THE WHITE STRIPES
ICKY THUMP
(XL)
Back to the future for Jack and Meg…
4½/5
Returning with their sixth album the original odd couple of Jack and Meg White have pushed their sound forward with an ambitious and creative record, whilst still including the infectious elements of their earlier work. Taking their basic drum, guitar and vocal dynamic on straight-forward songs such as ‘Bone Broke’, the heavy ‘Little Cream Soda’ and the raw, energetic ‘Catch Hell Blues’. There’s plenty of experimentation on ‘Icky Thump’ too, with the two-piece incorporating bagpipes, horns and synthesiser into songs, such as the angular but destined to be a hit title track and the excellent use of horns in ‘Conquest’. There’s even country (‘You Don’t Know What Love Is’, ‘Effect and Cause’), folk (‘Prickly Thorn’), psychedelic (‘St. Andrew’) and humorous spoken word (‘Rag & Bone’) parts, making it their most diverse and rewarding album to date. This is why they’re the world’s biggest garage rockers right now.
John Damon
