1. Icky Thump: awesome, better than blue orchid. Jack goes insane (crazy guitar and comedy organ), but it works, unlike virtually the whole of the last album. partly sounds like their old stuff, which is very welcome.
2. You don't know what love is: catchy, impressive solos. nice soaring upliftingness.
3....outpoor blues: easy listening; pleasant, obviously, but second worst song on the album.
4. conquest: could be system of a down. once you get over this shock, it's a good continuation of the, er, Mexico theme (in that Jack says mexico in a comedy way in track 1) with a bit of brass. Jack, once again can just do whatever he likes.
5. bone broke: much more like their oldest stuff, faultless. good riff, breaks down to some classic white stripes guitar. welcome jacktastic lyrics and sayings.
6. prickly thorn: why do bands have to branch out? to be fair, they get away with the bagpipes in that it has a melody and they stuck it in the middle of the album.
7. st andrew: the same as prickly thorn, but without a tune.
8. little cream soda: good name for a song, but nothing special. skillful guitar, but scary in that it could be system again. "good" in general, but they are capable of more..
9. rag and bone. best song on the album, as good as any of their old stuff. nice bluesy, garage riff as well as classic white stripes guitar and drums. i like the way the lyric sheet doesn't include all the improvised, coffeeandcigarettesesqe theatrical ramblings from Jack -"it's like a mansion! look at all this stuff..."
a few hot woos and comeons from Jack - give it to me!
10. slowly turning into you. piano. very different, works very well where it is in the album. catchy
11. martyr for my love for you: lovely song. you instantly feel as if you've always known it.
12. catch hell blues: best guitar on the album, no one is currently as good as Jack. well placed in the album
13. effect and cause: countryidity can't go wrong, though not spectacular
worth listening to, very promising. glimpses of their confident best.