I like this. A lot. Instant first impression, and while I’m a fan of White Stripes, and know some of their stuff, I don’t really own it and have any allegiance to it. But this is much more – so far – than some of the brash unreconstructed stuff they did that I knew, so it’s refreshing. This is the single, but it’s not really the best thing on there either.
In short though:
1) I like
2) I wish I’d chosen this for my month!
thisisnothappening.net 
Hmmmmmm. Really not sure about this one yet. Its very easy to listen to. I am not bored. I am not waiting to put something else on. I think Jack White’s voice annoys me. Which is a pretty bad start. There are some elements that I adore. I can’t recall the track but there is a stuttering, jittery, scratchy guitar solo that I adore the sound of. I love the more blues infused tracks. I don’t like the Beatles infused tracks. I’ve got through this in whole about 7 or 8 times so Im obviously not offended its just not hit home with my heart yet.
Yep. Its growing on me. Quite a bit.
It is really quite accessible, which sometimes doesn’t seem like a challenge, but then in this case I just really enjoyed it from the start. It’s odd, I never really got into the White Stripes and while I’ve listened to other stuff he’s done, it never really resonated. But this just felt like an easy fit. It does grow nicely too brother.
Hello folks,Apols for the silence, I was away teaching at a retreat (!!) last week – a place where the internet barely exists.So. Jack White. I tell you what. I think this album epitomises much of the discussion we’ve been having since we started this blog – and in particular this question:WHAT MAKES SOMETHING ORIGINAL RATHER THAN DERIVATIVE?Let me start by saying I think this is an absolute monster of an album. It’s rich, diverse, packed with brilliant songs – in fact, I think it might even be his best work. And that’s quite a claim considering his back catalogue.Ah, but I hear you cry, isn’t he treading a pretty familiar rock path (bit of garage, bit of rock balladeering, bit country)? Why are we lauding Jack when we buried Alabama Shakes? I kept thinking about this while listening to Blunderbuss. This is what I came up with:a) Songwriting. If you can write amazing songs – real stand out tracks with incredible hooks and melodies, who gives a shit who you’re influenced by? This album is packed with them.b) Passion. If you sound like every note you sing, ever twang of your guitar, is pulled from deep inside you, then you want to invest. Intention is so important – we want to know that our idols MEAN IT. We don’t want to be duped. I think that’s why a band like Fleet Foxes have done so well. They may be highly derivative but they’re walking the walk. Not sure that Alabama Shakes are – they see to be offering up their songs a bit too politely, despite her having a decent enough voice.As for Jack, well jeez, he’s got one of the great rock voices. He always sounds like he means, even when he’s singing a crappy Bond theme.c) Not being hidebound by your influences. Sure, you can hear a bit of Led Zep or Dylan or blah de blah, whatever, but he doesn’t sound like ONE thing. He sounds like he’s been marinated in 60 years of rock n roll and then he’s moulded into his own voice. And that’s so important as a listener, cos it makes you think – shit, this guy is still pushing it forward.So, for me this album is a triumph for all these reasons. It’s sure to be on my end of year lists.
Amen Brother David. I think you’ve hit the nail onthe head here. There’s a certain amount of reality in these songs, that just doesn’t wear off. It sounds like Jack White singing because he believes with his heart everything he’s saying, and because they sound like his life depends on it, and that’s all you could really want in a song. It’s the same reason I adore Pulp: when Jarvis sings of council-estate affairs and underclass rebellion, you can almost feel the ennui, the hatred and the banality of it all, and that never lessens with time. With this album, it feels vital from the start, and it’s lost none of that, about ten listens in. Some people have it, and some don’t. Alabama Shakes sound earnest, but not anything more. And sometimes that’s just not enough.
Its real. I believe it. I don’t believe ‘The Shakes’.That’s it really.
As a one-liner, I’ll go for that.
I can do it in a single sound if you like but its difficult to blog …… actually it isn’t that difficult. I’ll see if i can do it later 😉
If you wouldn’t mind.
Record, put on youtube, link. Done.