[7] The title of the record comes from the inscription in the side of a Washington, D.C. post office written by Charles William Eliot,[8] which reads in full: Messenger of sympathy and love, servant of parted friends, consoler of the lonely, bond of the scattered family, enlarger of the common life.

"[12] Despite the already rapid release time and efforts to secure the date, the record was briefly available for purchase on iTunes Friday, March 21.

[13] A bluegrass version of "Old Enough" featuring Ricky Skaggs on mandolin and Ashley Monroe on vocals was recorded during a special live studio session.

[9][24] According to The Toronto Star, "White's bent Americana and Benson's British invasion-isms yields wonderfully unpredictable results".

[25] Kitty Empire of The Observer called the album "lively" and said it "finds [the Raconteurs] luxuriating in fancy stuff with kid-in-a-sweetshop enthusiasm.

[26] The New York Times echoed those statements about the "chaos" of the album, but concluded that "that desperation only makes the crunch of the music more euphoric.

"[24] The Guardian found that on Consolers of the Lonely, the Raconteurs "establish a firm, emotionally charged identity of their own" and called the effort "flawed but ragged glory.

However, the CD was released on April 5, thus allowing the album the next week to ascend 32 places to reach its peak position thus far of No.

All songs by Brendan Benson and Jack White, except "Rich Kid Blues" by Terry Reid.