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Icky Thump

The White Stripes

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iTunes Review

The White Stripes rock. It’s that simple. Jack White, well schooled in the basics of blues, country, punk and metal, churns it out  — with drummer Meg pounding out her “Icky Thump” of a beat — like the seasoned pro his garage rock soul has slowly but surely become. This is not another dirty, creepy lo-fi album from the basement (though the album’s closer “Effect and Cause” is a reminder), but a full-fledged attack from Nashville’s Blackbird Studios. “Icky Thump,” the song, is an unusual single, moody and creepy, but Icky Thump, the album, is a smorgasbord of sound, a whiplash tour through the genre junkshop that is White’s musical consciousness. “You Don’t Know What Love Is (You Just Do As You’re Told),” crashes through like a long-lost AC/DC track. The Patti Page number, “Conquest,” and “300 MPH Torrential Outpour Blues” survey the blues. “Rag and Bone” turns John Lee Hooker’s “Boogie Chillen” on its head. “Prickly Thorn, But Sweetly Worn” twists Scottish folk (and its bagpipes) with psychedelia. “Little Cream Soda” leaves space for White the sideshow barker to babble his entertaining nonsense before the crushing guitars resume their forward march. Jack White’s not exactly King Midas but everything he touches turns to classic rock.

Customer Reviews

good album, poor sound

after listening to the cd just once i feel compelled to write a rant somewhere. this is good new album, but i just cant get past the awful sound quality. this is in regard to the cd version, but is still applicable because any download format offered here will sound just as bad. this overcompressing of the music on modern music is beginning to annoy the hell out of me. im fed up of buying new cds and having to hear digital distortion which im damn sure the artist never intended to be there. listen the new white stripes album sounds awful for a band that pride themselves on using only quality old analogue gear. listen to the crackle you hear on every hard kick drum beat. i bet thats not on the original master tape the band created, so why on earth do i have to hear it. music should sound better than ever but sadly its just treated with complete lack of care. i personally think this is a huge issue and needs to be petitioned against somehow. whats the point in me spending money on quality hifi gear if every new recording is inherently ruined before i purchase it.

Worst sound quality ever

Great song writing, absolultely ruined by the 'louder is better' mentality of modern mastering. I am talking about the cd version, the MP3 versions available here are naturally going to be even worse sound quality (but that's one of the disadvantages of downloading). Listen to the track 'Icky Thump', for example. A bass drum shouldn't sound like a dull 'thud' as it does here - this is because the mastering engineer was told by the label he works for to make it as loud as possible, and has effectively destroyed the dynamic envelope of the instrument. Now go and listen to something from the mid 90's or even later ('Bullet in The Head' by Rage Against the Machine, for example) and hear how a bass drum should sound; crisp, with a lot of punch. All albums nowadays are (arguably) ruined by extreme compression levels which means no dynamics, but this album, to my ears (and I work as an Audio Engineer) sounds atrocious. This songwriting with the mastering techniques of 10 years ago would make this album a classic. As it stands, the whole album has been ripped apart because the record label wants every song as loud as possible.

Another Classic

Wow. 'Icky Thump' the 6th studio release from The White Stripes is simply incredible. I was lucky enough to see them play live in Hyde Park on the 14th June and they played 3 tracks of this album, plus I'd heard rag and bone (thanks to nme) so I already had high hopes for this album. Thankfully it delivers. Back to 'Elephant' style guitar heavy tracks for this album. Jack is on form with the guitar parts and the vocals are perfect. Megs drumming suits the songs so well (and just for the record, there's a reason why the drumming is 'simple' for those who complain about Megs abilities). Icky Thump the single just grows on you, and it’s a great song, that shows off the song writing ability of Jack. The whole album is a joy, don't skip anything! My favourite tracks are Icky Thump, ‘Effect and Cause’, 300MPH...Blues, and ‘Rag and Bone’. I’m looking forward to the next one, and I hope they come back to the England a bit sooner than last time (a 2 year gap between Hyde Park and Blackpool). 10/10, five stars A*, whatever, it gets top marks from me.

Biography

Formed: 1997 in Detroit, MI

Genre: Alternative

Years Active: '90s, '00s, '10s

The White Stripes formed on Bastille Day in 1997, aiming to create simple, vigorous rock & roll with little more than Meg White's percussion and Jack White's guitar-and-vocal attack. Meg's drumming was deliberate and straightforward, while Jack's formidable guitar skills paid homage to garage rock, blues, and punk. A former drummer for the Detroit-based country outfit Goober & the Peas, he also displayed an affinity for American folk music, and the White Stripes took strength in the varied...
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