Despite the seemingly instant attention surrounding them -- glowing write-ups in glossy magazines like Rolling Stone and Mojo, guest lists boasting names like Kate Hudson and Chris Robinson, and appearances on national TV -- the White Stripes have stayed true to the approach that brought them this success in the first place. White Blood Cells, Jack and Meg White's third effort for Sympathy for the Record Industry, wraps their powerful, deceptively simple style around meditations on fame, love, and betrayal. As produced by Doug Easley, it sounds exactly how an underground sensation's breakthrough album should: bigger and tighter than their earlier material, but not so polished that it will scare away longtime fans. Admittedly, White Blood Cells lacks some of the White Stripes' lues influence and urgency, but it perfects the pop skills the duo honed on De Stijl and expands on them. The country-tinged "Hotel Yorba" and immediate, crazed garage pop of "Fell in Love With a Girl" define the album's immediacy, along with the folky, McCartney-esque "We're Going to Be Friends," a charming, school-days love song that's among Jack White's finest work. However, White's growth as a songwriter shines through on virtually every track, from the cocky opener "Dead Leaves and the Dirty Ground" to vicious indictments like "The Union Forever" and "I Think I Smell a Rat." "Same Boy You've Always Known" and "Offend in Every Way" are two more quintessential tracks, offering up more of the group's stomping riffs and rhythms and us-against-the-world attitude. Few garage rock groups would name one of their most driving numbers "I'm Finding It Harder to Be a Gentleman," and fewer still would pen lyrics like "I'm so tired of acting tough/I'm gonna do what I please/Let's get married," but it's precisely this mix of strength and sweetness, among other contrasts, that makes the White Stripes so intriguing. Likewise, White Blood Cells' ability to surprise old fans and win over new ones makes it the Stripes' finest work to date.
After this night I was speechless...Basically this concert rates as the best I have EVER been to! And that's up against a list of contenders such as; The Strokes, The Dandy Warhols, Interpol and The Vines.In short The White Stripes have enough energy and power to suck even the latecomers into their world of enigmatic rock stylings. The night started off with mod rockers The Greenhornes (also Bi...
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The song is not romantic in any way, and for me that is the bulk of its charm. In the relationship pictured in the song and video, there is no currency of sex or a child’s idea of physical love and all of its trappings exchanged or the expectation of a future exchange. All these two want from each other is the company of a playmate to stare slack-jawed with at the tiny wonders in their world. T.
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Now I know I've already posted my fair share of mogs in one day, but hey, what can I say? I'm loving this site. It's wonderfully simple to jump into and feel involved in. Plus a lot of these mogs are making me think a lot more about music and I can actually get responses to questions I'm curious about, so I guess this sites doing it's job very well. That being said...I've never been a big White...
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Last night, my mom finally sat me down and made me watch the classic Orson Welles movie "Citizen Kane", which is based off of the life of newspaper giant William Randolph Hearst. It is an amazing film. I highly recommend it to everyone. It's powerful and the ending knocked me right out. But one part stuck with me because I remembered it from somewhere: Charles Foster Kane is fighting with his w...
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The summer is officially over for me, tomorrow I head back in to start another year of teaching. Granted the kids dont arrive for another two weeks, but I know this is my last night as a "free" man. Summers have always been special to me, warm weather and me seem to go together hand in hand. It has been an odd summer for me as well, for the first time since I can remember I did not go and see a...
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Its almost been a year since I left MOG, found myself a working mans job and felt I had to focus all my attention to the students in my room. I left MOG unemployed, and am coming back a fourth grade teacher. As the end of the school year is approaching I know I am going to have to have something to fill my time. While I was teaching I spent the majority of my nights journaling, something I had ...
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After a year and half apart Jack White, recently touring with his other band the Raconteurs, reunited with his pseudo sis/first wife/bandmate Meg White in a melodramatic send-off to Late Night host Conan O'Brien. The duo performed a slower than usual, acoustic version of their White Blood Cells track "We're Going To Be Friends." After almost sixteen years in the Late Night with Conan O'Brien s...
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Hey thanks all for your words of encouragement this weekend. Much love to all Moggers. I had a minor freakout this weekend. Things are tough but they could be worse. I'm going to try to spruce up the ol' FS Mog with some more tunes. Thanks for everyone for your support. This song is for you Moggers. I like songs about friends.
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One of our fellow moggers is no doubt enjoying another day of live music in his hometown of Columbus, but I wanted to raise a glass to this most noteworthy mogger on his 1 year mogiversary - "SatisfiedMind614":http://mog.com/SatisfiedMind614 - also known as Blair.I joined Mog in November last year and Blair was the first person to trust me. He welcomed me into this awesome community and I felt ...
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ok now people, this is getting a little old. i'm not getting any email notifications. at all. my mog folder in my email has been virtually silent for almost a week now. i think i've probably gotten maybe a dozen in the last week, down from almost 30 a day. any idea what's going on? hyman? bueller? anyone?
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Time to start getting your best red/white fashion combos ready, because The White Stripes are coming back, and will probably be in DVD players soon!According to CBC (via Pitchfork), everyone's favourite sibling/ex-spouses duo are to release a DVD consisting up of footage taken from the band's 2007 tour of Canada, in which every province and territory was blessed by a White Stripes performance i...
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The song is not romantic in any way, and for me that is the bulk of its charm. In the relationship pictured in the song and video, there is no currency of sex or a child’s idea of physical love and all of its trappings exchanged or the expectation of a future exchange. All these two want from each other is the company of a playmate to stare slack-jawed with at the tiny wonders in their world. T.
More >
Last night, my mom finally sat me down and made me watch the classic Orson Welles movie "Citizen Kane", which is based off of the life of newspaper giant William Randolph Hearst. It is an amazing film. I highly recommend it to everyone. It's powerful and the ending knocked me right out. But one part stuck with me because I remembered it from somewhere: Charles Foster Kane is fighting with his w...
More >
Now I know I've already posted my fair share of mogs in one day, but hey, what can I say? I'm loving this site. It's wonderfully simple to jump into and feel involved in. Plus a lot of these mogs are making me think a lot more about music and I can actually get responses to questions I'm curious about, so I guess this sites doing it's job very well. That being said...I've never been a big White...
More >
Last night I sat on my ass until about 9 p.m. and then remembered I needed dog food. So I got myself together to leave the house and this would be when I picked up my cell phone. I had missed a call at about 7 p.m. It was from my friend Davanna saying, "Sorry this is last minute, but if you want to go see the White Stripes tonight, I've got an extra ticket."So instead of watching a re-run of...
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I was wonderin'..........................Is there a band that you are just flat out embarrassed to have gotten into so late?I would confess to the *White Stripes*.I didn't hear them until White Blood Cells came out and I live 1 1/2 hours north of Detroit. I should have been at their second gig!I did get a chance to see them at some smaller venues at the tail end of that tour though...before th...
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After this night I was speechless...Basically this concert rates as the best I have EVER been to! And that's up against a list of contenders such as; The Strokes, The Dandy Warhols, Interpol and The Vines.In short The White Stripes have enough energy and power to suck even the latecomers into their world of enigmatic rock stylings. The night started off with mod rockers The Greenhornes (also Bi...
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in order to have white stripes, you gotta have something for the white to alternate with. the "White" in the White Stripes seems to be (i mean, besides a reference to the name of its band members... i'm working metaphorically here, people... or person... whatever) the rompin'-footstompin' and minor guitar heroics of songs like Hotel Yorba and Seven Nation Army. the unmentioned other stripes pee...
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 "White Blood Cells")
