Fear Of The Dawn - Jack White (2022)

The older I get, the harder it is for me to just love a new release the first time I hear it. When I was younger there were more things I hadn’t heard, so it was easier for something to sound new and exciting to me. Now I feel like I’ve heard it all before, and it’s harder to sort out what’s worthwhile. I seldom get a jolt of excitement on the first spin through a record. If you hadn’t guessed, that’s exactly what I felt listening to the new Jack White.

If you don’t know, Jack White was the driving force behind White Stripes (no offense, Meg, you were awesome too). He’s also been leading or participating in numerous other bands, notably The Raconteurs and The Dead Weather. White has never been interested in repeating himself, but it’s hard to be inventive for the 20th time, and I was kind of figuring he’d settle into some sort of raucous, bluesy, nondescript Jack White™ sound. Even the previous album, which was very different but very jarring, felt like the exception that proved the rule. There was a sine qua non to Jack. We finally had his measure.

Then he took several years of hiatus, and came out of it with this bizarre, awesome, puzzling, challenging set that’s part dance party, part hardcore bowling alley concert, and part fever dream.

This really is a full synthesis of rock n roll you can dance to. The guitar sounds are great, his playing is always great, and the howling beat really gets your feet moving. We won’t get too far into why there’s a Q-tip feature that’s maybe supposed to be an homage to Cab Calloway, but even that sounds good somehow.

Tracks I Liked

Taking Me Back - howling guitars harnessed against their will into a dance track. Eat your heart out, Fallout Boy.

The White Raven - kind of an updated version of Seven Nation Army

Into The Twilight - a playful stab at full on modern disco. Pretty sure that’s a William S Burroughs soundbite.

Shedding My Velvet - lots of chewy grooves here