Icky Thump
by The White Stripes
User Score
8.6

Universal acclaim- based on 247 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 221 out of 247
  2. Mixed: 18 out of 247
  3. Negative: 8 out of 247

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  1. DavidK.
    Jun 28, 2007
    5
    Honestly, interesting for the ears. Yes, rocking. Yes, weird, but not good weird. Kind of WTF weird. They strike me as a band in love with their sound, not their music. The 70s revival is quaint, but not relevant, and kind of tiring. Stick with something that has soul, like Cold War Kids. At least you know Cold War Kids loves their music and feels something deep that comes out in the Honestly, interesting for the ears. Yes, rocking. Yes, weird, but not good weird. Kind of WTF weird. They strike me as a band in love with their sound, not their music. The 70s revival is quaint, but not relevant, and kind of tiring. Stick with something that has soul, like Cold War Kids. At least you know Cold War Kids loves their music and feels something deep that comes out in the lyrics (try tracks 1,6 on Robbers & Cowards).… Expand
  2. madsl
    Jun 20, 2007
    5
    the fact that this album has garnered such amounts of critical acclaim is a sheer mystery to me. The first two songs are great but none of the remaining material have something resembling melody..and the selfindulgent noodlings of mr. white is fast becoming rather tiresome!
  3. JohnR
    Jul 6, 2007
    4
    I'm obsessed all the way through to "Bone Broke," then I tune out for the bagpipe numbers, tune back in for "Rag and Bone," and then I rewind back to the start. "Effect and Cause" is the first Stripes song I truly hate: boring strummy blues and 100 hopelessly clever lines that all say the same thing. They set the bar too high with the last two albums I guess.
  4. Oligami
    Sep 11, 2007
    6
    It's too much of a slightly above-average thing.
  5. marcg
    Jun 14, 2007
    4
    the worst album of the stripes...
  6. Ryan
    Jun 17, 2007
    5
    Very disappointing. I've always loved the White Stripes unique sense of style and their great sonic approach, but this album is definitely not up to par. Notably, the catchy melodies of 'Satan' and 'Elephant' seem to be missing. Maybe it will grow on me, but for now, Im let down.
  7. JohnnyS
    Jun 19, 2007
    5
    Another overrated release from an overrated band.
  8. SK
    Jun 25, 2007
    6
    After reading reviews of this album that said it sounded like the first White Stripes release, I was excited. After listening to this album I was disappointed. I CAN hear the early stuff in there, but unfortunately usually in a way that reminds me of songs that were better.
  9. BenJ
    Jun 18, 2007
    5
    not the return to form it's said to be, nor brilliantly fresh either. i was more irritated with the album than anything. the best of the stripes still remain locked in everything up through white blood cells.
  10. JasonM
    Jun 24, 2007
    6
    Good, but not great. It seems to be all over the map musically, touching too many genres without really clicking on any of them. Still a generally enjoyable album, though somewhat disappointing.
  11. tomD
    Jun 25, 2007
    4
    he still cant sing, she still cant play the drums beyond a beginner's level. their success seems due more to hype than talent. they were better off sticking to the stripped down sound without getting all progressive. this cd hurts my ears
  12. BrendanD
    Jul 31, 2007
    6
    If I have to hear one more person call Jack White a genius, I might have to puke. That being said, Jack White is a genius (barf). One listen to the way he deftly appropriates pesudo-Celtic music on "Prickly Thorn, Yet Sweetly Worn" and "St. Andrew" will leave you breathless, wishing you were surrounded by the Scottish Highlands or the Northern-Irish Giant's Causeway. The title track If I have to hear one more person call Jack White a genius, I might have to puke. That being said, Jack White is a genius (barf). One listen to the way he deftly appropriates pesudo-Celtic music on "Prickly Thorn, Yet Sweetly Worn" and "St. Andrew" will leave you breathless, wishing you were surrounded by the Scottish Highlands or the Northern-Irish Giant's Causeway. The title track is a fun romp through White's typically Zeppelin-meets-Dylan bluesy charade -- nothing new, nothing as deep as "Blue Orchid," but entertaining nonetheless. And "You Don't Know What Love Is" is the best non-freakout song the duo has done since "Hotel Yorba" off their third record. Those four tunes, plus the weird half-song/half-sketch "Rag and Bone," save the album from being a completely rehashed disaster. Seriously. If not for the Celt-inspired tunes in the middle of the record or the two "true" rock tunes that start it off, you'd be reading a very different review. The problem here isn't that the songs aren't any good on their own; they range from decent to brilliant, as I've said. But they don't form a cohesive record. What made "Get Behind Me Satan" work so well was that it committed to the freakout-country mode that Loretta Lynn put Jack into during the recording of "Van Lear Rose." "Elephant" worked because Jack just wanted to do Zeppelin. But on "Icky Thump," he never finds a cohesive message. Listen, for example, to "Conquest," and explain how you get from that to "Prickly Thorn" in a matter of two songs. That might work on the mixtape your little brother made for you before you went away to college because he was just throwing on everything that you might like to listen to on your drive from suburban Seattle to Berkeley; but in the midst of a single record, it seems more jarring for the sake of being jarring, as if Jack's just tossed on a bunch of ideas, rather than molding them into a cohesive work of art, as he's done so deftly before. "Icky Thump" is experimentation for experimentation's sake; and while that's a laudable goal, the end result is, unfortunately, the worst project with which Jack White has ever been associated.… Expand
  13. j30
    Sep 22, 2011
    6
    This might be my least favorite White Stripes album. You get the feeling they're losing their importance in rock music. There some good songs here and there, but nothing compares to their earlier work.
  14. alecvl08
    Oct 14, 2014
    6
    This album isn't a masterpiece, but it definitely has more character than some other White Stripes albums, so I'm ok with it. I just don't get The White Stripes' style at all. Favorite track: Catch Hell Blues

Awards & Rankings

51
#51 Best Album of 2007
18
#18 Most Discussed Album of 2007
47
#47 Most Shared Album of 2007

Critic Reviews

All reviews »
Metascore
80

Generally favorable reviews - based on 39 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 35 out of 39
  2. Mixed: 3 out of 39
  3. Negative: 1 out of 39
  1. Observer Music Monthly
    80
    This is a heavyweight album in every sense of the word.
    Read full review
  2. Drowned In Sound
    70
    This is by far The White Stripes’ most peculiar record.
    Read full review
  3. Uncut
    80
    A compellingly weird experience. [Jul 2007, p.92]
See all critic reviews »