Icky Thump

The blues are back. On the White Stripes' new album, Icky Thump, the best rock band in America jumps back to the blues influences of its earlier work after sojourning in piano-and-percussion-land on 2005's Get Behind Me Satan. But Icky is no rehash. On the contrary, it's the most inventive--and, at times, downright bizarre--album in the White Stripes' discography. Really, there's no other word but bizarre to describe songs like "Conquest." Indeed, that sentence is mildly incoherent--because there aren't any other songs like "Conquest." It's Tarzan-meets-'70s sci-fi. Just imagine that crew rocking out in your garage.

But alongside the delightfully eccentric experiments, there are some conventional rockers that fans of Elephant (and earlier work) will appreciate. "You Don't Know What Love Is (You Just Do As You're Told)" is one example, and it's one of the Stripes' best songs. And those who prefer their guitars screeching and squeeling will find plenty to like, including the first hit single from the album, its title track. Near the end, though, things slow down a bit. "A Martyr For My Love For You" dials down the guitars in favor of near-balladry, and Icky ends on a characteristically lighter note with "Effect & Cause."

Anyhow, it all adds up to another triumph for Jack White and the White Stripes. How many is that now? Four? Five?