THE DEAD WEATHER - HOREHOUND
July 05, 2009,
Written by Euan Mackay
Artist: The Dead Weather
Release: Horehound
Out: 13th July
Buy: Amazon
Seriously, where does he get the time? Not content with having two top notch bands on the go already, a credible acting career in Hollywood, producing albums for Country legends and having a supermodel wife to boot, Jack White has only gone and stuck his grubby little fingers in another pie. This one is called The Dead Weather.
With fellow Raconteur Jack Lawrence on the bass, Queen of the Stone Age Dean Fertita on guitar and The Kills' Alison Mosshart on vocals, The Dead Weather are about to release their debut album 'Horehound' on July 13.
Instead of taking his normal lead role on vocals and guitar, White sits at the skins and directs from the drums. Make no mistake though, this is still his band. The pounding percussion is a crucial part of the Dead Weather's heavy sound. With hints of blues, funk and even country twangs being scuzzed up in loud dirty distortion the Dead Weather's sound has Jack White's stamp all over it. It is dark and dirty - not really the sound of summer...
White's percussion pounds a rhythm that will inevitably draw comparisons to Zeppelin, particularly when coupled with the screeching guitars and bass runs offered up by 'Little' Jack and Feritita. The three of them sure can make a racket together. In addition, Mosshart, slagged left and right by the Hince/Moss loving press, puts in a stellar vocal performance sounding in equal measures feral and seductive.
With the 'supergroup' lineup this should be special, but somehow there's just something lacking. Individually the band members go about their jobs well enough, but this record doesn't stick together in quite the right way. There are certainly high points 'I Cut Like A Buffalo', 'Hang You From The Heavens' and 'Bone House' are all huge tracks. There are however moments on Horehound that are just a bit 'meh...' tracks such as instrumental '3 Birds' and 'So Far From Your Weapon' are not going to be highlights of White's career and being honest are pretty forgettable. I really wanted this to blow my socks off, but it didn't quite happen.
Given the dark and dirty sound of 'Horehound' I can't help but think that this record might have been better received were it released mid October to an accompaniment of howling wind and punding rain rather than to the blazing sunshine of the hottest UK summer on record. It has a sound suited better to grotty dive bars than sunny summer festivals, so for me the album just jars slightly with my summer musical appetite. Whilst this helps 'Horehound' stand out against the raft of jaunty indie folk offerings doing the rounds at the moment, for me, it's not quite strong enough to warrant changing my musical menu for now. Maybe i'll re-investigate it come October.
Track To Download: 'I Cut Like A Buffalo'
Track To Skip: '3 Birds'
Pigeonhole with: Raconteurs, White Stripes, Kills
Twitter review: The Dead Weather: Horehound. Jack White's latest project offer up some scuzzed up dirty distortion yet don't quite hit the mark they should
6.5/10
Here's a quick peek at a video of the band performing 'I Cut Like A Buffalo'.
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