The Raconteurs: “Hands”
The Raconteurs second single, “Hands”, doesn’t quite meet the expectations set by “Steady As She Goes”. I don’t mean to slight Brendan Benson, whom I love, but his vocals don’t fit as seamlessly as Jack White’s did for “Steady As She Goes”. Benson’s voice seems more at home in the lighter, indie-pop fare of songs like his excellent “Cold Hands (Warm Heart)”, and the heavy, chugging guitars of “Hands” are more White Stripes-esque than anything Benson has done previously. The intro sets the tone for the whole track’s classic-rock feel, and the lyrics (starting with “girl, you got those hands”) are consistent with the feel of the song, though not anything to write home about. Following up a single of the caliber of “Steady As She Goes” is a hard act to follow, and “Hands” is certainly an ambitious song, it just doesn’t quite hit the mark it’s aiming for.
MP3: “Hands” - The Raconteurs
Also available for download is an acoustic rendition of first single “Steady As She Goes”, from it’s single release, and a fantastic mash-up of “Steady As She Goes” with Gnarls Barkley’s “Crazy” courtesy of The Legion of Doom.
Bonus MP3s:
“Steady As She Goes” (Acoustic) - The Raconteurs
“Crazy As She Goes” - The Legion of Doom
Though the song dwells in mediocrity (in the nicest way possible), the video is fantastic. Director Ramon Bloomberg, who’s one of the hottest young names in the music video business, came to me with the opportunity to premier the video for the song, and I’m quite flattered as it’s an excellent clip. A very clever play on the “Hands” title of the song, the video follows the Raconteurs (and this awesome magician fellow) as they break free from jail and seek asylum in a school for young deaf girls. This is where the whole “Hands” thing comes in, as the only way to communicate with these girls is via sign language, thus everything comes full circle and we all go “Hey, that’s clever” and everyone wins. Finally, the video provides evidence of the Raconteurs extreme rocking ability, as even the deaf and hearing impaired can get in on the rocking-out action.
Video: “Hands” - The Raconteurs