.jpg) By Johnny Firecloud | Rumors began circulating late last week that Jack White walked into Warner Bros. Records' executive office, handed them the completed, mastered recordings for The Raconteurs' second album, Consolers Of The Lonely, and told them he wanted the album out in two weeks. |
Looks like they may have been true. Call it brilliant, call it a headline-grabbing marketing scheme, call it both: The Raconteurs - fronted by Jack White and Brendan Benson - have just finished their new album, and they're not wasting any time getting it to the fans - it'll be available in all formats next Tuesday (March 25).
To hell with manufactured hype and cellophane self-promotion - rock madman Jack White and crew, taking cues from music distribution revolution pioneers Radiohead and Nine Inch Nails, have done zero promotion for the album and confirmed its existence only a week before its release date. Rather than rely on the standard run-up to release with TV appearances and promo singles going to radio, the moment Lonely was finished it was "taken immediately to a vinyl pressing plant. Then to a CD pressing plant. Then preparations to sell it digitally began. March 25 became the soonest date to have it available in EVERY FORMAT AT ONCE. The band have done no interviews or advertisements for this record before this announcement," according to the band's website.
The follow-up to 2006's Broken Boy Soldiers was completed during the first week of March and features 14 tracks, with White and Benson once again sharing frontman duties. It will be released on White's Third Man Records, in conjunction with XL Recordings and Warner Bros. Records. While embracing digital demand, The Raconteurs want fans to have the option of buying a hard copy of Consolers of the Lonely through more traditional avenues when it's released. "We hope not to confuse anyone with too many options, or deny them the formats that they like best. The Raconteurs feel very strongly that music has worth and should be treated as such. Thank you to all those who respect music in this fashion, and thank you to our label partners for working with us to get this album to fans in as many formats as possible all at once."
The band's logic behind the sudden release centers on the desire to see that everyone, fans and media, got the record at the same time "so that no one has an upper hand on anyone else regarding it's availability, reception or perception." That is, they don't want people like us telling people like you what to think of the music before you hear it. With the accelerating and hopelessly redundant proliferation of bloggery comes breakneck competition to get the first word out on any new album, to make the first sweeping judgement of someone else's masterpiece. We're now at the point where major magazines (Maxim) have resorted to making up album reviews before they hear a note, just to get ahead. That being said, can you really blame the Raconteurs for how they feel?
"We wanted to explore the idea of releasing an album everywhere at once and then marketing and promoting it thereafter," they announced. "The Raconteurs would rather this release not be defined by it’s first weeks sales, pre-release promotion, or by someone defining it for you before you get to hear it."
Although the move reeks of preventative measures, bandmembers denied that the hurried release was to prevent any internet leaks of the album, and explained they would promote the record after its release. "In the event that the record leaks, we didn't want this method of release to be seen as a reaction to such a leak," they explained. "It's not. The actual worst thing about a leak is the usual poor sound quality, akin to watching a movie on a wristwatch instead of in a theater. Which for the album's creators is a bit of a letdown, but again, it is completely up to the listener."
A video for the single "Salute Your Solution" will appear online on March 25.
The band also announced 15 upcoming tour dates:
04-20 Vancouver, British Columbia - Commodore Ballroom
04-21 Seattle, WA - Neumo's
04-22 Portland, OR - Wonder Ballroom
04-23 San Francisco, CA - Bimbo's 365 Club
04-25 Indio, CA - Coachella
04-26 Las Vegas, NV - The Joint
04-28 Denver, CO - The Fillmore Auditorium
04-29 Kansas City, MO - Uptown Theatre
05-01 Dallas, TX - House of Blues
05-02 Austin, TX - Stubb's BBQ
05-04 New Orleans, LA - New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival
06-13 Manchester, TN - Bonnaroo
06-26 Arendal, Norway - Hove Festival
07-12 Kinross, Scotland - T in the Park
07-13 Naas, Ireland - Oxegen Festival
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