The Dead Weather - Sea of Cowards

The term "classic rock" evokes a negative connotation. It's a made-up category that makes it safe for radio DJs to utter the names Led Zeppelin and Steely Dan in the same breath, particularly when the only thing those two groups have in common is the era in which they were primarily in existence. The Dead Weather - the blues-rock quartet featuring Allison Mosshart, Dean Fertita, Jack Lawrence, and some guy called Jack White - has way more in common with Led Zeppelin, and age or nostalgia have nothing to do with it.

The Dead Weather are no Zeppelin imitators - White is too seasoned a bandleader, his group too talented for such a misnomer - but they sound like the second-coming on their follow-up to last year's "Horehound" (2009). Far more concise and aggresive than it's predecessor, "Sea of Cowards" (2010) will squelch any claims that this is filler for White until the next White Stripes records. In hindsight, it's clear that what the Dead Weather needed was more of him, and here his presence is felt throughout as opposed to sporadically. He and Mosshart split vocal duties, even sharing them on certain songs, often to the point where it's hard to tell who is who. In general, the overall feel of the album has White's trademark tripped-out blues-rock stamp on it, but it's no dictatorship. Don't be fooled, this is truly a group effort by a group that has grown tenfold in strength through endless touring over the past year.

Whereas "Horehound" was a hodgepodge of contrasting sounds like the slow-burner "Will There Be Enough Water?" and the oddball standout "I Cut Like A Buffalo," "Cowards" is a visceral assault of yelps and cries backed by grinding guitars, fuzzy organs, and thunderous rhythms. In fact, the new album doesn't resemble much of anything from the old with the exception of the fact that it features the same players. Only this time around though, the players are more focused and utilized than they had been before. Mosshart has developed into a full-blown blues-rock goddess, broadening her range beyond anything we've heard from her before. Her performance on "Gasoline" is breathtaking. Fertita in particular steps it up on this album, creating a dynamic one-two punch on the guitar and organ. Lawrence continues to be White's right-hand man, complimenting his rhythms with more pronounced bass lines, notably on album-standout "Hustle and Cuss" and closer "Old Mary."

Perhaps the most noteworthy difference on "Cowards" is how much it sounds like an elongated jam session as opposed to a collection of songs. Particularly on the first half of the album (or side if you're a vinyl-thinker like White), one will have a hard time being able to tell when one song has ended and when another has begun, evident in how seamlessly the raucous opening tracks, White's "Blue Blood Blues" and Mosshart's "Cuss," flow together. Because of this, the album feels like it is structured around moments rather than tracks, with the exception of the first single "Die By The Drop." That might make "Cowards" a bitter pill to swallow for those who are used to a song based album, but for those who prefer to put the needle down, kick back, and absorb whole LPs in one sitting, this is as perfect as they come.

"Sea of Cowards" is a bit of a paradox. It's an album that feels refined but is also very raw. It's more reminiscent of "Stop Breaking Down" or "Hello Operator," back when White was more concerned with making no-frills blues rock than being Jack White. It also rocks more than most of the music that claims to be rock over the last decade and a half has, and will probably be looked upon as the defining moment of this incredible band, The Dead Weather; no longer a mere side project for it's creators.

Let's Get FiKed Up

From 7/12/09

It's 3:26 a.m. I'm home from the FiKus show, but in a lot of ways, I'm still at the FiKus show. I'm covered in sweat, not all of which is mine. The ringing in my ears probably won't subside until sometime tomorrow night. And above all else, I've still got that sensation in my bones that I feel whenever I've just seen this extraordinary band. It's a feeling that I will carry with me for as long as I can remember, particularly when I think of shows that turned my brains to mush and left me in need of a fresh pair of shorts.

When last I wrote of this band FiKus, I described their set at the Old Gallery in Brooklyn as a "religious experience" and wondered if "they could ever be topped." Little did I realize at the time that the Brooklyn show was just the single-serving portion of the FiKus meal. Last night's show, performed at Tappan's Tuscany Bar and Lounge, on the other hand, was the all-you-can-eat special. They started set one sometime before midnight and finished set two around three o'clock. Now most people might find it gratuitous to watch one band for three plus hours. After all, that kind of marathon playing is only reserved for bands that have decades of hits under their belt, right? Wrong. Not only does the band maintain a constant level of energy the entire time, but the carnival-dance hall-house party atmosphere they create is one of a kind. It's what someone once referred to as "a sexy time." The crowd danced for the majority of both sets, a testament to how energetic their playing is; which leads me to believe that FiKus themselves are in fact made of pure energy.

From the moment that one-man-band Jon, secret weapon and primal screamer Pete, funk-master Travis, guitar god poster child Steve, and rock star Kito took the stage, everyone knew they were watching something spectacular; and it continued until the very end. The show, which was held upstairs in a loft-type space, had the perfect ambience meant for a very intimate listening experience that is FiKus' speciality. Christmas lights and foliage were strewn across the ceiling, colored lights twirled and danced on the animated faces of the five band members, and occasionally they would disappear in a haze of machine-spewed smoke. And when armed with their respective artillery, it's clear enough that this is where the boys are in their most natural habitat.

The two lengthy sets were filled with a wide array of eclectic tunes, both originals and classics. Crowd favorites such as "Puddin," "August," and live recreations of "Spoken Word" and "Marvin Gaye" had the crowd dancing and grooving into the wee hours of the morning. They rocked their way through covers of the Stone's "Miss You" and the Steve Miller Band's "Fly Like An Eagle." They paid tribute to Michael Jackson with an uptempo version of "I Want You Back." When Jon kicked in with the familiar keys to Alice Deejay's "Better Off Alone" and the crowd erupted into song, I knew that FiKus held us all in their collective palm. And with the crowd chanting "one-more-song" at the end of set two, FiKus launched into Led Zeppelin's "The Ocean" and the wild and raucous "1:13" to end the night.

FiKus' biggest show is now in the history books and it was one for the ages. If you missed it for whatever reason, you missed something truly special. I would suggest that everyone account for this missed opportunity and find out when and where you can see FiKus next. Any show that these guys put on might very easily be the best show you ever see. As far as I was concerned, the band thanked me for coming out to support them and expressed their wishes for me to do so again. To that I say, don't worry FiKus, you don't have to ask this guy twice.