Sludge-tastic CD of the Week: The Dead Weather

Jack White's collaboration with vocalist Allison Mosshart is more than just a one-off. The Dead Weather recently released ther second album, Sea of Cowards, and they've ratcheted up the aural assault.


Heavier basslines and thick walls of sonic sludge serve as an undercurrent for Mosshart's vocal experimentations. She easily switches from loud to soft dynamics--and her harmonies with Jack White's higher growl create an effect that is spooky good.

The band's live show is reported to face meltingly heavy with lots of strobes. It's just colorful corner of Jack White's expanding universe.

The Dead Weather perform at Ram's Head Live on August 2.

Top 89 Songs of 2009

1. The Avett Brothers, "I And Love And You"
2. One Eskimo, "Kandi"
3. Animal Collective, "My Girls"
4. Phoenix, "1901"
5. Sea Wolf, "Wicked Blood"
6. Blitzen Trapper, "Black River Killer"
7. Silversun Pickups, "Panic Switch"
8. Wilco, "You And I"
9. Langhorne Slim, "Say Yes"

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10. Grizzly Bear, "Two Weeks"
11. Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros, "Home"
12. Monsters of Folk, "Say Please"
13. Gomez, "Airstream Driver"
14. Regina Spektor, "Eet"
15. Will Hoge, "Even If It Breaks Your Heart"
16. Portgual. The Man, "People Say"
17. Ben Harper and the Relentless7, "Shimmer and Shine"
18. Company of Thieves, "Oscar Wilde"
19. Rosanne Cash, "Sea Of Heartbreak"
20. Guggenheim Grotto, "Fee Da Da Dee"

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21. Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros, "40 Day Dream"
22. The Avett Brothers, "Kick Drum Heart"
23. M. Ward, "Never Had Nobody Like You"
24. K'Naan, "Waving Flag"
25. Charlie Mars, "Listen to the Darkside"
26. Neko Case, "This Tornado Loves You"
27. Brandi Carlile, "Dreams"
28. Erin McKeown, "Santa Cruz"
29. Serena Ryder, "Little Bit of Red"


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30. Guggenheim Grotto, "Her Beautiful Ideas"
31. Elliott Brood, "WIADFY"
32. Fleet Foxes, "Mykonos"
33. 7 Worlds Collide, "Hazel Black"
34. Ingrid Michaelson, "Maybe"
35. Bob Schneider, "40 Dogs"
36. Umphrey's McGee, "Cemetery Walk"
37. Wilco, "Wilco (The Song)"
38. Wilco, "You Never Know"
39. Levon Helm, "When I Go Away"


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40. Imogen Heap, "First Train Home"
41. Rodrigo y Gabriela, "Buster Voodoo"
42. Vandaveer, "Divide and Conquer"
43. Lisa Hannigan, "I Don't Know"
44. Brett Dennen, "Heaven"
45. Brendan Benson, "A Whole Lot Better"
46. Passion Pit, "The Reeling"
47. Neko Case, "People Got a Lotta Nerve"
48. Andrew Bird, "Fitz and the Dizzyspells"
49. Dan Auerbach, "My Last Mistake"


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50. Joshua James, "Coal War"
51. Conor Oberst and the Mystic Valley Band, "Nikorette"
52. Miike Snow, "Animal"
53. Corey Chisel and the Wandering Sons, "Born Again"
54. Bell X1, "The Great Defector"
55. Chuck Prophet, "Let Freedom Ring"
56. Depeche Mode, "Wrong"
57. Heartless Bastards, "The Mountain"
58. Black Joe Lewis and the Honeybears, "Gunpowder"
59. The Noisettes, "Never Forget You"

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60. Metric, "Help I'm Alive"
61. The Decemberists, "The Rake's Song"
62. Camera Obscura, "French Navy"
63. Bat For Lashes, "Daniel"
64. Black Joe Lewis and the Honeybears, "Sugarfoot"
65. Vampire Weekend, "Horchata"
66. Tegan and Sara, "Hell"
67. Death Cab for Cutie, "Meet Me on the Equinox"
68. Phish, "Backwards Down the Number Line"
69. Pearl Jam, "The Fixer"


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70. Dave Matthews Band, "Funny The Way It Is"
71. Wye Oak, "For Prayer"
72. Great Northern, "Houses"
73. Cage the Elephant, "Ain't No Rest for the Wicked"
74. Swell Season, "Low Rising"
75. Lily Allen, "The Fear"
76. The Felice Brothers, "Penn Station"
77. Chris Isaak, "We Let Her Down"
78. Jupiter One, "Flaming Arrow"
79. Derek Trucks Band, "Down in the Flood"

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80. The Big Pink, "Dominos"
81. Death Cab for Cutie, "Little Bribes"
82. Sara Watkins, "Long Hot Summer Day"
83. Phoenix, "Lisztomania"
84. Cold War Kids, "Audience"
85. Matisyahu, "One Day"
86. Bruce Springsteen, "Working on a Dream"
87. Monsters of Folk, "Dear God (Sincerely M.O.F.)"
88. The Dead Weather, "Hang You From The Heavens"
89. Manchester Orchestra, "I've Got Friends"

Dead Weather Forecast

Jack White is the rock equivalent of Ben & Jerry's. Every few months he swirls a few new ingredients into the mix, creating sonic concoctions that are always unique but clearly part of the larger White brand.

The latest tasty incarnation, The Dead Weather, finds White on drums and sharing vocal duties with The Kills' Alison Mosshart. Darker than the Stripes and Raconteurs, it's an interesting departure with Queen of the Stone Age's Dean Fertita handling guitar duties.

The U.S. summer tour kicks off at the 9:30 Club on Monday and Tuesday, July 13-14, which coincides with the release of the full-length, Horehound.

In the interim, they're giving away a free copy of the single, "Treat Me Like Your Mother," when you submit your email address for band updates.

Treat Me Like Your Mother (Alb...