Jack White Stands On His Own

As great as the band was, Jack White proves on Blunderbuss that he doesn't need The White Stripes. While he also has The Dead Weather and The Raconteurs, being free from a band setting comprised of supposedly equal parts and a set sound style has freed White up for other types of songwriting, while still keeping the garage rock/blues vibe he's become famous for.

This album has an interesting background. RZA of The Wu-Tang Clan was going to record with Jack White but he never showed up so Jack used that time to begin his first solo album instead. He also alternates between two completely different backing bands, one all female (besides himself of course) and one all male. There's also a lot more piano and organ and less guitar compared to most of his other music.

The first single, "Love Interruption" is best described as acoustic soul but, though it has some great vocal harmony, is a slow burner that never really reaches a satisfying crescendo. "Missing Pieces" has a similar problem and has staircase-patterned organ lines doubled by reverb-tweaked guitar.

"Sixteen Saltines" is one of  only a few out and out rockers on the album. It's reminiscent of The White Stripes' "The Hardest Button To Button" it it's treble-heavy buzzsaw guitar riffage. But unlike the aforementioned Stripes song, a distorted electric organ mirrors the guitar.

Oddly but interestingly electronica-tinged "Freedom at 21" has some frenetic drumming that's really the most distinctive part of the song. Most of the guitar playing has a '90s grunge feel though the massive outro solo takes a page from the herky jerky Whammy pedal style of Rage Against The Machine's Tom Morello.

"Blunderbuss" and "On and On and On" have country flavors, especially the former. It features prominent acoustic guitar and pedal steel. Plaintive piano fleshes out this ballad. The later song also has pedal steel but this has a mournful sound akin to the Chinese erhu. The warbling organ, thanks to a Leslie rotating speaker, and the reverb-soaked other instrumentation, brings to mind images of a meandering river.

The guitar and piano compliment each other well on "Weep Themselves To Sleep." The intro is a bit like The White Stripes' "Doorbell." But the more intricate piano playing throughout most of this song has a bit of tango feel.

"I'm Shakin" is straight up rockabilly/call and response blues. The song's written by Rudy Toombs, the doo wop and R&B songwriter most known for "One Mint Julep." Reverb is king here as is the playfully jagged guitar riff.

"Take Me With You When You Go" flies into the stratosphere. It has an expansive, '60s Woodstock kind of vibe to it. Violin flourishes and quick beats Mitch Mitchell (of Jimi Hendrix's band) style drumming help this along. The piano provides the main riff with the guitar used  mostly for a solo in the middle of the song.

If The Raconteurs is analogous to Led Zeppelin, than Blunderbuss is analogous to Robert Plant's solo work of the past decade. Jack White takes bits and pieces of various genres and glues them together in his own unique way to create some great, fresh sounding music that is in turn deeply respectful of the triumphs of the classics in blues, rock, folk and country. Jack's other bands have, for better and for worse, more rigidity in sound and style. The newness and lack of rules of a solo musical persona helped him create a great album that doesn't simply coast on the past.

White Ghost Shivers Share The Love With Studio Album Reminiscent Of Their Live Show

The White Ghost Shivers return in fine form for their sophomore release Nobody Love You Like We Do. The tightly intertwined yet playful nature of the band's live show really comes through in the songs. The seven musicians in this bawdy band have some serious chops. No cheap novelty act here.

"White Trash Fast Food" begins with minor key tenor banjo strumming and that great style of upright bass playing that sounds like the strings are being hit with drum sticks. This song has an overall gypsy jazz feel and has guitar, clarinet and violin solos. The warbled vocals are harmonized well between Cella Blue and Hot Thomas. "Short Haired Girl" has a similar formula but with a frenetic speed.

Conjuring up the vibe of a 1920s dance hall or a sleepy riverboat cruise, "Nobody Loves You" tells the familiar story of someone who's been done wrong by their lover. The newest Shiver, piano player Babyface Gray really shines here with some great ragtime-like playing.

"Too Easy" definitely has the feel of the album's cover, a wild train barreling down the rails. Poppiticus' bass playing, like in "White Trash," drives the song forward. This is augmented by some great undulating up and down clarinet.

Staring with a smoky, melancholy clarinet intro, "Some Things A Girl Can't Give Away" picks up into a bluesy number with some great nuanced, lush vocals from Ms. Blue. A great piano solo brings to mind great bluesman Roosevelt Sykes. A nearly overblown (nearly to the point of squeaking) clarinet solo adds some raucousness.

"Sweet The Monkey" is about a terrible and sneaky criminal who may or may not be an actual monkey. Deep saxophone, probably a baritone, augments the ominous feel the band is going for, as does the percussive piano. Professional beanpole Shorty Stump provides dramatic lead vocals, augmented by Cella Blue.

A staple of White Ghost Shivers, "Sweet Banana," now has a studio version. This is a calypso-inspired song with a lot of ukulele (banjo-uke and otherwise). A jagged violin solo bridges the song. For good old-fashioned double entendres and innuendos, this song is one of the best in the Shivers' bag of tricks.

"Murder In The Big Top" could be considered a Halloween song. It has a spooky tone thanks to undulating clarinet and the ghostly sounds of a musical saw. The violin solo, thin, muffled and crackly, interestingly sounds like it's being played through a transistor radio. The deep vocals that accompany the line "murder in the big top" bring to mind Lonesome Wyatt from goth-country duo Those Poor Bastards.

