Hang You From the Heavens ::

This track was the first song that the world heard from these 4 musicians. It was really supposed to go no further than this song. Jack and Allison sat down over christmas to record a '45 for fun, and as soon as Dean and JL jumped into the mix, it seems as though they couldn't help but keep writing music for a full record.

Hang You From the Heavens, while missing a Jack White on his usual guitar spot, still feels like home for Jack White fans out there. The swaggering goth-blues line that opens up next to the sultry sounds of Allison's voice let everyone know that this isn't just some cheap-o side project.

I've always said that Allison's effort, the Kills, has this very seductive tone about them. And this definitly applies in a rougher sense here. Like, she's singing to you in the doorway of her bedroom, seducing you to crawl inside for rock and roll sex, which you know is going to be oh-so utterly painful....yet enjoy every second of it intensly. Dean plays the guitars on this track, and not hearing much of him outside of QOTSA, I'd say his playing style is way baller. More reserved than Jack's screaming solos, but filled with twists, turns and effects. This is to be expected, seeing as though QOTSA is a very twisty-turny band in the first place.

While this song may become their most popular, I don't believe it to be the best song that's come out so far. My first impression upon listening to it was that I felt like I was waiting for a climax that never really comes around. Listening further, I began to single out the parts and relate the voice to the music, and it became more of a fun piece. It also helps to see it live, I seem to have grown more fond of it after seeing it played on Conan and From the Basement.

Are Friends Electric? (Gary Numan Cover) ::

Taking a complete turn from the dark riffs and tricks that was Hang You From the Heavens, we now go to this cover of Gary Numans "Are Friends Electric?" A perfect cover in my eyes, and to be honest listened to this track more than I did HYFTH, which worried me. Were the Dead Weather going to be a better cover band than an original band? My worries of course, were far exagerrated.

This was a perfect song to be covered by the Dead Weather. Listening to the original... ( and a ukulele version on youtube) i've decided that it sounds way better with a chick. The drumming is not as defined here, it is mostly simple, but that works for what the song asks for. The most interesting thing to note is that Jack White returns on guitar, with a signature TEEENNY TIINNY riff thats kicked the octave between verses. This song, for me, was better than it's A-side Hang You From the Heavens. Now, i'm not so sure. Listening to both of these songs though, I can definitly say that I wish they would have pushed this song to make the real tracklist of "Horehound."

Treat Me Like Your Mother ::

There was just no getting out of listening to this track alive.

Tempo changes, Jack White and a distorted microphone, it's what defines the Dead Weather as a group so far.

Coming out as a free download, I jumped onto this track so fast, already knowing that a song with that kind of title was going to be nuts. This track IS the best track i've heard so far from Horehound. We open with a climbing hit that already climaxes into Allisons voice. She belts 2 verses until Jack comes in with a chant like "Who's got it figured out? Left, Right, Left, Right got it figured out? Who's got it figured out, play safe. Try to manipulate."

Run program TempoChange.exe here.

The song kicks into this high powered jump riff, singing and spelling M A N I P U - LATE! That is probably the best part of the song for me. Verses change, in and out, there's a small guitar solo, and it ends with Jack and Allison belting "Play Safe!" If you need to know what the Dead Weather is all about, you hit that track.

You Just Can't Win (Thems cover) ::

I have little to say about this track, it's a cover of Thems, who i've never even heard, but it's really good for Jack White's voice. There's a great, soulful little keyboard solo after a chorus, but the obvious main attraction here is Jack's head driven yelling on "You know! You just can't win, when you are in." A B-side to Treat, this song makes you wish they'd just stop teasing you with covers and give you the album already, for the track doesn't hit me with a hard revelation as much as it's A-side does.

I Cut Like a Buffalo ::

I saw this song first on a video on Youtube, of them playing it live. I have to say, I was mezmorized by Jack's playing on it drum-wise, and glad to see him back on the microphone full time. But I was not amused by the song at all. For some reason, nothing stood out or hit me as another knock-out Dead Weather song. And I had pretty high expectations after Treat Me Like Your Mother.

Then I heard the recorded version.

