The Dead Weather

Horehound (Third Man)

By Virginia Pelley
Published: August 1st, 2009 | 12:16pm

The singer-guitarist of the White Stripes and the Raconteurs hangs up his six string and anchors his newest project from behind a drum kit. Jack White started the Dead Weather as a lark last summer, when the Raconteurs shared a stage with the Kills. White and Kills singer Alison Mosshart joined forces with QOTSA axe-man Dean Fertita and Raconteurs bassist Jack Lawrence (the Greenhornes) to record a Gary Numan cover (“Are ‘Friends’ Electric?”) and went on to write the full-length debut Horehound, recorded in three weeks at White’s new Third Man label headquarters in downtown Nashville.

The pop cult of personality surrounding White gives him the luxury to pursue his every musical indulgence, and the Dead Weather reflects an erratic amalgam of influences. Horehound howls and kicks with hit-or-miss impact, its flavor ranging from rich rock gravy to watery weak-sauce. Dark dirges incorporate the expected blues and garage influences with an electro element reminiscent of the Kills, while the deliciously moody “Rocking Horse” and “3 Birds” evoke a distant surf vibe. “Treat Me Like Your Mother” opens with a blast of “Tom Sawyer” bombast and proceeds to roving Physical Graffiti riffage.

White produced the recording and sings most of the lead vocals, rendering Mosshart nearly undetectable at times. But the Kills singer provides the album’s strongest voice when she is brought to the forefront, as in a heavy garage cover of Bob Dylan’s “New Pony,” Horehound’s most Stripes-like moment; and the standout “Will There Be Enough Water,” which overflows with muddy southern heartache. The lyrics of the latter ask, “When I set sail, will there be enough wind?” Listeners will let White know soon.

—