Approximately one month ago, The Saboteurs – known as The Raconteurs elsewhere – took the music industry by surprise when they announced that they would be releasing their sophomore album, Consolers Of The Lonely, ahead of any single release or radio airplay. Jack White is certainly no stranger to using quick bursts of studio time and having these bear a quality album. After all, one only needs to look at The White Stripes’ back catalogue for confirmation of this fact. And it appears that this approach – including the use of magnetic tape – has bore similar fruits.
Something that is immediately apparent with this album is that in addition to the frenzied bouts of energy apparent in most songs, it is also a very busy album. The fourteen tracks combine for a full record where no bar is left unfilled; with even some odd notes have been sandwiched between the songs. Added to this are some time changes and riffs that may at first seem a little familiar (and therefore easy to describe). But this is complicated by the band’s constant change of direction to a new tangent – mid-song, mind – where they catch you as off-guard as they did with their announcement about this release.
The opus begins with some talking to mark the start of the title track. It is a song I can imagine The White Stripes performing, as it features the duo’s trademark dirty guitars and loud, ramshackle drums. There is a slight twist, however, with some wailing guitar flourishes and a harmonious chorus-line at the end. The subsequent track and single, Salute Your Solution, is a simple, straight-up rock song with much fuzzy guitar and distortion. Basically, you can see the needles on the amp bouncing along to this frantic song.
You Don’t Understand Me and Pull This Blanket Off are two nice piano ballads. Meanwhile, Old Enough uses a fiddle that serves to give it a slight country-yokel feel. The Switch And The Spur’s horns and piano set the scene for an Old Western saga with pistols at ten paces. Until another change, where a couple cha-cha through the verse, before it all climaxes at the end with a musical encore.
Top Yourself is like Led Zeppelin’s cover of Travelling Riverside Blues meets Simon and Garfunkel’s Mrs. Robinson. This is followed by some over-the-top melodrama courtesy of Many Shades Of Black. Attention could be a garage band playing Tegan and Sarah’s Back In Your Head. Meanwhile, These Stones Will Shout begins as an infectious and catchy acoustic ditty. Unfortunately, it loses some of the initial sweetness when it becomes electrified mid-way through in an attempt to make it harder and louder.
In all, the release is an eclectic one, leaving no stone unturned. It borrows some great riffs from artistic predecessors, while also juxtaposing these with some new, experimental ones. This culminates in fourteen pleasing tracks, including a bunch of pure epics. If The Saboteurs really do want to build a name as consolers for the lonely, such persons will find great solace and pure exuberance in this album.
JackT
said ages ago