Released: 2018

Genres: Experimental Rock, Art Rock

The Musiquarium’s Boarding House Reach Review Score: 8 out of 10

After a couple of increasingly country-influenced albums, Jack White switches things up and gets more experimental than he’s ever been with Boarding House Reach, which ends up being the most distinct album in his entire discography yet.

Connected By Love, its warbling synths and its big chorus make for one of Jack White’s poppier moments, though it’s far from selling-out. The downbeat Why Walk a Dog? is somewhat reminiscent of the nihilistic sound of a song like Pink Floyd’s Welcome to the Machine. Corporation and Respect Commander are two of the most successful experiments here, with both offering plenty of dynamism and texture. Ice Station Zebra sees Jack White get funky, and he even raps. Over and Over and Over is this album’s classic Jack White banger, continuing on from from what he did with Sixteen Saltines and Lazaretto.

Not all of the experiments land. Everything You’ve Ever Learned seems to end just as its getting interesting. Get in the Mind Shaft and Hypermisophoniac are both quite experimental, though that synthesizer riff in the latter does get quickly annoying. Abulia and Akrasia, Esmeralda Steals the Show and What’s Done Is Done are country-flavoured tracks, all of which feel out of place (the first two of which are spoken-word interludes) and would have been more suitable on Lazaretto instead. Humoresque is a rather tame final track, though the pianos in the outro do sound nice.

Boarding House Reach is an inconsistent album with some of its experiments failing to achieve what Jack White was trying to do, but this is still one of Jack White’s boldest and most daring albums yet, with a handful of great songs, but also some filler.

For credit breakdowns and historic release details, view Jack White on Discogs.

Back to the 2018 Album Reviews Guide or the Jack White Reviews page.

Written by Brett Nippard