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David Watkins

The White Stripes

Icky Thump

(Warner Bros)

Jack and Meg White have won fame and acclaim as musical alchemists capable of turning their guitar and drum kit into something sounding akin to a six-piece rock beast.

They have garnered a loyal following in doing so; such is  their ability to make the old sound thrillingly new. They've also remained resolutely challenging to their listeners. At least, that's a polite way of describing their previous outing, 2005's overwrought and burnt out Get Behind Me Satan.

Following up, Icky Thump takes its name from a corruption of one of the more ambiguous examples of northeast English dialect. And the album is as rambling and esoteric  as the name suggests.

The title track kicks things off  with a furious collage of cut-and-paste riffs, ferocious drums and a pointed state of the nation address which has Jack White manically rapping: 'Well, Americans / What, nothin' better to do?/ Why don't  you kick yourself out?/ You're an immigrant too.'

It's one of a handful of highlights on what turns out to be a typically uneven and ultimately frustrating listening experience. Stronger moments include 300mph Torrential Outpour, Catch Hell Blues and A Martyr for My Love for You, which serve up the  frenzied blues which are the band's staple.

On the other hand you have Conquest, a track whose honking mariachi band and strutting  vocals brings to mind Nacho Libre swapping his wrestling outfit for  a microphone. There's also the controversial use of bagpipes on Prickly Thorn, But Sweetly Worn - as divisive a musical trick as employing a children's choir. It may serve as further evidence that Jack and Meg have remembered how to have fun again, but too much fun can be a bad thing.



The White Stripes