"Maybe Mary Might Marry Me" is a great ballad of unrequited love, somewhat in the dance style of "Nobody Loves You." Lilting clarinet and violin and a steady tenor banjo strum drive the song. There also might be a slide whistle solo here, though it's hard to distinguish from the clarinet and saxophone.

Almost a minor key sea shanty, at least for the music, "We Never Mention Aunt Clara," is about a preacher having an affair with the titular aunt. The song features one of the best double entendres on the album with "pumping her organ." Interestingly, the chorus is kind of an upbeat waltz that's almost children's song like, which doesn't fit with the theme very much. This song also has some of Cella Blue's best vocals on the album.

There are many more instrumental breaks on the album than on the band's debut Everybody's Got 'Em. A lesser band might have fallen into a repetitive trap with this but The White Ghost Shivers shine in their ability to weave everything together in a skilled and lively manner that feels spontaneous. Each member of the band is just as adept at being a rhythm player as they are a soloist. Of particular note is horn player Saturn, who really excels all over this album. The band also clearly have a unique sound but are unafraid to mingle multiple styles to create a good song. If this album doesn't make a listener want to see a White Ghost Shivers live show than said listener must just not like fun.

Long-Awaited New Primus Album Full Of Extended Jams And Social Commentary

Primus is back with their first full-length album of all new music since 1999's Anti-Pop. The band's lead singer, principal songwriter and bass wizard Les Claypool has spent much of the last decade steeped in the jam band scene and this shows itself, for better and for worse, on Green Naugahyde.

"Lee Van Cleef" has somewhat of a quick and repetitive reggae/ska beat with little cymbal fills, bouncy bass and a herky jerky extended guitar solo.

"Green Ranger" has the swirling, slightly unsettling style that is Claypool with a bow on a stand-up bass. The guitar is mostly comprised of harmonic, single-note bursts. Eerie, distorted vocals languish mid-mix. This is more of a drug trip than an actual song.

Theremin-like flying saucer effects define "Moron TV." Deep but treble-heavy bass riffs anchor the song to Earth amid fast drumming. "Jilly's On Smack" is lyrically a typical Claypool-penned song where he takes a random name and attaches some kind of problem to this person. Like with "Moron TV" a musical sound effect is employed, here one like helicoptor blades turning. The instrumentation overall here is like evil jazz-fusion with ghost-like vocals. It's a little over-long.

The feel of "Eyes Of A Squirrel" expertly reflect the frenetic nature of that titular animal. The bass and drums have a start-stop-start rhythm. Short lead guitar breaks explode every now and then. The vocals are hard to understand except in the chorus. The song also features a long instrumental outro.

"Hannepin Crawler" and "The Last Salmon Man" are both more traditionally Primus than the rest. The latter has more space between each instrument, an undulating guitar riff and fuzz bass. The former has less effects on the bass and a big, loud guitar solo. Overall, it has similarities to classic Primus song "Those Damned Blue Colored Tweakers."

"Tragedy's A Comin'" is probably the funkiest, of the Bootsy Collins variety, song on the album. An Indian-like opening guitar riff gives way to slap-happy bass.

One of the weirdest songs on an already weird album, "Extinction Burst" has an over-the-top vocal intro like someone singing opera in the shower. Then the vocals turn into the phrase "hop hop hip hip" repeated over and over again. Machine-like drums and unrelenting bass and guitar add to an overdriven factory feel.

Two political-themed songs on the album are "HOINFODAMAN" and "Eternal Consumption Engine." Speak the Led Zeppelin-like first one's title out phonetically to get a sense of what its about. Hint: It has something to do with selling out. The second song also has a commercialism theme, about how everything is made in China. Music-wise, it has gypsy touches mixed with old, bouncy cartoon music.

With Green Naugahyde, lushness is the new name of the game for Primus. It's actually quite amazing how great the amount is of and the varied nature of the sounds coming from just three musicians. With this new jam-heavy nature, guitarist Larry LaLonde has more to do and this helps showcase what a great musician he really is. Drummer Jay Lane is a new/old hand, having left Primus is 1988 and returning in 2010. His work with various jazz bands and Bob Weir, of The Grateful Dead fame, in his band RatDog add to the jammy sound. Claypool's lyrics have always reflected his off-beat sense of humor and skewed worldview but this is the first time with Primus he's been bluntly political. This isn't a bad thing though for it simply reflects the tense times we live in - in a wonderfully Claypoolian way. While the new Primus status quo has created some great music, the mountains and walls of sound have somewhat buried and closed in the power trio "limitations" that made Primus so great in the first place as more emphasis was put into instrumentation over effects.

Awolnation Defy Easy Labeling With Infectious Musical Stew on Debut EP

Aaron Bruno, formerly of Under The Influence Of Giants, responsible for the disco-funk flavored "Mama's Room," a sizable hit on alternative rock radio in 2006, returns to re-invent white r&b again as Awolnation with debut EP Back From Earth. However, this time Bruno steps out of the '70s and into the future with thick electronic beats.

"Burn It Down" is part Little Richard, complete with "Woooo!," part breakneck techno and maybe even a little Michael Jackson. For most of the song, animated live drums throttle underneath quickened electronic blips. This song is like a bus with cut break-lines speeding towards a brick wall.

Muted but distorted guitar, thumping bass and clean organ make "Guilty Filthy Soul" more of a traditional soul-rock song. Bruno's vocals here are mostly unadorned and his emoting would do James Brown and Freddie Mercury both proud. Bernie Worrell-style funkified synth sounds add a touch of George Clinton & Parliament Funkadelic.

