The Raconteurs
Photo: Autumn de Wilde/V2

This is probably the most obvious statement of all time, but White Stripes frontman Jack White is not like the rest of us.

As if his superhuman guitarwork, penchant for wearing reds and whites and quixotic moustache weren't all constant reminders of that fact, consider the way he's been preparing for the coming of Super Bowl XL, to be held this weekend in his hometown of Detroit.

While most of us have been stocking up on chips and dip and other Super-snacks, White has launched the official Web site for the Raconteurs, his side project with fellow Detroiter Brendan Benson and good buddies Patrick Keeler and Jack Lawrence from the Greenhornes (see "The Greenhornes Get By With A Little Help From Their Friend Jack White").

In addition to rocking a truly retro interface (like, Apple IIe retro), the site also features two previously unheard Raconteur tracks, a fuzzy rocker called "Steady, As She Goes" and the psychedelic number "Store Bought Bones," both of which sound, as Benson told MTV News in late 2004, "weird, man" (see "Jack White's Found A New Loretta: And It's A Guy Named Brendan Benson").

According to the site (www.TheRaconteurs.com), both "Steady" and "Bones" will be released in the U.S. on March 7 as a limited-edition 7-inch single (that same single hit shelves in the U.K. on Monday), and a full-length album, titled Broken Boy Soldiers, will follow in May. While there are no dates currently listed, the site does promise that at some point the Raconteurs will be hitting the road in support of their album.

There's also a poem/band bio, which — much like everything else on the site — sort of speaks for itself (without actually saying much of anything): "Remember a time/ When all was not fine/ And up from the dingy sewers came four lousy thieves/ Who flourished like trees/ Behold the Raconteurs."

Well put. We think.

• The White Stripes
• Brendan Benson
• Greenhornes

The White Stripes' Jack White (file)
Photo: Steve Tackeff/Wire Image

Brendan Benson has spent the better part of 2004 hiding a terrific secret: He's been writing and recording an album with Jack White.

He managed to keep it quiet for months, but when whispers of the collaboration began to make the rounds on both sides of the Atlantic, all kinds of rumors began to circulate — including that Benson would be producing the new White Stripes album, or even joining the band.

The White Stripes' publicist had no update on the band or its album, but Benson was quick to clarify the rumors. He spoke with MTV News via cell phone from London, where he's been busy opening for Keane and drumming up support for the release of his third album, tentatively titled Alternative to Love, which is scheduled to hit shelves in March. He's been recording the album with his longtime friend White in a collaboration that seems loosely similar to the White Stripes frontman's recent work with Loretta Lynn (see "Jack White Surprises Loretta Lynn By Cranking Up The Country").

"Jack's doing his own [White Stripes] record, and I don't know too much about that," Benson said. "But Jack and I started making a record together. We've got 11 or 12 songs recorded, but not completely finished. We still need to sing vocals on some of the songs.

"He lives two or three blocks away from me [in Detroit], and we've been friends for a really long time. So this just seemed like a good excuse to see what would happen when we worked together. It seems to be working out."

Back in August, the two began working on the album at Benson's home (which he describes as "typically Detroit: it's a mini-mansion except cheap and in a terrible neighborhood"), but he's quick to add that the decidedly lo-fi surroundings haven't affected the songs they've been churning out.

"It's weird, man. There's stuff on there that sounds like Cat Stevens, and there's some stuff on there that sounds like Led Zeppelin," Benson said. "I can say some of the stuff sounds like pure Jack White. You can hear it and say, 'Oh, that's a Jack White song.' I don't know if people are going to think it's crap or brilliant. I have no idea."

White and Benson recruited bassist Jack Lawrence and drummer Patrick Keeler from Cincinnati garage-rockers the Greenhornes (who played on Lynn's album) to fill out the band. When he returns from his U.K. tour next week, Benson plans on putting the finishing touches on the album. And he said that all four musicians are determined to release it, and if necessary, launch a tour in support of it.

"It's really great, man. People have got to hear it. Jack and I both sing. And it's kind of like a Lennon/McCartney thing, if I may be so bold," Benson said. "And I'm not comparing the musicianship, just the fact that we're each kind of bringing in our own songs. And we both have different sounds and aesthetics, which adds a whole other aspect to it."

• The White Stripes
• Brendan Benson

MTV.com Exclusive: Brendan Benson Photos 07.15.2005

• Brendan Benson