The Dead Weather livens up its sound
Sea of Cowards showcases more produced and emotional music
The Dead Weather
Sea of Cowards
Released on May 11, 2010
The Dead Weather’s debut album Horehound was a promising one, but personally, I couldn’t help but think that it was a pet project that Alison Mosshart and Jack White put together out of boredom. Thankfully, Sea of Cowards disproves that thought and then some. The unpolished, visceral sound of their debut didn’t appear to offer much room for growth, but as a result of their reliance on different vocal effects and inclusion of some electronic sounds, they’ve matured their sound without losing any of their bite.
While Jack White is obviously a virtuoso, so much of this album’s strength comes from the range of noises that Mosshart’s voice produces. The tracks where their two voices play off of one another are stellar, but the woman knows how to carry a rock record all on her own. She redefines “raspy,” and the new definition sounds something like scraping your vocals chords with a knife while still hitting notes on a melodic scale. Not to say that the band takes a backseat on the album—Mosshart’s overwrought voice is matched in intensity by organs, electric guitars, and of course, drums.
“Blue Blood Blues” is actually a fairly calm start to the record. White takes the lead vocals on this track, and it boasts some of the best lyrics on the album. Some personal favorite snippets are “dripping blue blood from my wrist” and “shake your hips like battleships/all the white girls trip when I sing at Sunday service.” The first minute or so of the track sounds like it could be a B-side on Horehound, but the vocal layering that takes place about halfway through the track indicates that The Dead Weather spent a bit of time in the studio — with excellent results — this time around.
“The Difference Between Us” is what marks the shift in sound that the band has experienced. I love the 8-bit-influenced intro, and it the band sounds like it was let out of some sort of cage. Also, I just enjoy hearing Mosshart duet with herself. The only person that sounds better with her is White, and “Die By the Drop” is proof of that. They sound like they’re snarling at one another in a fantastic call-and-response, but again, it’s their penchant for lyrics that gives the track its venom —“I’m gonna take you for worse or better/I’m gonna make you for worse or better.” Yeah. Chew on that for awhile.
OK, last girl crush comment regarding Mosshart’s voice. I can’t imagine how on earth she will be able to sing, growl, snarl, or even talk after performing “Gasoline” multiple times on tour. When she cries out “I can smell the gasoline,” I get goosebumps. The interaction between the organ and the percussion is great, and insures that her voice isn’t the only memorable sound off of this track.
If it’s not obvious by now, I could go on and on about the intensity of this album. I naively assumed that an intense, almost primitive was only something that could be attained through shitty, lo-fi production quality, but the mark of a great rock group is its ability to spend time in a studio and still produce an incredibly exciting, rough, frantic, and powerful album. God, I really hope that the release of their sophomore album won’t mark a return to their respective projects. We need more music like this.
High Point
“Gasoline.” “Die By the Drop” comes in a close second, but Mosshart’s voice is literally on fire here.
Low Point
I like “Old Mary,” and think it’s a fitting closing track, but I don’t feel the desire to listen to it over and over again.
Posted by Alyssa Vincent on May 11, 2010 @ 6:00 am