The White Stripes: Icky ThumpWarner Bros.: 6/19/2007
I wouldn't call myself a fan of The White Stripes. I bought Elephant a few years ago, when The White Stripes were being heralded as rock messiahs, mainly to see what all the fuss was about. I loved certain tracks, especially "Black Math", but I felt lukewarm about the album. I didn't even bother with Get Behind Me Satan. I probably wouldn't have given Icky Thump a chance, either, except for a verse in the title track: "Why don't you kick yourself out?/You're an immigrant, too/Who's using who?/What should we do?/Well, you can't be a pimp and a prostitute, too." It's refreshing to hear such an insightful and succinct (though not completely original) sentiment about an issue usually mired in so much vitriol. Though "Icky Thump" had won me over, I was nervous that the rest of the album wouldn't match the charm of its lead single. Fortunately, it does.
If you happen to be the one person on the planet who hasn't heard The White Stripes, possibly due to living in a cave for the past five or so years, I'll briefly describe their signature sound: blues rock, oft compared to Led Zeppelin. Elephant was an overly noisy affair, and the songs were frequently overshadowed by their own raucous guitar work. On Icky Thump, Jack and Meg White have slightly tempered the instrumentation to better showcase their songwriting, which is usually exceptional. Jack often sounds like a time traveler from an indeterminate past decade, bringing the slang and attitude of a boxcar vagrant. My favorite tracks, aside from the title track, are "Conquest" (a Patti Page cover), "Effect and Cause", and "Rag and Bone", though most of the others are pretty impressive, too. Though there are four albums I've never heard, I suspect this is the best White Stripes album so far.
No comments:
Post a Comment