Jack White is back at it again, releasing two new singles, G.O.D And The Broken Ribs / Derecho Demonico. Performing them live for the first time during his sixth SNL appearance. Jack Black presented him, completing the yin and yang of Jacks. Let’s hope they can now harness their powers to put the world to rights.
G.O.D And The Broken Ribs is the sister track to Archbishop Harold Holmes, featured on his 2024 album No Name, with matching two-chord guitar chugs and a rambunctious propulsion. It depicts the Garden of Eden, but this time at the end of the world. “Looks like we got a little place to do the things we need to do” echoes God’s instructions to “Be Fruitful and Multiply” in Genesis. The line, “we can’t live like a sister and a brother, they’re gonna make you a mother,” hammers this home. This also reminds me of the public relationship between Jack White and Meg White at the beginning of The White Stripes. For years, they spun a web in the media. Claiming to be siblings rather than a married couple in an attempt to keep public focus on their music rather than their romantic relationship. Unfortunately, this backfired when a Detroit newspaper published their marriage records in 2002.
Intervals of music between verses replace a traditional solo. This keeps the song interesting and helps separate the intensity built up in White’s reverbed vocals. Leaving the audience anticipating a ripping Jack White guitar solo that never comes. I’d never accuse White’s work of being predictable, but the sliver of Patrick Keeler’s drum fill is a welcome nod to The Raconteurs.
Outspoken as always on the current state of the world, the track has its own social commentary. “Ring that bell, then ring your neck, write yourself a dime novel and then write yourself a check.” The ringing of the bell refers to the New York Stock Exchange at the start of each day. Many consider this ceremony highly political, and political figures have often used it as a symbolic moment to highlight economic policy. Dime novels were inexpensive adventure books popularised in the US from 1860. Publishers designed them for mass production and high-volume sales with maximum profit in mind. Focusing on sensational, simple stories as the working class became increasingly literate. White knits these pieces of US history together, highlighting the greed of government, as leaders make decisions based on their own profit potential rather than the greater good.
Derecho Demonico has a slightly calmer, tighter sound while keeping the live music feel. It’s more in line with White’s 2014 album Lazaretto, with signature conversational screeching between his voice and guitar. The drumming keeps a steady rhythm throughout, sitting neatly in the background so the guitar can take centre stage. The more traditional structure of the song makes it feel shorter than its counterpart, despite having a similar run time.
I enjoy both tracks for different reasons. G.O.D And The Broken Ribs continues the feel of White’s latest work perfectly while creating a deeper, rumbling atmosphere. Where as Derecho Demonico gives fans the classic sound they crave. Overall, White isn’t trying to produce anything ground breaking. He’s simply perfecting and building on what he’s crafted over his 14-year solo career, aptly put in Derecho Demonico: “I don’t start nothing, nothing that I cannot finish”.