title track Broken Boy Soldier is a brooding Led Zep-esque monster, which sees Jack delivering lyrics like a fully charged Robert Plant, whilst Yellow Sun, with its bouncing organ and shuffl ing drums, is drenched in gleaming Beatles pop sensibility.
The highlight of the album comes in the form of psychedelic blues masterpiece Store Bought Bones, a track packed full of distorted organ and evocative reverb guitars, including a blistering howl of guitar solo that scorches an exquisite scar across Brendan’s relentlessly driving riff. Both lead men exude bright enthusiasm for their music and are clearly relishing the new opportunities that being in this band is presenting.
This is most evident during Intimate Secretary; a bizarre song about hopping rabbits and Japanese teapots that envelops the listener with its positive spirit, building up from jangling guitars into a soaring blast of psychedelia. They may have already tasted musical success individually, but working together as The Raconteurs this group of Detroit gentlemen have created a strong, compelling album of authentic blues rock ‘n’ roll that deserves to be celebrated in its own right.
4th May 2006