"Sail" may be the most provocative on the EP, a layered minor key dirge-like song. Electronic violins provide most of the melody while heavy slabs of electronic fuzz fall between them and a mix of live drums and drum machine. The bridge of the song does feature a smattering of guitar and piano too. Bruno's vocals here are layered and given a scratchy quality that enhances the anguish in his delivery and lyrics. Overall, the song, with its fade-in and fade-out, seems like it could go forever and what is heard is just a snippet of the whole.

The final track, "MF" is where the album loses some focus. It feels less like an actual song than dance club fodder. Bruno seems to be screaming himself hoarse in a quasi-rap style that becomes grating before the song is half-way through. The music here is entirely electronic, and while full of heavy beats like the rest, it feels overly repetitive.

Awolnation, while taking some cues from classic r&b, 1970s rock and heavy electronica like The Prodigy, mixes these disparate sounds into a stew that is unique and enjoyable. Bruno's impassioned, energetic vocal style is infectious. The live instruments and studio electronic wizardry find a compatible place when most of the time they don't in other music. These days, specific genre labeling in music is meaning less and less and Awolnation is definitely a positive outcome of this trend.

Petty Sings The Blues

Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers are back with their first new album in eight years, Mojo and it's a mess of blues. The band has moved as far away from the signature Petty sound as possible. Most of the time this experimentation helps the music but there are a few instances where it'd be better to stick to what they do best, honest to goodness American classic rock.

"Jefferson Jericho Blues" is driving, repetitive energetic Chicago blues in the vein of Muddy Waters. Wailing harmonica is the lead instrument while the guitar snakes around underneath, sometimes with a raw crunch and other times liquid.

The band channels their inner Pink Floyd on "First Flash of Freedom." Huge atmospheric, drawn-out notes inform this song with a David Gilmour meets Stevie Ray Vaughan quality. Vocals don't show up for well over a minute.

"Running Man's Bible" is a pretty standard electric blues song but the recording technique makes it sound live. There are hints of Albert King in the short bursts of lead guitar. Another live-sounding song, with its room reverb-soaked vocals is "Takin' My Time." It also features Hendrix-like lead guitar and a heavy thud drum pattern.

The sleepy "The Trip To Pirate's Cove" is reminiscent of post-Cream Eric Clapton meets Steely Dan. The song is cool and collected with clean blues-based guitar licks.

Petty has often shown his playful side but "Candy" is plain goofy. Full of half-baked blues cliches in the lyrics, its ultimately boring.

"No Reason To Cry" mostly continues the tradition of Petty's country-flavored solo songs. But this time around its almost too mellow, although the steel guitar is a nice touch. The song could use a memorable chorus hook.

Taking a page from Led Zeppelin, the first single "I Should Have Known It" has an infectious heavy riff throughout. Even the drumming cascades like an avalanche John Bonham-style.

"U.S. 41" is pure Skip James acoustic blues with some southern swamp rock thrown in. Petty even adopts a slightly dissonant falsetto like James. Employing a raw production value, it sounds like everything is filtered through the natural distortion of a "green bullet" harmonica microphone. Resonator slide guitar and piston-like drumming leads add to the effect.

In the tradition of Eric Clapton's cover of Bob Marley's "I Shot The Sheriff," the band attempts reggae on "Don't Pull Me Over." The experiment mostly succeeds, although it takes a bit to get used to Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers playing swirling, echo-filled dub.

"Good Enough" is full of biting lead guitar that proves Mike Campbell is a highly underrated player. Benmont Tench's organ really shines as well, starting as shimmering texture in the background than emerging triumphantly as the guitar dies down.

Like all the best bands of the 1970s, Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers play blues-based rock and roll. However, Mojo is the most straight-ahead blues that's ever been heard from the band on a studio album. While most of the songs show an excellent blues band has been inside them all these years, others suffer from Petty's voice. His distinctive nasal drawl is part of what makes the band's classic hits so great but the blues needs something meatier. Depending on the point of view, Mojo could be seen as a failure or a success.

Spoon Declare War On Melody

It's a good thing when bands don't stick to the same formula over and over again. There's nothing worse than stale music. However, Spoon has managed to change the formula and make an overall flat-sounding album, Transference, at the same time.

"Before Destruction" is a raw song that has a demo-like quality. The sound is far away and consists mostly of Britt Daniel's rasping vocals and jagged acoustic guitar strumming.

"Is Love Forever" takes a page from The Strokes' guitar playing book with a bouncy and punchy but ultimately boring riff. Too much robotic factory precision. The most interesting part of the song is the psychedelic reverb on the vocals.

"The Mystery Zone," musically at least, sounds a lot like the funked-up mid-'70s "Miss You" Rolling Stones. An intricate bass line anchors the song and the guitar and keyboard echo play off that.

"Written In Reverse" is one of the better songs on the album and surprise, surprise it's the current radio single. The rhythm here isn't too geometric and this allows some of the raw soul elements that have always been part of Spoon to come back. The percussive piano and Daniel's impassioned vocals help as well.

"Goodnight Laura" is a melancholy piano lullaby. This may be the only song on the album that's pure melody instead of pure rhythm. This song is somewhat reminiscent of live solo piano performances from Neil Young.

"Got Nuffin" came out last year as a radio single and on a lackluster EP of the same name. The song itself has an enjoyable slow burning guitar riff. In hindsight, this is somewhat of a precursor to the sonic approach this whole album takes but it doesn't quite go off cliff like other songs.

"Nobody Gets Me But You" is almost electronica. The drums are definitely "enhanced" and the only other prominent instrumentation is a funk-like bass riff.

