The group defied decades of traditional album roll-out strategies with its new release, recording and mastering the 14-track set--the follow-up to 2006's "Broken Boy Soldiers"--early last month and then quickly pressing it in both vinyl and CD form, according to the band, which made preparations to begin selling the disc as quickly as possible.

"With this release, The Raconteurs are forgoing the usual months of lead time for press and radio set up, as well as forgoing the all important 'first week sales,'" read a press announcement posted at the band's website. "We wanted to explore the idea of releasing an album everywhere at once and THEN marketing and promoting it thereafter. The Raconteurs would rather this release not be defined by its first weeks sales, pre-release promotion, or by someone defining it FOR YOU before you get to hear it."

The band released the set late last month through a wide array of distribution channels, including online and traditional retail stores, partially, the group explained, in an effort to defeat attempts to leak the new record onto the Internet. Ironically, the set ended up leaking early anyway due to a gaffe by one of the album's online merchants, according to Spin.com.