I
know everyone was surprised when The Raconteurs/Saboteurs* announced
their sophomore album Consolers Of The Lonely was not
only finished but was coming out almost immediately. No promos,
no videos, no radio singles – absolutely nothing but the
album hitting the street. At first you might think this record
may be like the movies that aren’t screened for critics
because they suck but Consolers Of The Lonely is one
of the best true to form rock records I have heard in a while.
What I like most about this record is that it has
a classic rock vibe to it with big guitars, loud drums, commanding
lead vocals and thumping bass that is present regardless of the
tracks tempo. Unlike their first record Broken Boy Soldiers
[2006], Consolers does not have as many harmonic pieces
but relies more on the striking front vocals from Jack White and
Brendan Benson that bring to mind the way past greats Zeppelin
or Aerosmith recorded. This back and forth of leads not only works
in the bands favor but the rotation on the mic is seamless.
What is most reminiscent here of the 70s sound is
the big rock n roll songs like the title kick-off track and “Salute
Your Solution”, which have solid screaming guitars that
will knock you down and possess an unstoppable swagger that just
oozes cool. The record is then balanced with several mid tempo
numbers that offer the same confidence but compliment the harder
edges. The band is musically tight and even though you could see
this band rocking out back in the day, there are elements that
modernize it, like the inclusion of trumpets on “The Switch
And The Spur” and several White Stripes/Greenhornes moments
that remind you of where these guys came from.
Consolers Of The Lonely is full of high
octane tracks and heavy hitters that quite frankly made it hard
to pick favorites because each gets better with every spin. The
timelessness of the album will give it life in your player well
beyond this year and will easily be one of my favs for quite some
time.
* The Raconteurs (featuring Jack White) have been
re-badged as The Saboteurs for Australian release due to a name
clash.
Aidan Rox
For more of Aidan Rox's music reviews, check out
The Fire Note
To see a clip for 'Salute
Your Solution' from Consolers of the Lonely click the play button
below
I
know everyone was surprised when The Raconteurs/Saboteurs* announced
their sophomore album Consolers Of The Lonely was not
only finished but was coming out almost immediately. No promos,
no videos, no radio singles – absolutely nothing but the
album hitting the street. At first you might think this record
may be like the movies that aren’t screened for critics
because they suck but Consolers Of The Lonely is one
of the best true to form rock records I have heard in a while.