MUSIC REVIEWS
The Raconteurs - Broken Boy Soldiers
David Allun Jones
Broken Boy Soldiers is what happens when a couple of music geeks (in this case White Stripes primary Jack White and indie-rock singer-songwriter Brendan Benson) grab a couple of friends (Jack Lawrence and Patrick Keller from the Cincinnati band The Greenhornes), and lock themselves away from the world to recreate the music that influenced them. For the fans, it’s a chance to hear Jack White accompanied by REAL musicians for once, all the while bringing out the edge in the ultra-sensitive Benson. A classic rock version of Lennon/ McCartney, Broken Boy Soldiers imaginatively juggles the distinct sound of both for an inspired album that those who immersed themselves in the druggy haze of 70’s rock would overwhelmingly enjoy.
The ridiculously infectious lead single “Steady As She Goes” is the track that launched the semi-super group’s existence and immediately stands as the album’s strongest offering. A cartoon-ish Flintstone bass, loping organ and fuzzy guitar riffs supply an eerie, carnival-esque melody that would provide perfect accompaniment to a Scooby Doo ghost chase scene. When White allows his funkier side to emerge, magical things happen, and “Steady…” is up there as one of his most enchanted productions. From there, Broken Boy see-saws between White Stripe over-the-top to Benson sublime, a factor that keeps things from ever getting too mundane but also prevents the album from ever becoming more than a collaboration between pre-distinguished musicians.
When Benson is steering the wheel, the music is harmonious, polite and simple in comparison to White’s Mad Hatter capers. On his own albums, Brendan veers dangerously to being overly sappy, his flat vocals emanating a pathetic sense of being especially when attached to the melodic pop arrangements he draws up. For this project, though, his creations are welcome if only for their infrequent occurrences, grounding the album in between the far-out moments when the band threaten to take their creative licenses too far. The country-folk ballad “Together” and plaintive love letter “Hands” (“When you’re with me/ There’s a light and I can see my way/ When you speak to me/ It’s a song and I know what to say”) are sweet morsels of pop goodness, Benson’s main forte, with Jack adding his own splash of quirkiness to the proceedings to keep things from getting too sugary.
As Jack bumrushes into the picture, all bets are off as proven in the past. The man willingly dips into electrifying practices of authentic blues odes (“Blue Veins”) and stream-of-consciousness psychedelic rock (“Intimate Secretary”) that keeps things unpredictable and slightly off-kilter. It’s these wild moments that prevent Broken Boy from ever achieving solidarity, and if you picked up the album up with any expectations, you’re no doubt to come away a little under whelmed, disappointed at the emphasis in the direction of either Benson or White. Since the idea that this is an experimental side project at best will no doubt be nabbing at your mind at all times anyways, it’s best to accept the album as-is without too much judging. In that acceptance, this curious purchase will be most appreciated for it’s freakishly sound imitation of rock ancestry and an exciting bridge to hopefully maneuver the Fall Out Boy/ AFI fanatics of today to the iconic greats (The Who, Led Zeppelin) that came before.
