Now this bad boy was released at the beginning of last month; and God bless NPR for allowing people to listen to it two weeks in advance. I've been rocking this sumbitch for over a month now and I love it. When I first heard about this project, I lost my mind. Jack White and Alison Mossheart? "No-brainer," I thought. I had misgivings when I found out that Jack was playing drums, but as stated in my blog about ACLMF, Day 3, it turns out I had nothing to worry about. The first album, Horehound, released not even a year ago was a smash hit and made Billboard's top 10 with face-melters like Hang You from the Heavens and Bone House. The Dead Weather delivered dark garage rock with teeth.
The Dead Weather return with their sophomore album, Sea of Cowards, that makes it to Billboard's Top 5, giving them 2 albums to make the Top 10 in less than a year. While keeping the dark tone Dead Weather stray the path from their blues-heavy garage rock in lieu of something slightly more experimental. Another slight departure from the first album is that Jack shares more vocal responsibility on this album. That isn't to say that Alison Mossheart isn't the star (vocally speaking); because she still belts them out.
The album opens with Blue Blood Blues which has Jack and Alison sharing lead vocals. The guitar's heavy here, and it's somewhat reminiscent of Bone House. The vocals themselves seem to pull from influences outside of the blues arena. I'm 80% sure they played this at ACLMF, because I distinctly remember Jack leaving the drums to share rhythmic vocals with Mossheart. The piano and backing vocals come in lightly over the top and serve almost as a palate cleanser.
Hustle and Cuss is the next song, which highlights Mossheart's vocals and utilizes an organ to provide some Doors-y sound. This like the previous song is pretty percussive in the vocal styling.
The band utilizes synth on the provocative track, The Difference Between Us. The somewhat ambiguous lyrics make the song sweet, violent, and sexy all at once. It doesn't hurt that Alison Mossheart exudes sexuality in a very primal way.
I'm Mad is a piece that seems stuck somewhere between the two albums. It's loud, angry (duh) and a decent song overall but definitely falls by the wayside when sandwiched between two such good songs.
Die by the Drop is the album's first single. Again, Mossheart and White share vocals in a marriage made in Rock Heaven. I find the use of piano in this piece a fine addition to the sound and fits in perfectly with the rest of the band. I also am really digging the lyrics: "Some people die just a little./Sometimes you die by the drop./Some people die in the middle./I live just fine on the top".
The next track, I Can't Hear You, is another one of the middling tracks on the album that seems to be a good transition piece between the two albums. The organ returns for Gasoline and takes me back to '60s rock in a way that makes me nostalgic. Mossheart's grating vocals go well with the almost aggressively percussive organ that provides a great sort of auditory "texture". No Horse is yet another well done transitional blues-y sounding piece that goes well in the middle. Looking at the Invisible Man is a great song if for nothing else than it uses a vocal distortion I have only heard used in P-Funk songs. Jawbreaker is another song suitable to bridge the distance between Horehound and this album.
The closer, Old Mary, is a sacrilicious, tongue-in-cheek piece that takes the Hail Mary as its basis. It's a little depressing and but goes so well with the haunting piano and harmonizing of Jack White and Alison Mossheart. Great Closer.
The album is strong all the way through with really great highlights. The Dead Weather continue to produce great garage rock while incorporating newer influences. They've kept their teeth, which is a must for me; but managed to not be as dark this time around, which I don't mind necessarily. I've got tickets to see their DC show and Baltimore show, and I'm looking forward to both even if I'm not looking forward to driving to Baltimore in the middle of the week.
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