NME hears the new White Stripes album

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NME has heard the eagerly awaited new album by The White Stripes – and below are our first impressions of the full album.

'Icky Thump', the follow-up to 2005’s ‘Get Behind Me Satan’ , is released on June 18 – and here’s a summary of the tracks.

‘Icky Thump’
A stomping psychedelic opening, Jack wails streams of consciousness over thumping Latin cousin of ‘Ball And Biscuit’.

‘You Don’t Know What Love Is (You Just Do As You’re Told’)
A beautiful torch song pinned down by a desert thud, the verses recall Springsteen’s ‘Born To Run’ before giving way to a classic Jack White melody.

‘300mph Torrential Outpour Blues’
A low-slung, five minute lament that manages to sound both totally blues and totally Bowie.

‘Conquest’
Where the album gets properly playful, this cover of a Corky Robbins song tells a dark tale of sexual politics over a mentalist heavy metal mariachi brass band.

‘Bone Broke’
A clattering slow-burner that starts off resembling Queens Of The Stone Age’s ‘Little Sister’ before giving way to more blues with a hair metal twist as Jack imagines life without the Coke millions.

‘Prickly Thorn, But Sweetly Worn’
The next laugh-out-loud moment; a Scottish Highlanders’ hoe-down, replete with bagpipes and yodelling.

‘St Andrew’
More bagpipes dominate this bizarre prog sequence as Meg recounts a prayer to the patron saint of Scotland.

‘Little Cream Soda’
More balls out rock as Jack screeches a song of nostalgia over a thrash metal cousin of ‘Seven Nation Army’.

‘Rag and Bone’
The album’s comic highlight, the song casts Jack and Meg as rag and bone collectors scrambling through neighbours yards for things to sell. Contains as much dialogue as actual singing. “I saw some stuff in the yard, do you think they’ll give it to us?” “Oh Meg, don’t be rude! They might still want it!”

‘I’m Slowly Turning Into You’
A twisted love song built around organ and T-Rex-ish guitar.

‘A Martyr For My Love For You’
As things draw to a close the songs slow down; this is ‘My Doorbell’ gone desert rock.

‘Catch Hell Blues’
A stark slide guitar blues workout with a psychedelic twist.

‘Effect and Cause’
A return to familiar Stripes ground, this finale recalls the nursery rhyme-like ‘It’s True That We Love One Another’. But heavier, naturally.

However that is just the start, in this week’s issue of NME, we've also got hold of the lyrics for the new record and present a lowdown on the influences, references and themes that feature on the new album. You can also read an alternative take on the new album from our sister title Uncut at Uncut.co.uk now.

Also in this week's issue, there's the full inside story on The Libertines' reunion last week, we speak to Manic Street Preachers on their return and we find out news of Arctic Monkeys’ third album.

We also review The View’s homecoming show in Dundee, The Cribs’ comeback single and the debut album from The Maccabees.

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