The Dead Weather’s ‘Sea of Cowards’ and More New Reviews
Whether he’s working with the White Stripes, the Raconteurs or the Dead Weather, Jack White seems to turn out a must-have new record every few months. And this week he returns with the Dead Weather’s Sea of Cowards. “The second album by the Dead Weather is a rock of action — nothing but action. There is barely room to breathe, much less sing along,” David Fricke writes in his three-and-a-half star review. “Last year’s Horehound had the same feral air. But the moving parts of Sea of Cowards come faster, meaner and fatter. There are more single-worthy tunes on White’s records with the Raconteurs; in the White Stripes, he prefers his blues with limits. But with this band, White lets himself go over the top.” Standout tracks include the vicious first single “Die by the Drop” and White’s manic drumming on “Hustle and Cuss.”
This week also brings the latest album by Keane, titled Night Train. The U.K. act have earned a reputation as moody rockers but their latest finds the band far more upbeat, busting out dance-pop songs and drafting rappers like K’naan to make cameo appearances. When they want, Keane can still break out big, cresting tracks like “My Shadow,” but on Night Train, Jody Rosen writes in his three-star review “Keane have proved themselves masters of — gasp! — pop perkiness.”