White Denim “Stiff”

White Denim are one of those band we have been meaning to check out for years, but somehow just never got around to it. Everything we have heard about them has been good and indicated that they are bound to be a band we would love. As always, however, the proof is in the pudding!

First song “Had 2 Know” certainly meets with our expectations of the band. It’s a blistering, blues based, rock n roller. It’s a rocking opener. Along with songs like “Holda You (I’m Psycho)” there is a real seventies, American rock feel to them.

It’s quickly clear, however, that there is far more to White Denim than just a classic rock sound. There’s a brilliant soul/funk feel to “Ha Ha Ha Ha (Yeah)”, a song designed to dance to! Things are even more off the wall with “There’s A Brain In My Head”, which has an almost sixties feel that recalls the brilliant Jellyfish.

One of the real highlights of the album is the beautiful soul number “Take It Easy (Ever After Lasting Love)”. It has a great combination of a Prince esque falsetto voice and a really cool, laid back style. That easy going feel is then continued, to an almost horizontal level, on “(I’m The One) Big Big Fun”.

They’re soon back to rocking funk (is that a new genre?!) with “Real Deal Momma”. That’s followed by “Mirrored In Reverse”, a song with a blues rock riff that Jack White would die for. Then final track, “Thank You”, is the kind of laid back Americana that fans of Father John Misty will love.

We thought we knew what to expect from this album, but we were wrong. The band it really reminds us of, is Blitzen Trapper. Like them, you are lulled into a sense of thinking this will be a retro blues band. However, they manage to weave in so many styles that it often feels like you could be listening to a different band on each track. However, what makes this album so great is that they still retain a sense of cohesion, which ensures it all just works. It leaves us thinking that maybe we’d better start checking out their back catalogue as well!!