Fear of the Dawn

Jack White

I've enjoyed many a White Stripes song at the height of their popularity, but I will admit, I was never really converted into a big fan. I think Jack White is a very singular performer and vocalist, and his bandmate Meg White showed that you can still display strength and confidence in simplicity. Unfortunately, it was the duo's more blues inspired tunes that I guess held me back from really loving any of their albums. When the White Stripes broke up and Jack White embarked on his solo career, he leaned more heavily into those blues rock influences and lost me almost entirely. I randomly decided to check out this new album though after hearing that his last record was particularly eccentric. Now that I've digested this thing, I would say the level of eccentricity was downplayed.

Fear of the Dawn is actually kind of insane. Between the free-flowing song structures, the myriad of starkly mixed shrieks and squeals that pop out like jump-scares, and the overall fleeting nature of instrumental layers, this album is like a modern blues, garage rock funhouse that is nearly compelling from start to finish. Even the drum and guitar tones seem fairly unorthodox. The guitar fuzz is slightly different on each song, but it sounds impossibly crisp and controlled, almost synthetic. The drums also have a synthetic timbre at times thanks to what I'm assuming is a pretty harsh gate that aggressively cuts off the drum's decay, like repeatedly triggering a sample. I guess I'm just surprised that Jack White - a person who is known for embracing more traditional and 'no frills' production styles - is incorporating more digital aesthetics.

All these elements I described may sound overwhelming, but this record actually does an awesome job of toeing the line between throwing enough out there to be engaging without being terribly obnoxious. Into the Twilight might be the album's most eccentric with it's sharp tin can drums, synth Prince-isms, and kooky backup vocals. The song isn't really even a song and more so an open jam where elements come and go to create new interesting combinations. The song is ever changing. What's the Trick? is similarly disjointed as well, especially with White's incoherent rambles. What makes this track stand out to me though is definitely the drum beat. It is a technical marvel, in my opinion, the way it is littered with ghost notes on the snare and hi-hats. It has so much flash and flair, it really makes the whole track.

Dipping into a more traditional sound, we have Eosophobia, easily my favourite track on the record. I like the reggae dub elements the track opens with that are later mashed with the heaviness and majestic qualities of - dare I say - a Led Zeppelin tune. There's an amazing moment towards the end where a really cool delayed guitar riff and a tasty Rhodes piano heavenly mingle. If you're looking for more 'return-to-form', then you would be interested in the first few songs on the record. The title track is quite driving and also features a fairly aggressive vocal performance from White. On the following track, The White Raven, the vocal performances become even more manic as White occasionally layers some pretty gnarly screams underneath a main vocal line that has already steadily built to a fever pitch. Instrumentally, the track also feels like a companion to Blue Orchid, one of The White Stripes' most beloved tunes. The guitars are thickly saturated with fuzz to the point where they sound like power tools.

Most of this record is truly riveting but there are a few tracks that I wasn't so crazy about. For one, Hi-De-Ho is the one moment where the carnival tricks don't seem to land. To make matters worse, the track features the legendary Q-Tip which feels a little awkward. The self-referencing in his verse leads me to temporarily suspend belief. The record doesn't have the most amazing finish either. After a string of crazy experiments, Morning, Noon, and Night feels a little too plain and bland. And while the ballad that closes the record, Shedding My Velvet, has a really great drum performance - thanks to some subtle yet intricate kicks - again, the song doesn't leave things on the most compelling of endings. With that said, I still found this record to be incredibly impressive and not at all what I expected from Jack White. I found so many interesting sounds and layers mashed up in a super unpredictable way. The song structures were adventurous to say the least and White is as charismatic as ever. I honestly can't remember the last time a rock record of this kind has excited me this much. So do yourself a favour and go check this one out.