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THE WHITE STRIPES
RATING: 9
PLAY THESE: SEVEN NATION ARMY, I JUST DON'T KNOW WHAT TO DO WITH MYSELF, GIRL YOU HAVE NO FAITH IN MEDICINE
SKIP THESE: NONE
Wow! This is an unexpected surprise. I'd pretty much written off The White Stripes as minimalist crap until I heard the magnificent lead-off single 'Seven Nation Army' on the radio, which persuaded me to seek out a copy of Elephant. I'm assuming that just about everyone on the planet is already acquainted with 'Seven Nation Army,' but I just can't say enough about the great guitar (or is it a bass guitar?) riff in the verse - it's simply the best I've heard in a long, long time. It's one of those riffs that is so perfect that it seems like it's always existed, even though I am quite certain that its not stolen from any particular song. You just don't hear many great guitar riffs on the radio anymore, so it's great to hear one for a change. That ugly old cuss Jack White sure has a nice touch on the guitar, coaxing a plethora of grotesque-yet-beautiful sounds out of his trusty six-string (too bad his ex-wife, Meg, is a bit of a hack on the drums).
And luckily for us, there are even more great guitar bits (and good songs) on Elephant. The punkish 'Girl , You Have No Faith In Medicine' has a stinging guitar attack, especially in the chorus, while the catchy 'The Hardest Button to Button' is a winner even when taken out of the context of that fantastic video. Oh, and I almost forgot to give a nod to the bombastic 'There's No Room for You Here,' which sounds for the world like a lost Queen song, replete with uncharacteristic harmony vocals (although Jack can't even begin to hope to match Freddie Mercury's vocal mastery).
But Jack delivers the goods on many of the softer selections as well. The unlikely Burt Bacharach cover 'I Just Don't Know What to do With Myself' is simply sublime, and when the crappy sounding distorted guitar comes crashing in during the chorus...it's just one of those great musical moments. Likewise, the folky 'You've Got Her in Your Pocket' uses the nifty major-to-minor chord change to great effect, giving the middle eight section a rather eerie quality.
Meg White steps out from behind her drum kits and makes her lead vocal debut on the sparse 'In the Cold, Cold Night.' She does a pretty good job of it, even managing to sound a bit sexy in the verses, where utilizes a breathy singing style a la Marilyn Monroe singing 'Happy Birthday' to JFK. Meg and Jack also team up on vocals for the album closer 'It's True That We Love One Another,' which slyly plays up on the ambiguous relationship between the two band members ("It's true that we love one another/ I love Jack White like a little brother).
There really aren't any duds on this album, although 'Ball and Biscuit' is a too-long blues jam, and Jack's nasal cavity vocal delivery on 'Black Math' is pretty annoying. The band might also consider employing a full-time bass player, because on the rare instances where Jack breaks down and overdubs a bass part it really adds to the overall sound. Nevertheless, this is one of the great garage rock albums of all time, and definitely the best rock album to come out in 2003.
RATING: 9
PLAY THESE: BLUE ORCHID, FOREVER FOR HER (IS OVER FOR ME), TAKE TAKE TAKE
SKIP THESE: INSTINCT BLUES
Great stuff! That's the first and final verdict on the ambiguously titled Get Behind Me Satan, the latest release from Detroit minimalist rockers The White Stripes, which has been playing non-stop on my stereo since I downloaded it earlier today. (By all rights I should buy the album, since it is the best new music I've heard this year, but since I'm a cheap bastard, I won't). The album's title makes it clear that this is a very dark record, which may be Jack White's way of exorcising his personal demons and leaving them behind, in order to torment the listener instead. If you want proof, just listen to the lyrics on the alarming 'The Nurse,' which lament that "the nurse should not be the one to pour salt in your wounds." Yikes! Sounds like Mr. White has a few issues!
The album's overall sound is just as stark as the band's other material, although instead of primarily using electric (and sometimes acoustic) guitar, Jack is using a lot of piano, and even adding touches of marimba to several tracks. This has allowed the band to branch out a little bit more, and prevented the album from simply being a re-hash of Elephant. The result is more varied, more impressive version of The White Stripes.
There are some great songs here. The album opener and lead-off single 'Blue Orchid' sounds unlike anything else the band has done thus far, with it's funk-metal robotic riffs and great hook making it a standout track. Also excellent is 'Forever For Her (Is Over For Me),' a strident, piano-based tune with pounding drums and one heck of a chorus - it just might be the band's best song yet. Jack White's recent collaboration with country icon Loretta Lynn has also influenced the country flourishes on this album, especially on the jaunty bluegrass tune 'Little Ghost,' as well as the hilarious-yet-mournful country pastiche 'I'm Lonely (But I Ain't That Lonely Yet).' Any song with a title like that is bound to deliver, and this one is great! Just Jack and his piano, it conjures up the ghosts of Hank Williams, and takes The White Stripes to places previously unseen.
The album does dip a bit in the middle - the generic 'Instinct Blues' is a real snoozer - but overall it's very a even record, and more consistent than Elephant in many respects. I'm not sure how long the band will be able to work magic with it's minimalist formula, but one things is certain: The White Stripes are on a roll, and nothing can stop them for the time being. It will be interesting to see what comes next.