Why would coughing and choking ever become so cool in a song?

Listen, this song almost KNOCKED down TMLYM as best Dead Weather song just for THAT. We start with a mysterious keyboard bump, the drums kick in, and it's the Jack White show from that point on. No real solos, just him and the soul. He feeds us snippy lines like, "Is that you Chokin'? Or Are you Just Jokin'?" and "You know I Look like a Woman but I, Cut Like a Buffalo." In between verses, there's this scatty sound of 'gakking' (i guess?) and you wonder what the hell is going on. And then, when you here the full out choke acting, you almost stop yourself in shame, for your first thought is "HOLY SHIT, THAT IS SO FUCKING AWESOME!" and not, "HOLY SHIT, IS JACK WHITE DYING?"

This is the close runner up to TMLYM, though everyday that I listen to it, it gets that much closer to beating it down for #1. Find these songs today, and don't miss the album's release July 14th, under the name "Horehound."

I have the utmost respect for QOTSA frontman Josh Homme, and think the man is one of the frontmen of bringing back the fun and darker goofiness to rock music. So to hear about his drumming and minor input to this new band EODM was exciting to hear about. However, it seems his input is not as present as I would like. Which is understandable, for i'm biased in liking QOTSA a whole bunch. Frontman Jesse Hughes is the main arm in this group, this being his first guitar stint in any group at all. And don't get me wrong, I was all on board for "Death By Sexy," the album featuring "I Want You So Hard (The Boys Bad News)." It seems though there was a charm to that album that is somewhat dulled in this effort.

Heart On starts out promising, hitting you with "Anything Cept the Truth" and "Wanna Be in LA," the most popular track it seems off of the album. The sound is the same, it's still got a dancy feeling to it, but you don't sweat to jump up as fast. Wanna Be in LA feels like it needed to be pushed 2 steps farther to be as dancy as its albums predecessor. We continue into track three with a messy, disjunked riff and Jesse beginning with "I Used to couldn't dance so good." I mean, i get it, the rock swagger, the mocking the metal bands, I guess the improper sentence structure I can jump on. This track I enjoy its drumming more than its guitar work. We do hear Josh finally back up Jesse on the verse, but once again, the track feels just 2 steps shy of a real jumper. Admittingly, at 2:13, the track finally reaches an interesting point, as it softens up in a chant like jam.

"High Voltage" is a high point for me, soundling like this sexy thumper should have been on "Death By Sexy." They're whole attitude is just this simple, fun, dancy, sexy music. I fear to say 'half serious,' because I know both are pretty serious musicians. And this track achieves the free rock attitude that I push to hear throughout the entire album. "Secret Plans" follows, and when the guitar comes in, you almost think that "Wanna Be in LA" just got a re-recorded treatment. "Now i'm a Fool" is the first cool-off point, an interesting track that holds my attention in and out. I become most intrigued by the soft guitar solo and oo's and ah's at 2:09.

The title track is a song that I at first, become bored with, but can't help think to myself that it would be totally baller to hear live. It trudges on, and here the record begins to wear me out, just a little. Cheap Thrills sounds like a song i've heard already on the album, but slown down. However, the vocals enter and we here experimentation that we havn't heard before in EODM. Echoes, layered voices, I latched on that throughout the song. "How Can a Man with So Many Friends Feel So Alone" I can't get into. It at first sounds like a song that I would favor, with the descending line, we pass through "Solo Flights" and "Prissy Prancin," and end on "I'm Your Torpedo," which funnily enough, was used in a condom commercial.

There's nothing so outrageously bad about this record. There are many moments that make you wanna dance, and there are even a few moments that I paint up to be really awesome transitions. But most of the songs, in my mind, feel like they just wanna be the single. There wasn't too much adventure coming out of this record, and maybe that was their goal. While songs from this record will stick to my playlist for months to come, I would recommend "Death By Sexy" over this effort ANY day.

....However, I will admit that the cover is THAT baller.

This blog is all about me slamming the hammer down on the records I own, will own, or about to own. It's about what I think about people in music, and who's making the cut.

Enjoy the reviews, i'll do my best to diligenty keep up with them.