The Dead Weather disappoint on Horehound

I had high hopes for The Dead Weather. We all did, let’s be real. The news that a member each from The Raconteurs and The Queens of the Stone Age would join The Kills’ Allison Mosshart and Jack White was exhilarating! I remember being all “My jaw dropped. Really, it did.” But now that their debut album, Horehound, is out I’m just disappointed.

Sure, some people are saying things like The Dead Weather are “greatly distinguished by a richness of atmosphere” and that Horehound “doesn’t disappoint.” But as a guy who grew up struggling to play White Stripes and Kills covers on my cherished Jimmy Vaugn Tex Mex Stratocaster, I feel entitled to my opinion that this disjointed and tiring effort does indeed disappoint.

Granted, some tracks on Horehound are very worthwhile. Crunching guitars and well-pounded drums lead the album’s singles that invoke the kind of blues/classic rock sound so many have been trying to recreate. Mosshart is in pretty good form here, but she sounds maybe a smush uncomfortable in a more classic musical environment (to see a “less classic” musical environment see The Kills’ Midnight Boom). “Hang You From the Heavens” is the straight-forward single that exemplifies what the band seems to have been going for and “I Cut Like A Buffalo” is the perfect weirdo B-Side to it.

But on other key tracks and all that middle part of the album, the band feels separated. The vocals, drums, and guitars are all playing parts to the same song, but it’s almost as if they’re too focused on each bringing a part to the mix that they forget to fuse it all together. What results is a little bit of a mess. Sure The Dead Weather is doing something different and all the members are talented musicians blahblah, but while Horehound isn’t a bomb, it’s severely disappointing. File under: “Meh.”

The Dead Weather – “Hang You From the Heavens” [MP3]

The Dead Weather – “I Cut Like A Buffalo” [MP3]

The Dead Weather – “60 Feet Tall” [MP3]

Buy Horehound on iTunes