Jack White “Frozen Charlotte” 2026, limited edition blue vinyl. Third Man Records. We picked up this album pretty close to its release back in July but I’ve been sitting on it with the anticipation of maybe seeing Jack White in concert. That happened last night (thanks to WMSE for hooking us up with free tickets!) at the Landmark where he ripped through a massive set of old and new material plus a few covers. My favorite moments of the night: Jack and his band playing a chunk of The Stooges “I Wanna Be Your Dog” in the encore – part of a medley that eventually morphed into “Ball and Biscuit” and WMSE dj Christreater spinning the now defunct but always number one in my heart Milwaukee band Slow Walker’s “Weed Out the Squares” before the show. (Sadly this did NOT weed out the squares as we had a woman who was either very drunk or completely ignorant of show etiquette. Maybe both) I have zero show pictures because everyone’s phones were locked up as we entered the venue (BOO! I hate it mostly because meeting up with friends becomes impossible unless you want to attempt a loud, tipsy game of Marco Polo) but we snapped a couple before/after; we also picked up the show poster to add to our rather beefy Von Munz collection.

Frozen Charlotte is Jack White’s 7th studio solo LP and like most of his work, it’s fantastic with even more nods to old-school blues but put through a hard garage rock buzzy blender. The band on the record is the same as his touring band which includes keyboardist Bobby Emmett (who I just learned was in The Sights, one of my favorite late 90’s/early aughts garage bands – we saw them at Cactus Club a million years ago; I still have my shirt from that show); drummer Patrick Keeler (The Greenhornes, The Raconteurs,  The Afghan Whigs); and bassist Dominic Davis. Frozen Charlotte went to #32 on the main US charts but to #3 on the indie chart; it hit #29 in the UK. They performed one of my top tracks from the album last night  “G.O.D. and the Broken Ribs” (also released as a single). I’m fairly positive they also played “Neighbors Blues” and it’s possible snippets of more were blended into other songs but the morning after is hazy and I didn’t have my damn phone to take notes. Other top tracks include “Dollar Bill” (also released as a single), the Zeppelinesque “There’s Nobody There” and the bendy blues of “Raising the Grain.” But really the whole record is fantastic, as good or better than No Name from 2024.

Fret Rattles “As the World Falls Apart” 2026. Ghost Highway Records. We caught the hard rocking Minnesotans set this past Friday night at X-Ray Arcade and picked up their latest LP at the merch table, along with an older record, a bunch of 45’s and bassist Sir Chadwick (aka Chad Johnson) generously threw in some extras, too. What a show! What an album! Channeling fellow Midwesterners, protopunkers The Stooges, Dead Boys and MC5, Fret Rattles stomped and swaggered through a slew of killer garage rock songs with a sound that one reviewer on the album’s hype sticker class “an unrelenting barrage of scissor-kicks to your thorax.” As the World Falls Apart is the band’s third/fourth album. We’ve had their first record (which I don’t think is counted in their official discography) cleverly titled The First One (from 2012 and not on a record label) for a few years now having seen them in 2022 (or at least Joe did, I can’t remember if I was there or not) and have been fans since. The album is high energy garage punk with twin guitars for a big-ass shred sound and a wickedly-paced beat. I know for sure they performed the song “Flavor of the Month” at the show (it’s great!). My other top tracks include the Motörheadesque “Running with Scissors;” their cover of the Dead Boys’ “What Love Is” that features former Fret Rattles musician Rob Tossava (also in Vasoline Alley, Trim Reaper, Goo Goo Mucks All-Stars) who died from cancer this past spring; the snotty “Don’t Wanna Know,” and the frenetic ass-shaker “Already Dead.” I didn’t record any video at the show but here’s a clip from their performance this past summer at GBUFO’s Invasion Fest up in Green Bay.

Nigel Wearne “The Reckoning” 2023. Signed, limited edition red and black marble recycled vinyl, not on label/self-released. Dark jazzy and bluesy Americana from Australia. We picked up this copy from Nigel Wearne, along with his backing band The Spectres, this past August up at Mile of Music in Appleton when we caught his Tom Waits meets Gogol Bordello (though Wearne is much much more mellow) set at the outdoor stage at Emmett’s. We hadn’t heard of him but his MoM bio caught our eye:

Nigel Wearne & The Spectres saunter after dark in the music of the night, blending blues, jazz and Americana-noir. Swathed with rambunctious horns, Gretsch guitar, drums and double-bass, they’ve got a retro vibe that smacks it straight back to the 60’s. Hailing from Gunditjmara country in the deep south of Australia, Nigel Wearne is a guitarist and multi-instrumentalist with diverse influences such as Nick Cave, Tom Waits and Rickie Lee Jones.

The Reckoning looks to be his third full-length release; the first, Black Crow, was released back in 2012 so he’s been around for awhile but I don’t think with the support of a label/distributor. It’s mood music with some flare: think a decadent and dark speakeasy, lit with dim chandeliers and candles, but there’s peeling wallpaper and stains on the velvet upholstered booths. “Back Behind the Blue” with its brush drums and horns perfectly encapsulates the vibe. The title track, “The Reckoning,” has a cha-cha-cha rhythm and would feel tropical but for the sinister suggestion. “Old Belly’s New Ride” is snakey surf instrumental with bendy guitar. Some of the tracks are too mellow and atmospheric for my tastes but Wearne’s voice is great and this album has a strong point of view with oodles of instrumental talent.