While not without its bright spots, Transference definitely favors rhythm at the expense of melody. Good music needs both or you end up with the cold results the majority of this album ends up with.

Contra Proves An Unsuccessful New Direction For Vampire Weekend

Vampire Weekend exploded onto the indie rock scene two years ago with an appealingly organic, world music tinged sound with an Ivy League sensibility. Nobody had managed to capture that sound before besides perhaps Paul Simon. The band has attempted an about face on their highly-awaited sophomore album Contra. But the experimentation doesn't pay off.

"Horchata" has atmospheric vocals from singer/guitarist Ezra Koenig. Besides the marimba, everything else, like engine piston drumming and synth strings and choir, seems affected by overblown studio wizardry. This approach sets the tone for the whole album, reminiscent of solo Sting or Paul Simon as produced by Brian Eno.

"Holiday" and "Cousins" are perhaps the only two songs on the album that have prominent guitar throughout. The former has a ping-pong rhythm and the latter pummels along at a breakneck speed, which sounds like more studio magic.

Taking a cue from King Sunny Ade, "California English" has some interesting juju guitar leads undercut by jagged rhythm tracks. Koenig affects a stupid "ethnic" accent for portions.

The final song on the album, "I Think Ur A Contra" is an incredibly dreamy affair. A wave-like mix of keyboards and guitar harmonics washes over the listener.

Vampire Weekend's keyboardist, Rostam Batmanlij, produced Contra and it definitely shows. Too much in fact. It sounds as if the rest of the band had barely any contribution at all, just letting Batmanlij fart around. The problem with synth-heavy music in general is that it can end up sounding a combination of thin, cold, soulless and robotic. This, coupled with the lack of variety in instrumentation, hurts Contra. Vampire Weekend is a full band and it's a shame they don't sound like one here.

Gibbard and Ferrar Channel Kerouac's Spirit Through Music

Jay Ferrar, founder member of Uncle Tupelo and Son Volt, a father of the alt. country movement and Benjamin Gibbard, founding member of Death Cab For Cutie and The Postal Service, in many ways an indie rock king, have teamed up on an unlikely project, a tribute to Jack Kerouac through music. One Fast Move Or I'm Gone showcases Kerouac's own words and images and Ferrar and Gibbard create a dreamy palette for them to land on. Though partially a soundtrack to a documentary film of the same name, this album easily stands on it's own as an enjoyable piece of music.

"California Zephyr" is an uplifting song with Gibbard on lead vocals. Slight reverb on the electric organ and acoustic guitar create a hopeful tone, reflecting the lyrics about breaking free from your past.

Ferrar lends his trademark melancholy vocals, with that edge of a twang, to "Low Life Kingdom." Gibbard provides backing vocals. Mournful steel guitar and plaintive drumming complete the mood.

"All In One" is a bit crisper and fuller than most of the other songs. The drumming isn't as compact and the layered vocals and waves of steel guitar add to this effect.

"Breathe Our Iodine," with Ferrar on lead vocals, is very understated. The drumming is mostly just the stick clicking on the side of a snare and a quiet acoustic riff mid-mix.

"These Roads Don't Move" is a gently undulating country song as it's core. Musically, it could have easily found it's way onto Lucinda Williams' World Without Tears.

Musically, "Big Sur" reflects it's subject matter best. It's a soft, introspective song that conjures up images of it's namesake, like the water and the forest.

"One Fast Move Or I'm Gone" has rock-like drumming that provides an anchor for Gibbard's voice and the acoustic riffing placed on top of it.

"Final Horrors" is unique on the album because it's essentially a blues song. With lightly overdriven electric guitar, Ferrar channels Skip James or early John Lee Hooker.

"The Void" feels as vast as it's title suggests. Whether it be piano or guitar, the core of the music ripples outward from below to push on the vocals and acoustic strumming from Gibbard.

While Gibbard and Ferrar have come from different places musically, they've found common ground in a love for Kerouac's works. The two are also experts at creating mood with their vocals, which is what this kind of project demands. This collaboration has produced music that is atmospheric but earthy and organic, exactly like Kerouac's writing.

Professional Production and Psychedelia Color New Daniel Johnston Album

Daniel Johnston, possibly most famous for his "Hi! How Are You?" mural on the Drag in Austin, TX, returns with his first album of all new material in six years, Is And Always Was. This music, his most cohesive in recent memory, is a good indication that the severely bipolar Johnston may be getting healthier. But the flipside to that is that the album also has an edge of studio sheen not heard before from him.

"Mind Movies" starts the album off with a solo acoustic performance.. Daniel's simple strumming isn't as frenetic as it's been in the past and his vocals are affected with appealing psychedelic reverb in parts. An ethereal drone in the background compliments this well.

"Fake Records of Rock n' Roll" is a full band blues-rocker. Lyrically, Johnston laments the state of the music scene in his own way, going on to say that people today don't know what real rock n' roll is.

The tamborine-heavy "Queenie the Doggie" recalls jangly '60s rock. Johnston's layered vocals add to this. "Tears," towards the end of the album, is similar but with a thumping, slightly irregular bassline.

"Without You" is about Johnston trying to free himself from negative influences. If there is a theme to the album, this song exemplifies it: the struggle to put one's life back together. Amongst the rollicking piano and guitar of a rock song there's some weird keyboard warbles.

The crunch, fervent energy and talk-singing of "I Had Lost My Mind" make it a punk-like song. On the surface, the lyrics are funny, like much of Johnston's music, this one being similar to King Missle's "Detachable Penis," but also kind of tragic considering the obstacles life has thrown his way.

