The Dead Weather, “Sea of Cowards” (Warner Bros.)
blues-debted rock music is loud, but there are quiet ruminations deep in the lyrics. In “Blue Blood Blues,” the first track on the supergroup’s latest, drummer/sometimes-singer Jack White thinks out loud: “If I left, I wanna leave a trace.”
No problem there.
At the rate White is releasing records and creating new bands, he’ll have an unparalleled catalog by the time he’s 45 years old. White, who turns 35 in July, has collected his best full-sized band in The Dead Weather. His White Stripes were a legendary power-duo, but the Dead Weather stabs and owns where his other group, the Raconteurs, plots and plays.
The record’s first single, “Die By the Drop,” is a frazzled, yet tight, jam that thrives on the interplay between lead singer Allison Mosshartap vocals and White’s call-and-response wails.
“The Difference Between Us” is a delightful, pop-rooted psychedelic dirge. This record never takes a break, and itap an unquestionable step forward from the band’s excellent debut, “Horehound.” — Ricardo Baca
Rusko, “O.M.G.” (Mad Decent)
As dubstep has grown as a slinky, bass-heavy subgenre of electronic music, followers and fans have had to wonder who will break the underground sound to the masses. Listening to the first few songs on “O.M.G.” and reading the newspapers last week, our vote goes to , a.k.a. Chris Mercer.
Not only does Rusko have that England experience and credibility, he also has the connections. He told an L.A. newspaper last week that he’ll be producing songs for Britney Spears’ next record — and they won’t be pop pabulum.
Any producer is only as good as his history, and “O.M.G.” is a shining mixture of the brilliantly twisted beats that made him a star in the London underground and the pop hooks he thinks he needs to make it on American FM radio.
“Woo Boost” is a complex banger that is proof of his growth as an artist. “Raver’s Spesh” is a jittery earphones anthem while “Oy” is a modern-day approach to the “Axel F” concept. Some of the album’s more straightforward songs, including “Hold On” and “You’re on My Mind,” lack the bite of Rusko’s signature sound. But thatap perfectly O.K. with Spears and her ilk. — Ricardo Baca
Band of Horses, “Infinite Arms” (Columbia)
After two expansive, if too-similar, records on Sub Pop, Band of Horses makes its major-label debut today with “Infinite Arms.”
From the sweeping chamber pop opening of “Factory” to the neo-country & western, CD-closing ballad “Neighbor,” this record is a slight departure for Band of Horses. The dreamy, spaced-out heart is still there in each song, but the group might have thrown away certain guitar effects pedals and vocal effects triggers from the previous two records.
“Evening Kitchen” is a lovely lullaby while “Older” is the most nuanced mix of the band’s previous sound and its new approach: Stunning harmonies, a hint of a twang and clever guitar interplay. And thatap a combination we don’t mind one bit. — Ricardo Baca
Pearly Gate Music, “Pearly Gate Music” (Barsuk Records)
self-titled debut album is as satisfying as a box of macaroni and cheese, as it doesn’t offer much to get excited about.
This is a perplexing album in the sense that it is the random, out of place moments where the band is at its best. The majority of the album is filled with slower stripped-down ballads that fail to engage the listener. Two outlier tracks, pop-infused numbers “Big Escape” and “Bad Nostalgia,” truly shine as the bright points on the record.
The differences with “Big Escape” and “Bad Nostalgia” are that they have faster tempos, denser sound and a more whimsical feel. Pearly Gate Music sounds like a band that could create great folk-pop songs, but prefers ballads. They are like that athlete with so much promise and potential who shows flashes of greatness, but never seem to put it all together.
As strange as it sounds, Pearly Gate Music’s debut strengthens the argument that listeners should not waste their time with entire albums when they can just buy the tracks they want. Why slog through eight slower, throwaway tracks for two highlights?
The defining moment for Pearly Gate Music will come with their next album; they’ll be forced to answer the question of whether they want to create a nondescript follow-up, or an album worthy of being listened to all the way through. — Greg Stieber
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Ricardo Baca is the founder and co-editor of and an award-winning critic and journalist at The Denver Post. He is also the executive director of the , Colorado’s premier indie music festival. Follow his whimsies at , his live music habit at and his iTunes addictions at .
Greg Stieber is a Denver freelance writer and regular contributor to Reverb.
