Jack White- Fear of the Dawn
Label: Third Man
Producer: Jack White
Fear of the Dawn is the first of two records that enigmatic rock sorcerer Jack White birthed in quarantine and will unveil throughout 2022, with the detail that one will skew folk while the other will remain in his standard heavy rock territory. It doesn’t take long for Dawn to announce which of the two categories it occupies, with lead single “Taking Me Back” immediately roaring at the listener full-blast with all of White’s edgy rock calling cards: thunderous guitars, intensely frantic arrangements and the singer’s definitive vocal wails. Then, in an instant, the opening track suddenly sounds like a coffeehouse meditation by comparison once White launches into the heart-stopping rapture of the title song. The volume, intensity, other-worldly reflection, and hysterics rarely step off the gas as the rest of the record progresses. So, in other words, it’s classic Jack White. It’s certainly not a comforting or soothing listening experience, nor should a trip inside the brain of Jack White ever be expected to. At the risk of simplifying his art, Jack White’s music is very much like the rock music equivalent of the horror genre in the cinema world. It’s going to shock, unnerve, and ultimately thrill you. But just as some horror cinematographers view and present their work as contemplative forms of art, so does White. As with all of his preceding albums, there is a stirring sense of cosmic contemplation, fear, and also beauty to be found through Fear of the Dawn. Often-times, all of these are packed into one singular moment, most brilliantly on “Morning, Noon, and Night”, which is one of the finest showcases of modern classic-rock my ears have heard in sometime. Fear of the Dawn is a potential masterpiece, in all the messiest and most puzzling ways. But aren’t those usually the best and most fascinating kinds?
Track Listing:
- “Taking Me Back” (Jack White)
- “Fear of the Dawn” (White)
- “The White Raven” (White)
- “Hi-De-Ho” featuring Q-Tip (White, Kamaal Fareed, Cab Calloway Buster Harding, Jack Palmer)
- “Eosophobia” (White)
- “Into the Twilight” (White, Dizzy Gillespie, Frank Paparelli, Jon Hendricks, Jay Graydon, Alan Paul)
- “Dusk” (White)
- “What’s the Trick?” (White)
- “That Was Then (This Is Now)” (White)
- “Eosophobia (Reprise)” (White)
- “Morning, Noon, and Night” (White)
- “Shedding My Velvet” (White)
The 706 
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