The title track, "Is And Always Was" surpasses the rest as far as the echo and reverb goes, so much so that the overall vibe is one of flying through the air. Think Syd Barrett-era Pink Floyd.

"Light of Day" is Johnston's version of a rock n' roll love song. The song has plenty of spring reverb and laid back acoustic strumming.

A lot of amazing things can be done in a recording studio. Professional production does serve these songs well and has crafted a great psychedelic rock album. However, all the added sounds and tricks do take away from what made Johnston's previous, self-recorded music so amazing. Gone are the toy pianos and other oddities that peppered his most well-known songs. Diminished is the intimacy that made the unique worldview found in his lyrics so powerful and compelling. But that being said, music has to evolve and if Is And Always Was is the shape of things to come for Daniel Johnston than there's no real reason to fret.

Iggy Pop Goes Solo Again With A Radical Change In Musical Direction

At age 62, Iggy Pop continues to buck trends. Abandoning the punk sound he helped create, his new solo album, Preliminaires, ventures into the territories of jazz, blues and even French romantic balladry. This new mix of sounds has created music that's just as unique and refreshing today as The Stooges were when they exploded on the scene in the late '60s.

"Les Feuilles Mortes," a song recorded by French singer Edith Piaf, among others, opens and closes the album. Pop's version has him using a deep baritone croon a la Leonard Cohen. But the mix of electronic-sounding percussion and bright acoustic guitar brings to mind David Byrne's "Like Humans Do."

Once more featuring deep baritone singing, "I Want To Go To The Beach," expertly captures the mood of the song's lyrics. With reverb-drenched low-key guitar and piano and a gently rolling rhythm, the image of a lazy day at the beach with waves crashing comes to mind.

"King Of The Dogs" is pure classic New Orleans jazz, complete with trumpet leads. Pop's vocals take on a raspy quality here. The song could be described as an appealing mix of Preservation Hall and Tom Waits.

"Je Sais Que Tu Sais" is swamp rock at it's finest. This song would easily find it's way on the soundtrack for TrueBlood. Driving drums move the rhythm along with some bluesy acoustic slide guitar. Pop's vocals are mixed low and sound distorted, possibly even sung through a "green bullet," a microphone often used for blues harmonica. Airy female vocals provide and interesting contrast with his as well. This song shows up again near the end of the album with the English title "She's A Business."

Though "Nice To Be Dead" is definitely a rock song it has no similarities to Pop's previous work. Despite crunchy, chugging guitars the urgency of punk isn't there. The rhythm is like a snake biding it's time before it's prey moves within striking distance.

Originally a bossa nova song, "How Insensitive" is re-worked by Pop with a space age lounge croon, backed by soft electronic undulations. In this way there are similarities to Pop's past collaborator David Bowie.

Though the title of "Party Time" suggests dumb rock, the song is actually quite schizophrenic, taking elements of funk with it's angular bass slapping and elements of '80s gothy new wave with a continuous synth haze in the background.

"He's Dead, She's Alive" is pure acoustic Mississippi blues. An atmospheric drone gives the song some depth. Pop stays away from the deep croon of much of the other songs. The lighter vocals fit this type of song well.

"A Machine For Loving" is essentially a book reading set to music, with the story being about a dying dog. The melancholy, minor key acoustic guitar goes well with the overall somber quality.

The English translation of the word "preliminaires" is "foreplay." In a sense it's an accurate title. While it's a wonderful listen, you're left not entirely satisfied in the end. It feels as though Pop tried to cram three or four albums into one. Without a defining musical direction, besides the obvious departure from punk, this album loses focus. However, that doesn't stop the music itself from being fantastically eccentric and entertaining, like Iggy Pop himself.

The Dead Weather Rocks the Blues with Mixed Results

It might be safe to say that Jack White has music ADHD. The White Stripes and Raconteurs leader is not content with being in just one band, or two for that matter. But the upside to that is that listeners get to hear many facets of his talent. With The Dead Weather, White returns to his first instrument, the drums. Taking more of a back seat like this gives his band members, Alison Mosshart from The Kills, Jack Lawrence from The Raconteurs and Dean Fertita from Queens Of The Stone Age, more of a spotlight and it shows on the band's debut album, Horehound.

"60 Feet Tall" begins like a rehearsal warm-up, a rolling drum beat from White and disjointed guitar licks from Fertita. But the song soon morphs into a slow burning, Zeppelin-like bluesy groove with Mosshart's sultry but earthy vocals invoking Patti Smith. Unfortunately, the percussion is cymbal-heavy and that bleeds all over the track in certain sections.

One of two songs released as a vinyl .45 on Record Store Day, "Hang You From The Heavens" takes much of the electro-blues of The Kills with it's geometric and intricate drumming. Fertita's guitar lays thick slabs of fuzz.

Whether it was intentional or not, "I Cut Like A Buffalo" has a lot of reggae flavor. This has most to do with the prominent electric organ, played by Fertita, and the regular echo flurries. White sings lead here and it sounds filtered through a megaphone.

"So Far From Your Weapon" begins with a similar intro to "60 Feet Tall" but with call-and-response vocals, reminiscent of classic blues. Again, the drumming is cymbal-heavy. Oddly enough, the defining element of this song is a weird warble from an indistinguishable instrument lurking in the background.

"Treat Me Like Your Mother" is aggressive from the outset with driving drums and crunchy fuzz guitar riffing. The tempo increases towards rollicking rollercoaster standards halfway through the song with pummeling drums and fast slide guitar lines. Mosshart and White trade lead vocals. You could even call White's vocals in this song rap.

