The Raconteurs

Much has already been said about the release of the new Raconteurs album, probably more about the method of releasing than the actual music, which was the same problem with In Rainbows. While the idea was good and they should be applauded for a bit of innovation, it wasn’t exactly mind-blowing. It seems nowadays that whenever an act does something slightly out of the ordinary it becomes big news. That doesn’t say much for an industry when announcing an album a week before release date, while very commendable, is big news and held up as the newest form of innovation. There obviously ain’t any real innovation getting much attention if that’s all there is. The fact that the entire album was online anyway about 3 days after the announcement says it all about the state of the industry today.

More importantly than any of that is the album itself which I think is the best album of the year so far. I’ve been a massive Brendan Benson and White Stripes fan for years so the coming together of the two was a big event for me. Saw them live in the Olympia in Dublin a couple of years ago and it still ranks as one of the best concerts I’ve ever seen.

Many highlights on the album, personally my favourite track is ‘Many Shades Of Black’. Fantastic song. The mix of the two voices really works on this record, better than on 'Broken Boy Soldiers'. I've been hoping for a new Brendan Benson record for a while, there were murmurings not so long ago about a new one. Hopefully once they finish touring he'll release his own record and avoid the danger of only being known for his involvement with the Raconteurs, however important and excellent his involvement is. It's the best album of the year so far for me and it's going to take a lot to beat it. Here's the video for 'Salute Your Solution'.