First off, I think
glide is as fine a emusiczine as you'll find. What, with classic free mp3 downloads, an ear to the ground for new music, and solid reviews. Usually solid reviews.
Shane Handler's take on the Raconteurs' 'Broken Boy Soliders' is as off as I've noticed from glide. Below is a sample of what stuck out;
But more than Jack White and friends, the Raconteurs seems to be a coming out party for Benson, as White deflates himself to a sideman. Is Jack dumping Meg for Brendan?
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White’s unmistakable garage blues chord fury is stapled throughout...the title track meanders in the psychedelic primal scream of earlier White Stripes records, which in fact we’ve heard just about enough of recently
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The albums’ strongest moment are Benson’s “Hands” and “Together,”
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Broken Boy Soldiers fails to deliver any type of kick-start to the ears, or heart for that matter
First, are you folks such White fan-boy/girl(s) and so heart-broken by Jack stepping back from, let's be honest, super-ego-inflation via being a one-person show (my impression of the White Stripes live is of a brother wanking on stage while his sister keeps time, which is way cool for a stadium rock venue, but still...), that you consider this effort to be deflating himself? Sounds to me like you don't give enough credit to Benson. And just because you've over-listened to the White Stripes doesn't take anything away from Jack's trademark sound. To top it off, the best song on the album, 'Intimate Secretary', isn't even mentioned, and its the music that is faulted for not providing a kick-start? Tough to do when the listeners' ear needs a jump-start.
My recommendation is to listen to it again.