Album of the Week
JACK WHITE
“Lazaretto”
★★
FOR a man who made his mark on the world with albums recorded in a few days featuring little more than drums and guitars, it’s remarkable how much clutter Jack White has put on his second solo album.
Aside from using the skills of his two bands (one all-male, one all-female), songs such as “Would You Fight For My Love?” mix hectic blues rock with an operatic tinge, and “I Think I Found The Culprit” even hides a harp in its lush country landscape.
But while the album goes by in an impressive blur of sounds, it’s hard to pick out any truly memorable melodies, and when the sonic fog does clear a little, White’s occasionally crotchety lyrics are exposed. “Entitlement,” in particular, sees him railing against spoiled youth as though he were shouting at kids to get off his lawn.
Downloads of the Week
PSY FEAT. SNOOP DOGG
“Hangover”
★½
COULD it be that Psy’s not just a novelty South Korean viral-video star and actually a generous lover of American culture sent here to rejuvenate our stars?
On his new track, “Hangover,” the silly lyrics and manic K-pop beats are so grating that Snoop Dogg’s guest rap actually sounds quite good in comparison.
By making Snoop slightly relevant and interesting again, Psy has done something that no one else has been able to do for years.
CHRISSIE HYNDE
“Down The Wrong Way”
★★
THE 62-year-old Pretender is just getting around to releasing her first solo album, and “Stockholm” is a typically assured, if unspectacular, affair.
On this album cut, she teams up with Neil Young, who adds his distinctive guitar to a snarling postcard from a character on the edge.
“I have become what I criticized/The porn queen in my deck of lies,” sings Hynde with the kind of conviction of someone who knows what it’s like to be in that situation.
JENNY LEWIS
“Just One Of The Guys”
★★★
“I’M just another lady without a baby,” reflects Jenny Lewis, midway through her latest song. She might be one of the coolest and most respected indie-rock figures in America but there’s more than a hint of mid-life crisis in this almost painfully honest new single (from her upcoming solo album “The Voyager,” out in July).
But that torment comes in a disarmingly beautiful and baroque package thanks to Beck’s production and a heavenly melody. Her pain is definitely our gain.
THE TING TINGS
“Wrong Club”
½
THE Ting Tings have endured a fallow few years since their 2008 heyday and they’re so desperate for another hit, they’ve essentially copied one. Their new track is such a lazy and blatant rip off of “Get Lucky” that even the usually emotionless robots of Daft Punk are likely to feel blind rage when they hear it.
If this is the best the British duo can do, then they’re likely to remain in pop’s hinterland.