"Will There Be Enough Water" is a departure from the overall sound of the album. White's only guitar contribution, it takes much from early John Lee Hooker, specifically minor key elegies like "It Serves Me Right To Suffer." The heartbeat drumming and nearly inaudible piano in the background help to create a true blues emotion.

While Horehound is bookended perfectly, nearly half the album is unremarkable, a mess of odd rhythms that are abrasive rather than interesting. However, the majority, even if it is a small one, does save the album and makes it worth listening to and owning. Once again, Jack White has found a new way to interpret the blues while staying faithful to traditions. But when all is said and done, Mosshart's contributions are what make this album unique.

Wilco (the band) Delivers the Best of Both Worlds on Wilco (the album)

Wilco, the Chicago-based alt. country standard bearer, has released a new album, self-titled after a fashion, that combines the best of it's musical formulas. Because of this, listeners get to enjoy the band's best album since Yankee Hotel Foxtrot.

"Wilco (the song)" has relaxing yet meaty guitar strumming for it's main beat. Percussion thuds behind this, anchoring the song. Frontman Jeff Tweedy's lyrics continue to be interesting and unique. Though slightly tongue-in-cheek, it's an ode to the fans and what it's like to be in a band like Wilco.

"Deeper Down," a lower-key acoustic-based song with some repetitive strumming, exhibits some of the only "country" left in the band's alt. country sound. Steel guitar provides atmospheric texture to contrast with the organic acoustic strumming.

The somewhat-skeletal "One Wing," driven by intricate drumming from Glenn Kotche, hearkens back to the band's Yankee Hotel Foxtrot days. Tweedy's voice sounds much more earnest in front of the half-naked instrumentation. The reverb-heavy guitar playing brings to mind images of driving at night in the middle of nowhere.

"Bull Black Nova" is the first of a couple Beatles-esque songs. Upbeat guitar playing with natural-sounding distortion meets electric organ in what could be described as a slower "Hey Bulldog" in certain sections.

"You And I" is a duet with Canadian indie-folkster Feist. Unfortunately, the song doesn't really amount to much. The gentle acoustic instrumentation and soft vocals aren't very memorable.

"You Never Know" channels George Harrison perfectly. The lead guitar has that Ganges River Delta meets Mississippi River Delta slide technique that was Harrison's signature. The acoustic rhythm guitar and the tip-toeing piano complete this. The song feels more like a tribute than parody, which makes the similarities enjoyable.

"Solitaire" could be a continuation of "One Wing." They share the same sleepy, country-tinged philosophy. But in this song violin is featured and the rhythm mimics a horse on the trail that's in no hurry to get anywhere.

"I'll Fight" has a lot in common with early Elvis Costello. The only difference is it's largely acoustic arrangement. The rhythm is simple and geometric in the best way possible.

"Sonny Feeling" is about a bluesy as Wilco gets, thanks to prominent Delta slide licks. Tweedy's vocals, not generally thought of as such, are as gritty soul as he can make them and the upbeat rhythm suggests dancing. Still, it's safe to say Wilco probably won't make a full-on blues album.

Wilco (The Album) can be thought of musically as a combination of both the lower-key A Ghost Is Born and the upbeat Sky Blue Sky. This happy medium finds the band and the music more cohesive, confident and just plain fun to listen to without sacrificing the complexity of Tweedy's songwriting.

Tom Morello Returns to His Roots with the Help of Boots Riley

Street Sweeper Social Club is a new collaboration between former Rage Against The Machine and Audioslave guitarist Tom Morello with The Coup rapper Boots Riley. Morello plays bass this time as well and Stanton Moore of Galactic provides the drums with playful finesse on the debut self-titled album, a head-bopping mix of hard rock and hip-hop, fighting the curse, much like RATM did, that the two genres don't mix well.

Track one, "Fight! Smash! Win!," has an energetic, rollercoaster intro riff. The guitar playing transitions into muted strumming in the verse sections.

"100 Little Curses" has a definite RATM-reminiscent riff. What sounds like an informal choir provides backing vocals to Riley's rapping.

"The Oath" and "The Squeeze" are nearly the same song. Both have funky riffs. Think George Clinton meets Black Sabbath.

With a laid back riff, "Clap For The Killers" features a lot of room for each element to breathe. It's a refreshing technique that allows Riley's rap vocals to shine. The lead guitar breaks teleport around like the X-Men's Nightcrawler.

"Good Morning, Mrs. Smith" has a riff like a rumbling beast waiting to strike. And strike it does during the chorus section.

The guitar playing in "Megablast" has a slight '80s vibe. The verse sections have a fuzzed out, low-key rollercoaster riff.

"Promenade" has atmospheric texture in the background and is driven by funky bass chugging. The vocals pop front and center.

Maybe it's unfair to compare Street Sweeper Social Club to Rage Against The Machine but it's nearly unavoidable. The two groups mix rap and rock in nearly identical ways. The only difference is the frontman. Boots Riley delivers his lyrics expertly and with confidence. But one of the great things about RATM is and was that Zach De La Rocha's vocals were as angry and snarling as the funky, heavy, buzzsaw riffing of Tom Morello's guitar. Riley's rapping needs to be a little more aggressive to elicit as powerful an emotional response. But taken just by itself, the music these two have created provided an enjoyable and needed contrast to the rap-rock of Linkin Park and the reunited Limp Bizkit.

