Mar 2008

Out of the blue The Raconteurs release their eagerly awaited second album 'Consolers Of The Lonely' on Monday 24th of March. Here's what the band themselves have just announced to the fans and the music industry :

The new album features 14 new recordings and is being released globally on Third Man Records in conjunction with our XL Recordings and Warner Brothers Records.

The album was mastered and completed in the first week of March. It was then taken immediately to a vinyl pressing plant. Then to a CD pressing plant. Then preparations to sell it digitally began. March 25th became the soonest date to have it available in every format at once. The band have done no interviews or advertisements for this record before this announcement.

The purpose: to get the album to the fans as soon as possible and as we promised. We wanted to get this record to fans, the press, radio, etc., all at the exact same time so that no one has an upper hand on anyone else regarding it's availability, reception or perception.

With this release, The Raconteurs are forgoing the usual months of lead time for press and radio set up, as well as forgoing the all important "first week sales". We wanted to explore the idea of releasing an album everywhere at once and then marketing and promoting it thereafter. The Raconteurs would rather this release not be defined by it's first weeks sales, pre-release promotion, or by someone defining it for you before you get to hear it. Another purpose was to also allow people to have their own choice as to exactly which format they would like to hear the album in immediately, rather than having to wait for their favourite format to become available. The band are also not releasing any version of this record that contains bonus tracks. Musically this album will be the same as the band created it no matter what format it is purchased in (The sound quality of each format however, is a different story. The Raconteurs recommend hearing it on vinyl, but the choice is of course up to the listener).

The reason we are announcing this release one week ahead of time is because of retail pre-ordering and stocking, information about this album's imminent release was bound to come to light and could be confusing to fans. Also in the event that the record leaks, we didn't want this method of release to be seen as a reaction to such a leak. It's not. The actual worst thing about a leak is the usual poor sound quality, akin to watching a movie on a wristwatch instead of in a theatre. Which for the album's creators is a bit of a letdown, but again, it is completely up to the listener.

We hope not to confuse anyone with too many options, or deny them the formats that they like best. The Raconteurs feel very strongly that music has worth and should be treated as such. Thank you to all those who respect music in this fashion, and thank you to our label partners for working with us to get this album to fans in as many formats as possible all at once.

Thank you, and we hope that you enjoy 'Consolers Of The Lonely'.

Sincerely, The Raconteurs

'Consolers Of The Lonely' is the sophomore album from Jack White-led Detroit supergroup The Raconteurs. A thrilling mix of 60's rock, garage and Beatles-esque pop, the album will appeal to fans of The White Stripes, Brendan Benson and The Yardbirds. Includes the single 'Salute Your Solution'.

An indie/garage supergroup consisting of two members of Toledo's Greenhorns, Motor City power-pop songsmith Brendan Benson and the inimitable Jack White, the Raconteurs play a fairly straightforward version of classic rock that contains hints of the type of music that made each member's more-lauded musical main squeeze what it is. With so much talent on board, the band's 2006 debut was as successful as one would expect, but record sales and White Stripes aside, the Raconteurs above all sound like they're out to have some fun.