The Hills Are Pretty and Rollin'

At the end of the nineties with the resurgence of teen pop had enough stranglehold on music of the day, even respectful rock acts made over polished music with the songs loosing their emotional edge in the process. Then as the new millennium started, along came The White Stripes like a breath of fresh air with their credo of only recording songs that they would be able to play live which for the most part limited the band two just two instruments, Meg White on drums and Jack White on either guitar or piano, per song. Fell in Love with a Girl even closed out Rolling Stones 40 Songs that Change the World which was listed in chronological order.

Now on their sixth album, Icky Thump, the duo again doesn’t stray to far from their mission statement as the cover is draped again in their trademark red, white, and blacks although the band does bring in some extra instruments this time around. Conquest, made famous by Patti Page, features mariachi type trumpets while Prickly Thorn, but Sweetly Worn, which bleeds into St. Andrews (This Battle Is in the Air), gets a Scottish feel to it thanks to some bagpipes. Despite the small departures, the album is exactly what you would expect from the group with influences of folk, blues, and seventies arena rock but still sounding fresh and new.

But the album isn’t a starter kit for recruiting new fans. Even though it comes close with the album opener, the title track that will get your toes tapping, and closer, Effect and Cause, with a nice sit in a circle and jam type a vibe to it, the disk doesn’t feature anything as easily accessible as Fell in Love with a Girl, Seven Nation Army, or My Doorbell. But I am sure true music fans do not care and will enjoy the album anyways.

Song to Download - Effect and Cause

Icky Thump gets a on my Terror Alert Scale.