Ryan Bingham Proves He's the Bob Dylan of the Southwest

Ryan Bingham, born in New Mexico and raised in West Texas, made a splash in the world of Americana music with his 2007 debut Mescalito and hit "Bread & Water." His sophomore album with his band The Dead Horses, Roadhouse Sun, proves to be more introspective while keeping with the raw blues and folk-rock that characterized it's predecessor.

"Day Is Done" starts out as a slow, acoustic guitar-driven number but soon morphs into an energetic barnburner with plenty of slide guitar.

"Dylan's Hard Rain" features a wonderful jangly guitar sound and a lyrical style that tells a progressive story, much like those of the song's namesake. Bingham is clearly influenced by Dylan but this song moves beyond mere tribute, as he exhibits on the rest of the album.

Upbeat with a clacking train track rhythm, "Tell My Mother I Miss Her So," has prominent mandolin. The song is reminiscent of The White Stripes' "Little Ghost" in many respects.

Slow and mournful, "Bluebird" is steel guitar driven. The song is the closest to mainstream country music you'll find on the album. Unfortunately, the music doesn't mesh well with Bingham's smoke and whiskey soaked vocal style.

"Endless Ways" is a full-on electric band rocker. However, it smolders when it should probably burst into flames.

"Hey Hey Hurray" has some interesting, snaking slide guitar work. The methodical, almost robotic drumming provides a good anchor.

Not to be confused with the Doors' song of the same name, "Roadhouse Blues" sounds a lot like "Bread & Water," although with some honky tonk-like piano.

In it's own way, "Wishing Well" is an emotional soul ballad that would do even a classic Stax artist proud. But it is rough around the edges like all of Bingham's music. A memorable lyric is "I've been gone so long, I think the devil lost my name."

While comparisons can be made to Bob Dylan, Steve Earle and maybe even Tom Waits at his earthiest, Ryan Bingham uses the blues, folk and country traditions of the past to forge his own way. With a bright but wonderfully ragged star like Bingham around, it's safe to say the future of Americana music is secure.

Unlikely Supergroup Excels at Infectious Power-Pop

At first glance, Tinted Windows' line-up seems like an April Fool's joke. James Iha (ex-Smashing Pumpkins, ex-A Perfect Circle) is on guitar, Adam Schlesinger (Fountains Of Wayne) is on bass, Bun E. Carlos (Cheap Trick) is on drums, and Taylor Hanson (Hanson) is on lead vocals. This odd family of musicians works however and has delivered a debut album of power-pop perfection.

"Kind Of A Girl," the first track and one of two singles taken from the album, features a driving rollercoaster guitar riff with plenty of bright fuzz. Hanson's pretty-boy vocals work amazingly well in a guitar-rock setting. Iha finally gets to let out his lead guitar chops with a short solo.

"Messing With My Head," the second single, is somewhat of a slow burner but with a powerful riff and a hook-filled anthemic chorus. Lyrically, this song sets the tone of the album, a classic rock narrative of lover's angst.

"Can't Get A Read On You" could easily be a Stooges song with more sheen, apart from Hanson's vocal style. It has punk-like breakneck guitar riffing and pummeling drums.

The album's most overt ballad, "Back With You," has Iha harkening back to the atmospheric texture he perfected with The Smashing Pumpkins and his solo album Let It Come Down. While Hanson's vocals do prove to work with full-on rock songs, they fit even better with this style.

"Without Love" has one of the most intricate but head-bopping riffs on the album. Lead guitar is the focus and Iha lets rip with longer solos.

"Cha Cha" takes a chance at a Rolling Stones-style blues boogie and succeeds. Interestingly enough, the chorus has more in common with The Beatles or even fictitious band The Wonders from the movie "That Thing You Do."

The jangly, chord-rock spirit of The Byrds and mid-era Beatles is channeled on "Nothing To Me." The main riff is a tribute to George Harrison if ever there was.

Tinted Windows sounds nothing like the assembled musicians' previous work except for maybe the overall concept of Cheap Trick. But the band does manage to forge it's own identity under the power-pop tent. The best supergroups are a sum of their parts and Tinted Windows is no different. Smashing Pumpkins fans may have a hard time accepting Iha working with the singer of "Mmmbop" but upon listening, this album and this band exude nothing but pure fun.

The Decemberists Break the Mold on New Concept Album

Next to the new Decemberists album The Hazards Of Love, The Crane Wife seems meek. Colin Meloy and company have crafted a set of music and a story of epic preportions, staying true to their "old soul" vibe but blasting far beyond the trappings of an indie-folk band. Every song is very much part of the whole, forcing the album to be listened to continuously from beginning to end. But that is all part of the beauty and rarity of this kind of album in this day and age.

The Hazards Of Love is told in the fine tradition of a classic love and revenge story. Margaret, voiced by Becky Stark of Lavender Diamond, falls in love with a shape-shifting forest creature, voiced by Meloy. Shara Worden of My Brightest Diamond rounds out the cast as a jealous forest queen.

"Prelude" is what it suggests and sounds like an orchestra warming up. Keyboardist Jenny Conlee takes center stage here with some haunting organ and even some synth that would do Rush proud.

The title track, as with The Crane Wife, is broken up into four parts. Each is similar in basic structure and the whole thing provides an anchor for the album. Subtle and sometimes not-so-subtle changes arise as the mood of the album changes. In part one, the song feels very vast and is acoustic-based. Prominent stand-up bass fills in the crevices between the guitar and there's even a Moroccan-sounding flurry near the end.

"A Bower Scene" is definitely a rock song with it's chugging electric riffs over ringing keyboard. It almost feels like '70s prog-rock.

