Graham Reid | | 1 min read
What's the Rumpus?
In the 13 years since the end of the White Stripes it was possible to lose touch with Jack White as he moved through the Raconteurs and Dead Weather, made various appearances, and ran a parallel solo career.
Oh, and he started his own Third Man label and shops.
But here we are again, acknowledging this searing, garageband blues rock collection which has reference points in Led Zeppelin, Jimi Hendrix studio outtakes and jams, the punk swagger of Iggy, hard rock from Sabbath to riff-heavy songs which recall the White Stripes' attitude of Icky Thump.
To that end it is therefore not unfamiliar White and takes a left turn from his previous paired releases of the rowdy Fear of the Dawn and the more muted Entering Heaven Alive.
On Archbishop Harold Holmes he builds a bridge between old time preaching, rap and Aerosmith's Walk This Way. Bombing Out is a desperate cacophony of bruising rock and a man holding on by his fingernails, on Tonight Was a Long Time Ago he says “it was over before it begins and you feel all those needles and pins . . .”
And that is how this mostly furious, fast forward 43 minutes feels.
There's a breathing space for the slide-driven Underground which could be the next thing he plays if he gets on stage with Keith Richards and Ron Wood.
So here is hefty blues, a lump of nasty guitar rock-cum-funk (Number One With A Bullet) and plenty of archetypal Jack White as only Jack can do White.
Noisy, desperate, thrilling.
Strap yourself in.
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You can hear and buy this album at bandcamp here
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