The White Stripes - Icky Thump
The White Stripes have hit gold with their newest album
Review by Dack

The White Stripes have never been a favorite band of mine. Their first two albums had one or two great songs followed by a sea of mediocrity. Going into The White Stripes latest album, "Icky Thump" I had my reservations. Surprisingly, "Icky Thump" is the best Alternative Rock album to come out in at least three years, and features one of the greatest Alternative songs I've ever heard.

"Icky Thump" the strangely titled album, begins with a song called, well, "Icky Thump". The name fits the song, seeing that this song is weird, but weird in a great way. The tune has a ongoing thump of a drumbeat with good timed vocals, and amazing guitar riffs sporadically happening. The song shifts tempo at least eight times, with the same drumbeat continuing on in the background. Some weird instruments appear in this song, I couldn't even name them if I tried. The vocals are also brilliant, at one point Jack White belts "Well you can't be a pimp and a prostitute too!" All of these strange riffs, instruments, and beats lead to an incredible song that you will not soon forget, or stop rocking out to. After the incredible "Icky Thump" we are treated to "You Don't Know What Love Is". The song sounds straight out of a 1960's rock CD, with a somewhat modern twist. You hear an inventive song like "Icky Thump" and right after you are followed by a retro sounding song -- you know that The White Stripes wanted to take a risk on this album, and it's good they did because this is such a fantastic song on a fantastic album. After a slow, uninteresting song on the album, we are presented with "Conquest". "Conquest" could easily rival "Icky Thump" for best song on the album. Conquest is a mix of modern rock and Arabian/Spanish horns and tempo. "Conquest" seems like it's a mix of every song you've heard in a Quentin Tarantino movie. It's a great song that could easily be the radio played single of this album.

In "Bone Broke" The White Stripes basically pulled a "Wolfmother", making a song straight out of the Zeppelin era."Prickly Thorn, But Sweetly Worn" is a modern take on a Celtic song, and a great take on it at that. "Little Cream Soda" is a pretty simple, but pretty rocking song. The next song "Rag and Bone" is a really cool song. It has a jazzy rock beat and it's mostly Jack and Meg talking to each other. After a few standard rock songs, we have "Catch Hell Blues", which as you guessed it pays homage to the Blues Genre. It's a really cool blend of Rock and Blues, which I never thought possible before the band "Cold War Kids". The album ends with "Effect and Cause", another take on the Blues Genre. It's a great song, and it could be argued it sounds better then even a lot of Blues Rockers sound. I'm glad that "Icky Thump" didn't end with a sad song since the album is completely upbeat.

The White Stripes have hit gold with their newest album. It's an experimental cut of tracks that touches on nearly every genre of music. The White Stripes could kill other bands with this album, since they are going for genre mixes some bands have recently become known for. I'm glad The White Stripes decided to not play it safe with a radio-friendly album. "Icky Thump" is a sign that Jack White is starting to show off his amazing talent in his main band.

Top Songs:
1. Icky Thump
2. Conquest
3. Effect and Cause
4. You Don't Know What Love is
5. Rag and Bone


Final Score: 9.1/10