Last Friday Jack White (of The White Stripes, The Raconteurs, and The Dead Weather) released Jack White Acoustic Recordings 1998-2016, an album of rare and unreleased acoustic recordings stretching across his career. The video was unexpected, as the press release explains: “Third Man Records is pleased to share the genius surprise gift they received from their friend Michel Gondry”. As White plucks his guitar and reaches into his falsetto for forlorn, yet hopeful lyrics, an anonymous person hops into a shower and uses the condensation to illustrate scenes described in the song. But the steam from the shower is so heavy that it erases each image nearly as quickly as he can draw it.
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The singer was promoting his new acoustic-themed album Acoustic Recordings 1998-2016, and the short set marked his first televised performance exclusively using an acoustic guitar. For a man with machine-like work ethic and virtuosic abilities, it is really disarming and humanizing to see him have such a visceral reaction to his own music.
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After hearing of City Lights, Michel, who as well as making acclaimed movies such as Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind and Be Kind Rewind has made four previous music videos for the group, secretly created a promotional film which he then sent to Jack. Let us know on Twitter.
