As with any supergroupy assemblage of rock stars, Jack White and Alison Mossheart et al’s Dead Weather get the benefit of automatic headline status. But along with the instant attention comes the heightened is-it-more-about-the-sum-or-the-parts scrutiny. Their Bowery show seemed to thrill most, but mostly for the combustion of White and Mossheart’s oversized charisma. As for the music itself: try your ears on the whiplashing “Treat Me Like Your Mother.” It’s a stock rocking Jack riff, some snarls from Alison, some clumsy but obligatory lead vocal trade-offs, with the climax ostensibly coming via some punning on the word “manipulate.” They’re all playing like they mean it, but there isn’t much meaning to what they’re playing. Chalk this one up to being more interesting for the associated tag set than the song it produced.
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