White Blood Cells may have been a reaction to the amount of fame the White Stripes had received up to the point of its release, but, paradoxically, it made full-fledged ock stars out of Jack and Meg White and sold over half a million copies in the process. Despite the White Stripes' ambivalence, fame nevertheless seems to suit them: They just become more accomplished as the attention paid to them increases. Elephant captures this contradiction within the Stripes and their music; it's the first album they've recorded for a major label, and it sounds even more pissed-off, paranoid, and stunning than its predecessor. Darker and more difficult than White Blood Cells, the album offers nothing as immediately crowd-pleasing or sweet as "Fell in Love With a Girl" or "We're Going to Be Friends," but it's more consistent, exploring disillusionment and rejection with razor-sharp focus. Chip-on-the-shoulder anthems like the breathtaking opener, "Seven Nation Army," which is driven by Meg White's explosively minimal drumming, and "The Hardest Button to Button," in which Jack White snarls "Now we're a family!" -- one of the best oblique threats since Black Francis sneered "It's educational!" all those years ago -- deliver some of the fiercest lues-punk of the White Stripes' career. "There's No Home for You Here" sets a girl's walking papers to a melody reminiscent of "Dead Leaves and the Dirty Ground" (though the result is more sequel than rehash), driving the point home with a wall of layered, Queen-ly harmonies and piercing guitars, while the inspired version of "I Just Don't Know What to Do With Myself" goes from plaintive to angry in just over a minute, though the charging guitars at the end sound perversely triumphant. At its bruised heart, Elephant portrays love as a power struggle, with chivalry and innocence usually losing out to the power of seduction. "I Want to Be the Boy" tries, unsuccessfully, to charm a girl's mother; "You've Got Her in Your Pocket," a deceptively gentle allad, reveals the darker side of the Stripes' vulnerability, blurring the line between caring for someone and owning them with some fittingly fluid songwriting.
The battle for control reaches a fever pitch on the "Fell in Love With a Girl"-esque "Hypnotize," which suggests some slightly underhanded ways of winning a girl over before settling for just holding her hand, and on the show-stopping "Ball and Biscuit," seven flat-out seductive minutes of preening, boasting, and amazing guitar prowess that ranks as one the band's most traditionally bluesy (not to mention sexy) songs. Interestingly, Meg's star turn, "In the Cold, Cold Night," is the closest Elephant comes to a truce in this struggle, her kitten-ish voice balancing the song's slinky words and music. While the album is often dark, it's never despairing; moments of wry humor pop up throughout, particularly toward the end. "Little Acorns" begins with a sound clip of Detroit newscaster Mort Crim's Second Thoughts radio show, adding an authentic, if unusual, Motor City feel. It also suggests that Jack White is one of the few vocalists who could make a lyric like "Be like the squirrel" sound cool and even inspiring. Likewise, the showy "Girl, You Have No Faith in Medicine" -- on which White resembles a garage rock snake-oil salesman -- is probably the only song featuring the word "acetaminophen" in its chorus. "It's True That We Love One Another," which features vocals from Holly Golightly as well as Meg White, continues the Stripes' tradition of closing their albums on a lighthearted note. Almost as much fun to analyze as it is to listen to, Elephant overflows with quality -- it's full of tight songwriting, sharp, witty lyrics, and judiciously used basses and tumbling keyboard melodies that enhance the band's powerful simplicity (and the excellent "The Air Near My Fingers" features all of these). Crucially, the White Stripes know the difference between fame and success; while they may not be entirely comfortable with their fame, they've succeeded at mixing lues, punk, and garage rock in an electrifying and unique way ever since they were strictly a Detroit phenomenon. On these terms, Elephant is a phenomenal success.
So the new album will be called "Icky Thump". Does Jack White ever sleep ?Tape so far,1 – Brakes – Cease Or Desist2 – Biffy Clyro – My Recovery Injection3 – Editors – Blood4 – OK Go – Get Over It5 – Maximo Park – Our Velocity6 - The White Stripes - Seven Nation Army
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I was just sitting down to post, to recount set my thoughts in motion and consider the day. The thing I flashed on in my mind was how flipping cold it was today. As I’m thinking that thought, that very thought in mind, to myself, I hear this voice come from the other room. The voice said “It was freezing today. I had my light jacket on, but I wished I had my big jacket. It is sure a cold
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I stopped at the sub shop on the way home from work tonight, it is how I get sandwiches for dinner. There were two short guys at the end of the line, looking like fraternal twins except one wasn't wearing a shirt. I wondered if I should wonder aloud if that particular sub shop had a "no shirt, no shoes..." policy. At the front of the line were two women in hats, one with purple hair, the oth...
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during the day the earth shifts.that's a fact!i ran outside to move my black coffin to the shaded area.step2. i was listening to npr this morning. i know this cause when i turned on the car i heard terri gross~fresh air. well maybe, but i like her voice when she says that. anyway, who?i hear a man talking about "meg."step3. immediately, is that jack white? yep. listened for 5 minutes. ra...
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I just got back from watching Italia beat Francia 2-0 in a Euro 2008 match. When I was in Roma, I fell for the game they call futbol. I used to be a causal fan but after watching how the Europeans play futbol, I am hooked por vida.I watched the game at my buddy Derrick's place. He just got this big screen TV. At times it felt like the soccer ball was going to fall into his living room. During t...
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So the new album will be called "Icky Thump". Does Jack White ever sleep ?Tape so far,1 – Brakes – Cease Or Desist2 – Biffy Clyro – My Recovery Injection3 – Editors – Blood4 – OK Go – Get Over It5 – Maximo Park – Our Velocity6 - The White Stripes - Seven Nation Army
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Phillies relief pitcher Brett Myers wants readers of the Philadelphia Inquirer to help him pick new entrance music. One of my Y-Rock cronies got in on the debate early, so I/we can now wholeheartedly recommend you go vote for The White Stripes.In related non-news, Philebrity.com picked up on Inky blog comments that PNI had deleted within minutes after being posted, suggesting an alternate poll ...
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Saw this on NME this morning.You gotta love YouTube.
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Hey all. Sorry for my lack of postiness. Between getting my new puppy and starting my new job, I've been a bit preoccupied. But, if you haven't seen this clip from the Simpsons featuring the White Stripes (I apologize if it's been posted 100 times today already) you must watch it. It rocks.
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I’m someone who sees the career of The White Stripes split into three separate chunks. Their first two albums, a self-titled and De Stijl, were very raw, very bluesy, and sometimes quite uncompromising. Their last two albums, the experimental Get Behind Me Satan and Icky Thump, were a band post-mainstream breakthrough. However, their real moment [...]
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I love raw music -- stripped down to the simplest of sounds, instruments, and words. That's probably why I've loved the White Stripes for so many years...
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Has anyone seen the new commercial for Chili's that rips off The White Stripes's Seven Nation Army video? It is very similar with the red, white, and black colors and the action appearing from the horizon and approaching the camera. It is disgusting how a corportation can co-opt artists' work, but change it enough so they don't have to suffer any consequences. It is almost as lame that the s...
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