The Raconteurs - Consolers of the Lonely

It is very unusual for an album or single to appear like a puff of air into the music industries lap. The Raconteurs tried to make musical history by doing this very thing. Jack White an co told their label ‘XL’ that they finished mixing their new album ‘Consolers of the Lonely’ and wanted it on shops shelves in a weeks time. But, still people heard about it and broke the bands bubble.

The super group the Raconteurs, are well known for the joining of White Stripes singer Jack White III and Brendan Benson. Their most famous hit from 2007 was their first co-written album Broken Boy Soldiers. This included the hits ‘Steady as she goes’  and album titled ‘broken boy soldiers’. With the band having quite a good reputation for creating good songs their new album was definitely well anticipated.

The fourteen tracked album kicks off with the self-titled song ‘Consolers of the Lonely’. With beginning riffs which emit the styles of Pete Townshend of The Who. The song has all of the trembling bass riffs and tambourine claps to bring the album to a hard rocking start. This is similar to the track ‘Salute your solution’ with another strong guitar performance from Jack White with his lo-fi riffs which he is most famous for on The White Stripes.

Consolers of the Lonely is a definite change in pace for The Raconteurs. Creating a new character for the band, White and Benson have used a wide arrange of musical styles. These include the country/bluegrass rock of ‘Old Enough’, The ghost riders in the sky desert style of ‘The Switch and the Spur’, and a definite continuation of the use of Who-esque riffs of ‘Hold Up’. 

What really shines through on The Raconteurs new album, is the blending of musical knowledge and experience of two great musicians. White and Benson are definitely no Morrisey and Marr, but use each others talent to both create songs unique to each others style, such as the slide blues of ‘ Top Yourself’ and the rock tune of ‘Hold Up’. But, there are still solid influences of song writing found from the white stripes last album ‘Icky Thump’ which really shows on this record. 

With some artists and writers, the development of the character of a book or a band comes from the looking back at experience. in spite of the use of the past, The Raconteurs have definitely changed as a band and created a more refined sound for themselves.