Artist: The Dead Weather
Album: Sea of Cowards
Genre: Rock and Roll/Funk/Fusion
Label: Third Man

Last year, The Dead Weather [comprised of Alison Mosshart (of The Kills), drummer and vocalist Jack White (of The White Stripes and The Raconteurs), guitarist Dean Fertita (of Queens of the Stone Age) and bassist Jack Lawrence (of The Raconteurs and The Greenhornes] brought us their debut record Horehound and, while not changing the way we look at rock, satisfied the masses hoping each of the group’s members would soon release new material with their various “main” projects. However, that was when the group was barely half a year old and their future was still up in the air. Now, 11 months after their last record hit shelves, the supergroup returns with a much stronger and cohesive effort, Sea of Cowards.

I won’t lie, I don’t expect anyone in our target market to initially love The Dead Weather. A lot of the bands we cover on UTG and a lot of the bands who currently sell albums and tickets have almost nothing in common with this group [outside of maybe liking the bands from which the members come]. The sound of The Dead Weather recalls a time when music wasn’t about selling out arenas or clearing store shelves, but rather the times when music was made for the sake of creating art. There are no obvious top 40 singles nor 3 chord summer anthems to be found here. Instead, we have music that pushes the boundaries associated with modern rock and roll and isn’t afraid to be completely unique. If you don’t get it, that’s fine, but for those of you interested in just what that sound is, allow me to expand…

Starting with what will be the second single, “Blue Blood Blues” offers a fuzzy, distorted introduction to Sea of Cowards. The track is lead almost surprisingly by Jack White instead of Alison Mossheart, but as the record continues we begin to find this occuring again and again. Where on Horehound White was used more as an accessory, this record finds the band utilizing his vocal abilities to keep multiple melodies going throughout most the tracks. It may seem like a bit of a challenge to dig into because your mind will sense the split melody, but once you focus on one, then the other, the replay value rises exponentially. Its like a “choose your own adventure” book set to music.

Where Horehound took a few tracks to really find their footing, The Dead Weather bring nothing, but solid “A Game” to the meat of Cowards. Starting on “The Difference Between Us,” the album starts to sway more and more heavily into the world of experimental stoner rock meets fuzzy, distorted funk fusion and it pays off again and again. Its also on this track that Mossheart really takes the reigns on vocals and reminds us all she is a voice to be reckoned with. This is probably clearest on the slow and smooth “I Can’t Hear You” as her vocals are merely accompanied by the rest of the group as she croons and crawls through each and ever line. Its the kind of song that sinks into your system and becomes a part of how you view the world while it plays. A truly mesmerizing three and a half minutes you shouldn’t miss.

As the album builds toward the end, there is no stopping The Dead Weather. “Jawbreaker” kicks off the album’s final two tracks with a very White Stripes tinged track the White leads. Its a great jam with simple chord progressions, but its the pedal work that truly sets it apart. “Old Mary,” the very next track, begins with a spoken word introduction before launching into a relaxed rhythm that allows the album to end on a quiet note. At first, it took me awhile to truly appreciate this closing as I feel an album should build and build to a payoff at one point, but then I realized how that’s exactly what happens on Sea of Cowards. It may not be loud or long, but its more artistic than the rest of the record and that is saying more than amps cranked to 10 ever could.

I understand that this review may be a bit rough to read, but after hearing Sea of Cowards, you’d do the same. The record has an impeccably perfect flow, yet continues to sound more and more unique as it goes on. Its a fully immersive experience that talking about in “highlight” format like reviews do is simply difficult. Just leave this article knowing that The Dead Weather are one of the few signs that real rock and roll still has a place in this world and Sea of Cowards is their most accomplished work yet.

Score: 9.5/10
Review written by: James Shotwell

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James Shotwell

James Shotwell is the founder of Under The Gun Review. He loves writing about music and movies almost as much as he loves his two fat cats. He's also the co-founder of Antique Records and the Marketing Coordinator for Haulix. You should probably follow him on Twitter.

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