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Jack White<\/a> is often associated with a retro sound, but this view misses the breadth of micro-revolutions in his discography. The recent Frozen Charlotte<\/em><\/a> singles \u201cG.O.D. and the Broken Ribs\u201d and \u201cDerecho Demonico\u201d<\/a> hinted at another notable shift, and new song \u201cDollar Bill\u201d continues this subtle evolution.<\/p>\n Like his last record No Name<\/a>,\u00a0<\/em>what we\u2019ve heard of Frozen Charlotte\u00a0<\/em>is guitar-forward and muscular, with callbacks to the aesthetic of later White Stripes and White\u2019s early post-Stripes experiments. There are three or four riffs in \u201cDollar Bill\u201d that plenty of guitarists would kill to write: downward cascades of vibrato; playful strums that pop upwards and turn into the chords of the verses; and the rocking chunks of power chords in the chorus, which prove again that White isn\u2019t just a fancy strummer, he\u2019s also the best rhythm guitarist since peak James Hetfield.<\/p>\n Get Jack White Tickets Here<\/a><\/p>\n But it\u2019s in the lyrics and topline that \u201cDollar Bill\u201d distinguishes itself from\u00a0other White noises. On No Name,\u00a0<\/em>the vocals were the point, and those sticky guitar riffs worked in the service of the sung word. Here it\u2019s more like the lyrics are setting up the guitars, and many of the song\u2019s most exciting moments are wordless.<\/p>\n Related Video<\/p>\n And while White is no stranger to social and political themes, the way he approaches them here does feel different, with abstract and even disconnected phrases adding up to a tone-poem about what we\u2019re willing to do for money. There\u2019s none of the lyrical denseness of \u201cIcky Thump\u201d or \u201cArchbishop Harold Holmes,\u201d just repeated clauses like, \u201cI did it for the love and the dollar, a dollar bill\/ She did it for the love and the dollar, a dollar,\u201d and, \u201cYou can\u2019t control me\/ Unless you own me\/ And you don\u2019t own me\/ Unless I owe you.\u201d<\/p>\n White does indulge in a shout-along bridge, and no doubt live audiences will delight in screaming, \u201cWe don\u2019t give a damn\/ About it, about it!\u201d It feels good to raise a finger to the almighty dollar, to throw off the weight even for just two minutes and 42 seconds. But that bridge is setting up another guitar explosion, the most furious yet, as the instrument becomes an instrument of revolution.<\/p>\n The themes and vibe might sound a little familiar. But the structures are different now, and so is White\u2019s weapon of choice. It\u2019s as if White is saying, the poems didn\u2019t work, and now poetry must give way to the axe.<\/p>\n Frozen Charlotte<\/em> is out July 10th and available for pre-order on White\u2019s website<\/a>. White also has a hefty run of North American and European tour dates<\/a> set for this year, and you can get tickets here<\/a>.<\/p>\n