New Raconteurs album out without any prerelease hype

[A Passing Turk Slipper]

So the new ones out in a week, what do folk think of this:

The Raconteurs are happy to announce that in one week's time their second album, entitled "Consolers Of The Lonely", will be available EVERYWHERE Tuesday, March 25th.

"Album" meaning: full length vinyl, CD and digital formats; and "everywhere" meaning: local mom and pop Indie retailers, corporate superstores, supermarkets, iTunes, Amazon, the band's own website and any other location that could get the record up and going this quickly (some places couldn't move this fast, so they will join in as soon as they can).

It contains 14 new recordings and is being released globally on Third Man Records in conjunction with our marketing/distribution partners, 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 favorite 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 band also prefer that fans buy the album as a whole instead of breaking up the tracks, but until iTunes and other digital services allows bands to release their albums with the option of NOT breaking it up, it will be sold in that fashion on those particular sites. On the band's website however, the album will be sold in its entirety as an mp3 at 320kb bit rate. Also in Japan, fans will be able to download the record via their mobile phones, as that is how a majority of recorded music is consumed there.

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 theater. Which for the album's creators is a bit of a letdown, but again, it is completely up to the listener.

There will be a video up on the internet for the first single, "Salute Your Solution", on the 25th as well, provided it gets edited in time. We just filmed it the other day!

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

I'm interested to hear it, there are a couple of real nice tracks on there first, even if the retrospectively album as a whole possibly didn't hold together as well as the hype predicted it would for me (which makes their decision to do away with it all a good one I reckon). A couple of the tracks really were superb though - I still regularly play Together. If this one has one song on the same level as Hands or Together then I think it will be worth the price. Anyway, bit of a surprise but definitely a welcome one, any thoughts?

[olafr]

The only thought I have on this is that I'm sure White is intentionally trying to fuck up Dan Miller's career.

[jaydee81]

Guardian blog written by a twat in a hat

http://blogs.guardian.co.uk/music/2008/03/heard_the_new_raconteurs_album.html

[chocky909]

Why did they announce it now then? They don't explain why they announced it one week before (which coincidentally was plenty of time for Radiohead fans to get excited) instead of just keeping shtum until release day. Sure, the news would've leaked before the 25th and probably the CD too but at least they would've given it the chance to see how it went.

I notice the album isn't in the 'usual places'... yet anyway. I also quite liked the first album but didn't listen to it much either.

[drberbatov]

I agree chocky, in today's climate when you can download an album in minutes. One week almost seems like too long for the hype to fester. The sense of sudden surprise would have been a better gesture, or at least made their reasonings for this announcement make more sense

[Marvin]

Erm, but if they announced it in one day, you would only be able to buy it from their own website, it's pretty impressive they're managing to get other stockists to take it in merely a week, well, very impressive in fact.

And once you go public to stockists it's public to everyone anyway.

[alan nagsworth]

I don't buy all this inventive "against the hype and for YOU THE FANS!" malarky, infact it's beginning to wear on me. No one gives a shit, just release the fucking record and I'll listen to it. If you believe hype and let it actually alter your perception of an album before hearing it, then more fool you because (OBVIOUS REVELATION AHEAD)

Spoiler alert

some people have different opinions!! :-O

[close]

Ultimately the majority of people who review "indie records" like this are always cocks anyway, so going by their judgement is setting yourself up for disappointment. Fair play to 'em for trying out this release format though, whatever.

Anyway I'm really looking forward to this. Broken Boy Soldiers was a great powerpop record, and every song except for Steady As She Goes ("lookit us, we're a supergroup! Track 1 is our first single and sounds nowt like the rest of the album!") is catchy and enjoyable.

[Beagle 2]

Despite the obvious drawbacks for any reviewer in not being able to audition the record in advance - one might even see this as a direct attack on the very existence of music journalism

But - why should I give a shit about whether you get to review the album in advance or not - there's no discernable advantage for the fan parting with his money any more, it just limits your ability to create or destroy hype, lie, or influence opinion in any way before the thing you're supposed to have an opinion about is available.

Music Journalism should always have acted as an art form in itself to go alongside the music, it's not there to act as a consumer watchdog, or to tell you what to think. I prefer to stumble across things and read the reviews afterwards because then I can react to what's written, I can't remember the last time I bought a record without hearing it on the strength of something I read, or indeed wrote something off without experiencing it. "one might even see this as a direct attack on the very existence of music journalism"? Fuck off, write something interesting about the record once it's out, not something sulky about an uninteresting gimmick surrounding it's release.

[Marvin]

I've always thought record reviews should be written about a year or so after a record's come out when people can be more honest and insightful anyway.

[George Oscar Bluth II]

Would have been so much cooler to just not mention it at all and just let the thing appear in shops.

[kidsick5000]

Would have been so much cooler to just not mention it at all and just let the thing appear in shops.

They probably still want to sell some copies though. And the unique-ish strategy will highlight them to other music buyers, their interest whetted  by the prospect of another In Rainbows

[Marvin]

Would have been so much cooler to just not mention it at all and just let the thing appear in shops.

But as I said, that's pretty much impossible. For a famous band to get a record into shops, it becomes public knowledge, you're not going to get 1000s and 1000s of people to keep quiet which is what it would take, for well, no good reason.

Surely the reason for this is the same as the reason Radiohead actually gave for In Rainbows - ALL albums leak now, and not sending out advance copies etc or effectively doing an official leak is the only way to prevent that.