Good news for Raconteurs fans: Jack White, Brendan Benson and the gang are rushing their album into stores, just weeks after wrapping up in the studio.

“Consolers of The Lonely,” the band’s second album, was completed the first week of March and will hit stores on March 25 instead of the usual months-long wait until release.

“The purpose: to get the album to the fans as soon as possible and as we promised,” the band said in a statement. “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 its availability, reception or perception.”

The band, whose members also include Patrick Keeler and Jack Lawrence, joins other acts like Radiohead and Nine Inch Nails who have recently skirted the traditional label system to get their work out to the masses.

“We wanted to explore the idea of releasing an album everywhere at once and THEN marketing and promoting it thereafter,” the band said. “The Raconteurs would rather this release not be defined by its first-week sales, pre-release promotion or by someone defining it FOR YOU before you get to hear it.”

On the same day the album comes out, a video for the first single “Salute Your Solution” will also appear online.

The Raconteurs released its debut album, “Broken Boy Soldiers,” in May 2006.






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