"Won't Want For Love" is a slow burner with somewhat of a blues boogie. It's here that Stark's Margaret makes her first appearance.

The second part of "The Hazards Of Love" is back to acoustic but has the sparse feel of a street performance, complete with bongos, reminiscent of The Smashing Pumpkins' "Blue." But the song does build in intensity and instrumentation.

"Isn't It A Lovely Night" is an accordian-driven classic love song. Stark's fragile, warbling vocals, almost like those of Joanna Newsom, mesh with Meloy's in a duet worthy of stage musicals. The steel guitar towards the end changes the mood a bit into a country waltz. This isn't exactly effective and probably should have been left out.

Melancholy harpsichord characterizes the beginning of "The Wanting Comes In Waves/Repaid." But the rest is full electric Heart/Led Zeppelin-style blues-rock. Worden makes her debut as the Queen and this style of music perfectly fits her deeper, soulful vocals.

"The Rake's Song" is the only one on the album that could concievably stand on it's own. The band probably needed a single to promote the album after all. But this doesn't detract from the quality. Driven by a simple but memorable acoustic riff with compressed electric fuzz beneath and bombastic drumming from John Moen, the song tells the creepy tale of a young widower killing his children.

"The Abduction of Margaret" has a chugging electric riff much like "A Bower Scene" but with lots of precise drumming and symbals for the percussion. In this the song has some Police flavor.

If there's one song on the album that proves The Decemberists can rock hard with the best of them it's "The Queen's Rebuke/The Crossing." Worden's vocals are highlighted once again and the mountain-sized guitar riffs are almost doom metal-worthy.

"Annan Water" changes the tone a bit and is energetic and acoustic and synth based. Not that the song is bad but it's one of the least memorable.

Giving off a desperate vibe, "Margaret In Captivity" has Stark's vocals sounding not unlike Joni Mitchell. Electric riffing returns in the last half of the song but this time with a flute duet.

The third part of "The Hazards Of Love" is quite changed from it's predecessors. It's an eerie children's song with definite "Another Brick In The Wall" touches. Harpsichord and harmony singing, from the children the Rake character killed, provide the bulk. Towards the end the song morphs into a circus waltz.

The fourth part of "The Hazards Of Love" end the albums on a lower key just as it began with an alt. country-tinged ballad complete with steel guitar. The story has a satisfyingly well-rounded climax to go with the well-rounded beginning and middle.

The Decemberists have given us one of the greatest if not the greatest concept albums since probably The Smashing Pumpkins' Machina/The Machines Of God. The story is worthy of high literature and the band went above and beyond what the general listening public has thought of them as. The Hazards Of Love is just begging to be played live all the way through or to be turned into a musical. It's definitely an early contender for album of the year.

Les Claypool Strips Down the Sound for his Second Solo Album

Despite the similarity in the phrasing of the titles, Bass maestro and former Primus frontman Les Claypool's Of Fungi and Foe is an entirely different animal from his last release, Of Whales and Woe. Gone are the jam band touches like the sitar and saxophone, even the guitar. What's left is a primal, percussive framework driven by Claypool's innovative bass playing and unique lyrical style, this time inspired by film (Pig Hunt) and video game (Mushroom Men) projects he's been participating in.

The first two tracks, "Mushroom Men" and "Amanitas" are really two parts of a whole, both driven by a simple but effective march beat by some shotgun drumming. This expertly mirrors the B-movie concept of giant mutant mushroom men terrorizing puny human beings. Claypool's vocals here are mixed somewhere in the middle and are alternately whispery and gutteral. This, combined with eerie fingernails-on-chalkboard flurries every now and then perfectly create the mood the lyrics reflect.

"Red State Girl" may be the most overtly hilarious song on the album. Lyrically, it is abound with redneck stereotypes like dirty fingernails, too much eye make-up, big, blond hair and a hero worship of Sarah Palin. Interestingly enough, the song is moved along with a trance-like beat provided by the tabla, a traditional Indian drum.

"Booneville Stomp" is like the war march of mighty trolls, courtesy of aggressive, tribal drumming. But the song begins and ends with an eerie fade courtesy of the whamola, a child of the washtub bass that Claypool has popularized. The metal pipe provides a unique echo effect to the clap of the string being hit by a drum stick.

Like a demented children's song with Claypool's intentionally overblown vaudevillian vocals, "What Would Sir George Martin Do" features bouncy marimba and what sounds like a multi-armed insect hitting the drums very precisely. There's a slide whistle solo from Claypool's 12-year-old son Cage. The lyrics spin a tale about the successes and mishaps of an overseas vacation. Some of the details are so specific it wouldn't be surprising if all of this actually happened.

Because of the addition of Eugene Hutz, the wild frontman from Gogol Bordello, "Bite Out Of Life" has energetic "gypsy sauce," as Claypool writes in the liner notes. The song has the most traditional set-up on the album, with Claypool's bass playing somewhat straightforward but still in the forefront. The drums seem to have been recorded as naked as possible, this natural vibe adding to the gypsy stomp. Hutz' frenetic acoustic strumming is the only guitar on the album. His vocals are equally spastic and nearly unintelligable but the raw passion is palpable.

"Kazoo" is low-key avant-jazz on muscle relaxers. Think Tom Waits drinking codeine cough syrup while seeping down a sewer. At first the lyrics seem to be talking about a woman but half-way through the song it's realized the main character is a dog.

Despite a couple redundancies, Of Fungi and Foe is another triumph for the prolific Les Claypool. With every album he looks towards a future of his own design and that's what makes him an important force against the homogenization of popular music.