Jack White "Blunderbluss"

 Released 04/24/12

Many of the tunes on Jack White's first solo album could fit on a new White Stripes, Raconteurs or Dead Weather album but they would sound very, very different.  White is a first rate collaborator who brings the sound of the whole to the fore yet retains that unique Jack White quality.  The sound on this album is all his.

And what a sound it is.  His lyrical cadences are intact along with the diverse instrumentation.  Fiddles, clarinets, pedal steels, upright basses and mandolins show up with the guitars, keyboards and drums.  Yes, the crunchy guitar is there ("Sixteen Saltines") and it does show up sometimes where not expected.  It's reported that he prefers old cheap department store electric guitars and given the sounds he wrenches out of those poor souls that is probably preferable.  More keyboard heavy tunes are prevalent but they certainly don't wimp out.  This is a strong album.

The roots of the songs are all over the rock and roll map.  One could probably spend a long time writing a track-by-track treatise on those influences.  But what the hell, just enjoy.

Album of the year contender.

Leonard Cohen "Old Ideas"

 Released 01/31/12

Not really associated in most minds as a rock artist, nonetheless Leonard Cohn is a poetic musical artist.  If his half-spoken baritone voice and exemplary lyrics hit your buttons then this one will not disappoint.  I'm one of those people and that's why it's here.

Musically it's similar, yet a bit more diverse, to recent original albums by Cohen.  Excellent vocal accompaniment from the usual female suspects. The songs cover expected weighty matters from life to death and beyond with emphatic musical wistfulness.  Atypically, he makes light of his own persona right from the beginning with "Going Home".  ("He's a lazy bastard living in a suit") 

If you are part of the spiritual/romantic party that is Leonard Cohen then "Old Ideas" (his first album of new material in 8 years) is required listening.  If not, maybe this one will change you mind...maybe not.

Bruce Springsteen "Wrecking Ball"

 Released 03/02/12

Once again answering the clarion call of current times, "Wrecking Ball" looks at working class America post 2008.  They are the same persons that populated his earlier work albeit 40 years later.  Then they were concerned with parents, street racing, relationships and facing the future.  Well, the future is here and, at this juncture, is rather bleak.  Is the answer rallying together for change or striking out in anger?  It's all in the make-up of this album.

The music?  With very little E-Street band involvement it still contains the essence of their sound.  This album does take chances, it's certainly not a straight ahead E-Street album.  Some of the production has been criticized as a mistaken try to remain "current".  That does Bruce very little credit.  He's turned into a master in the studio and this one reflects that.  There's a lot of variety in the music and the particular sound of each track stands on it's own.  As with any artist's efforts, some parts do work better than others,but the effort is sincere.

The bottom line is how often you come back to a particular album.  I seem to be going back to this one quite a bit.   Will that last?  Time will tell.   My past Springsteen listening seems to center on "Tracks", "The Promise (Darkness outtakes)" and the early stuff up to, and including, "Born in the USA".  "The Rising" is admittedly a great album, but when is the last time you listened to it?

Guided By Voices "Let's Go Eat The Factory"

 Released 12/20/2011

GBV are back after 8 years and it's hard to imagine that "Bee Thousand" and (personal fave) "Alien Lanes" were from 1994-5.  With "Let's Go Eat The Factory" it's as if they never left.  Titular leader Robert Pollard, after a less than distinguished solo career, reassembled many of the past members in 2010 and this is the result.  Twenty one songs ranging from under a minute to almost exactly 4 minutes (the average is probably right around 2 minutes).  You cover a lot of ground here in styles and the hit rate for memorable tunes is up there.  Many times you wish they would have fleshed out some of the tunes, some are just right and others...well at least they are short.  One thing though...they are all fun and that's something this group seems to understand in spades.  Worth checking out along with much of their back catalogue if you're not familiar.  A true cult band.

NOTE: Six months after the above release, GBV released another new album consisting of 21 new songs along a similar vein.  That seems a bit soon for me and listening shows this to be the case.  The ratio of songs you'd want to hear again on "Class Clown Spots a UFO" is a lot lower than that on "Let's Go Eat The Factory" by quite a bit.  As in the past they seem to be spreading themselves a bit thin.  Then again that's possibly what their true fans are looking for: Quantity versus Quality to arrive at those favorite tracks.  Lowers the standard for me.

The Black Keys "El Camino"

 Released 12/02/2011

Lonely Boys, indeed.  After the Keys' breakthrough album "Brothers" they have officially become an Arena act and that added special importance to the next album.  Starting off with the T-Rex inspired "Lonely Boys" the Keys lay the groundwork for an album that harkens  back to their previous efforts...you know, the ones that turned you onto the band originally and you felt you were the only one that was into them and that was special.  Not so special was the "Brothers" album where you felt they were really trying to reach out to the mainstream and everyone else would start liking them (even though it was a great album).

No fear.  "El Camino" calls up the best of "Brothers" and their early efforts.  I wasn't so sure about "Little Black Submarine".  Isn't the Led Zepplin acoustic-beginning-into-electric-ending one of the biggest rock cliches around?  But damn, it works.  Credit some of that to Danger Mouse.  He seems a good match for Dan and Patrick.  This album rocks.