The Raconteurs, Consolers of the Lonely
#1 – The Sound
I just listened through the new Raconteurs album, Consolers of the Lonely. Some of the tracks I immediately dig, but many of em still have to soak in.
Sometimes songs have to marinate in your ears for a while before they taste good.
#2 – The Aesthetic
All the projects Jack White is involved in have a distinct, strong visual aesthetic. When I think of the White Stripes, I immediately have associated colors in my head – red, black and white.
The same holds true for The Ranconteurs. Before I picked up the album, I saw their playbill – it was a black and white shot of the group sitting down in a field. It looked like a Civil War era photo – stiff, awkward poses, scratches and dust. Below is a similar shot from their website.
<img alt=photo: The Raconteurs” src=”/images/raconteurs_group_shot.jpg” width=”545″ height=”547″ />
#3 – The Website
While not staying consistent with the aesthetic of their album and playbills, their website is also unique and quirky. It harkens back to the pre-Windows days of computers that I remember vividly. It also brings to mind email during my college years – can anyone say PINE?
Surprisingly, the keyboard navigation for the site is very intuitive, but for some reason they don’t allow you to use your keyboard to navigate the Photos section, which is very annoying once I’m in ‘keyboard mode’ with both hands. You have to use your mouse to click the photos. Why can’t I just ‘arrow’ over to them? Argh! Other than that quip, the site is great.

You can also buy and download the album straight from the site. Sweet.