Since their seemingly
out-of-nowhere 2006 debut, The Raconteurs have been a little confounding. A
supergroup featuring just one superstar—its players are Jack White,
singer-songwriter Brendan Benson, and the rhythm section of Cincinnati's The
Greenhornes—it at first seemed like it was largely an outlet for White.
As half of The White Stripes, he had to work within fairly strict,
self-determined limitations while dealing with the pressures of popularity and
critical acclaim. With his partners in The Raconteurs, he could stretch out and
write any kind of song he liked—or sit back and kick in support when
other members took the lead.
Thing is, The Raconteurs'
songs aren't that
different from The White Stripes'. Take the Benson-led "The Switch And The
Spur." Sure, the voice is different, but as soon as White's unmistakable guitar
kicks in, it's back to familiar turf. Little here pushes beyond the boundaries
of the Stripes' avant-garage sound.
Fortunately, that's a rich
sound, and the band's second album, Consolers Of The Lonely, never seems less than new.
The Raconteurs seemed comfortable with each other on their debut, Broken Boy
Soldiers,
and here, the chemistry has gotten even stronger. Tracks like "Salute Your
Solution" and "Top Yourself" demand attention with guitar hooks and keep it
with tight playing. It's a side project that has more intensity and commitment
than most proper bands.
But sometimes The
Raconteurs' competence and professionalism get in the way of their fieriness,
particularly in moments that sound like a White Stripes album given a coat of
'70s AOR polish. The disc closes with a song of gothic violence called
"Carolina Drama" that, with descriptive details like "the white milk dripped
down with the blood," would probably sound devastating without the spooky
chorus and all the layered instrumental flourishes. Could it be that the
group's most famous member, despite repeatedly proving the value of addition by
subtraction, has started to follow a fussier muse?