171. FEAR OF THE DAWN by Jack White

This is the first of two records White has planned for 2022. Today's more avant-garde album will be followed in July by one with slower, acoustic heavy tracks. In terms of Fear Of The Dawn, I don't like it. I don't dislike it either. It's just more of Jack White being Jack White. That is to say, it seems that the blues/garage/hard rock that put him on the map (and earned him legions of fans) with The White Stripes (previously covered here), The Dead Weather (see here), The Raconteurs and as a solo artist (lastly here) has bored him. From his last record (the unreachable Boarding House Reach) to this effort, he seems to throw any and every sound into Pro Tools to see what sticks. And stick it does - like a thorn in your side. Everything about this record is overprocessed. He even admits as much in a recent interview (though he leaves 'over' out, good buddy). But that's not to say there isn't something salvageable here. So try out the last four tracks on the album and listen to the rest at your own peril:  'That Was Then, This Is Now,' 'Eosophobia (Reprise),' 'Morning, Noon and Night' and 'Shedding My Velvet.'