Label: Warner Bros.
Released: June 19, 2007
Is there a tougher position to be in than following up a near perfect record? Probably not, but the White Stripes did a fine job by not trying to remake the stellar Elephant and instead stretching out even further on Get Behind Me Satan. While the latter was a half step down from its predecessor, it wasn’t a let down because it was its own record and was still amazing. Now, that leaves the White Stripes in yet another difficult situation. Do they stretch out again or do they try to settle down into their sound and play it safe (or at least safer)?
On Icky Thump, the White Stripes keep the same course, but play it anything but safe. The album sticks to the same heavy, loose riffs and plodding rhythms that have worked so well for them, but the details change. The title track has the same Blue Cheer heaviness of “Blue Orchid,” but adds a hooky riff and a prog break. “A Martyr for My Love for You” has a slow groove that builds and releases its energy and accents with organ. The amps are up to 11 for the heavy throb of “Little Cream Soda.” “300 MPH Torrential Outpour Blues” is mellow with a restrained energy that only hints at its power, letting loose for only seconds at a time.
Other songs really go out on a limb. “Conquest” is a Spanish-influenced piece that retains its heaviness. It features great horns that accent wihtout beocming overbearing as well as Jack White’s best vocals to date. While it doesn’t really stand on its own, “St Andrew (The Battle is in the Air)” is an excellent album track freakout with bagpipes looped backwards and Meg’s talking vocals. Just preceding it is “Prickly Thorn, but Sweetly Worn,” a delicate folk song with bagpipe and deceptively good percussion. It sounds traditional without sounding old.
There are a few songs that don’t quite live up to the White Stripes’ standards. “I’m Slowly Turning Into You” stays close to the plan. It isn’t bad by a long shot, but it doesn’t challange anything either. While they regularly borrow from 70s rock, they usually choose from the best. On “You Don’t Know What Love Is,” they opt to lift a bit from Bad Company’s “Shooting Star,” a middling song that is anything but the cream of that decade’s crop. Icky Thump‘s closer, “Effect and Cause,” is a lighter blues rock song. It may not be the strongest song on the album, but it’s a perfect finish that let’s it down easy.
Once again, the White Stripes deliver, and thrive even, despite high expectations. Even though Elephant still remains their creative peak, Icky Thump raises the question: Can the White Stripes do any wrong? So far, it seems that they can’t.
Rating: 8/10