The Fix

Straight from the studio to your ears, the follow-up to the Raconteurs‘ acclaimed 2006 debut, Broken Boy Soldiers was released March 25th with as little warning as a well-executed ambush. Taking their chances and forgoing the customary industry ‘hype period,’ the band opted to release their latest project directly to their fans before their expectations could be insidiously manipulated by the opinionated media. So, if you’re reading this and have not yet heard the album, I regret to inform you that you’re too late; we’ve caught up. Fortunately, unlike certain B-movies, Consolers of the Lonely is not attempting to con the public into copping a sub-par performance by cutting out the critical review. No, rather than a nasty ambush, this hits more like surprise birthday party; with all your best friends in your favorite park on a beautiful sunny day, with free-flowing beverages, and, of course, great music.

And what else would one honestly expect with the incredible depth of talent in a band that includes Jack White (of the White Stripes), Brendan Benson, Jack Lawrence (of the Greenhornes and Blance) and Patrick Keeler (of the Greenhornes)? On Consolers the studio polish is cut with just enough muddled banter and fuzzy overdrive to give the whole project a warmly casual jam-session feel that gives each of the musicians their moments to shine. Tracks like “Salute Your Solution” and “Five on Five” hit with a recognizably Stripesian swagger that is tempered by the fuller sound of the band, and are balanced with the piano and bass driven “You Don’t Understand Me” and acoustic guitar and western fiddle-work on “Old Enough.” Influences and instrumentations range further afield than their debut with hints of country and Icky Thump-esque horns adding to their already deep instrumental repertoire. White and Benson exchange vocal duties throughout, coming together at points in harmonies that sound so effortless it becomes a stretch to think of this band as a mere “side-project.” For the most part, however, they alternate on songs, and together with the impressive range of musical styles, they leave the album feeling a bit thematically and musically disjointed. The group shines brightest when they stick to their namesake on the bluesy rock ballads “The Switch and the Spur” and, my personal favorite, the closer “Carolina Drama.” Ultimately, however disjointed, this is a superstar jam-session that’s as convincing a rock-sure-as-hell-isn’t-dead argument as you’ve heard in a while. But then, you’ve probably already heard it.