Aluminium - 'Aluminium' (XL) Released 13/11/06

Collectors and plastic at the ready! Cast with a major role in the zeitgeist of two leading bands, Jack White has given his  approval to some orchestral arrangements recorded between August 2005 and February 2006 under the name 'Aluminium' with some of the U.K.'s fitest young classical musicians - so hey, you'd be supporting the up and coming youth and keeping them off scag. And to create a market value - there will be 999 LPs and 3,333 CDs solely available through the Aluminium website, but peasants can order a downloadable version which is not limited. With co-production by XL labels founder Richard Russell and Joby Talbot, there's fun and experimentalism that could score many an A or B-movie.

Title track 'Aluminium' has the menace of a Hitchcockian psycho-drama as a hero/villain combat pitting their muscle over the abyss - a pounding piano and orchestra keep the tensions taut, strings are plucked and chilling is the night; as on 'Let's Build A Home' and 'Who's A Big Baby' with a quick chase from the strings as our man Harry Lime of The Third Man makes his way through the bowels of Vienna to a Vivaldi-esque score. 'I'm Bound To Pack It Up' cuts as a spring-like pastoral with the magical harp and listing strings and a wayfaring in the woodwind that evokes a navigation to Newfoundland and the dreamy possibilities; and 'Never Far Away' spirits away to Neverland with a fairytale delivery from harp and glorious strings.

'Why Can't You Be Nicer To Me' has cartoonish scat with squeaky blasts of brass and jovial piano - like that Doop track with a 30's daftness, oh what fun. We take a journey down to places rarely visited on the playful 'Astro' - like where the water goes once the plug has been pulled - a track with lovely structure and cadence that shows a poppy lighter side of classical plus great timpani, and 'Little Bird' juxtaposes Orientalism with hinterland - like The Magnificent 7 pop out to Chinatown for Chow on a tune that has a gallop. Jack's track 'The Hardest Button To Button' burns the guitar as the harpist leads with quick strings, whistling flute and tensions in the air on a classy version that will reduce the ardent fan to jello.

Give the harpist a solo album! Would this sell without  the use of The White Stripes music as a backbone? Hmmm. Given the fickle nature of the pop sensibility it would have to present itself to the more postive aspects of innovation and experimentalism that is the avant gardes calling card - and this release comes up with the goods. It may even earn you a place in Funkytown.