Okay, this is my first review, tell me what you like about it and what you don't like, I'm happy to hear about it. First I'll go through how I rate things:
1 - Terrible., don't bother listening
2 - So - So, not that bad, but pretty bad
3 - Average, not for everyone
4 - Very good, recommended
5 - Amazing, a classic
This is also how I will rate songs in the album.
First some background information. Get Behind Me Satan is The White Stripes' fifth album. It is also the most inventive, complex and interesting. Although it is a classic, it is not the most accessible album for new White Stripes fans.
Track One - Blue Orchid: This is the most conventional track on the album, but it is a very good one. The guitars are angsty and distorted, Jack's voice is very different to how it was on the previous albums and Meg's drumming is as primal and simplistic as ever. I don't really know what Jack is going on about in this song, but I'm guessing that he's probably talking about his fight with Jason Von Bondie "you got a reaction didn't you?" 5/5
Track Two - The Nurse: There's one word that sums up this track: Marimba. It's an instrument that the band have NEVER used in any of their albums before, but I must say they make a fine job of it, even if sometimes it makes this song sound a tad like "Under The Sea" from The Little Mermaid! The guitars make an appearance on this track too playing delightfully shambolic powerchords that contrast with the marimba riffs. The song finishes with the marinba and some abstract piano flourishes The lyrics in this one are very clever and poetic and Jack's voice is still very high, as it will be on the rest of the album. 4/5
Track Three - My Doorbell: Wow. Starting off with a brilliantly tough sounding drumbeat from Meg, this has got to be one of my favourite tracks on the album. It has no guitar on it but still remains extremely funky (eat that Keane!) The lyrics in this one are quite repetitive and very fast, but it doesn't really matter on this one as the rest of the song has such a good groove to it. Definitely a favourite. 5/5
Track Four - Forever for Her (Is Over for Me): A sweet little ballad. It starts off quiet, but then gets much louder. They use the marimba in this one, but it's more subtle than in The Nurse. It works well with the acoustic guitar and shaker. Jack sounds more like he did on previous albums on this track, he has that David Bowie/Mick Jagger quality to his voice that made De Stijl so special. A very complex track. 4/5
Track Five - Little Ghost: This song is the most unexpected song on the album, a lovesick bluegrass stomper that I think was written when Jack was recording with Loretta Lynn. Every song on this album are different to each other but this is the most different to anything that's on this album, not to mention different to anything they've ever recorded. 5/5
Track Six - The Denial Twist: Another funky one, similar to My Doorbell, but this reminds me a bit of some of their poppy tracks on White Blood Cells e.g. I'm Finding It Harder to Be a Gentleman. It's got very cynical lyrics that go perfecly with the grooves. 5/5
Track Seven - White Moon: The first song that mentions Rita Hayworth, the actress who is referenced in a few of the songs on the album. The song's another nice ballad, mosly piano led. It also has a line from De Stijl, but written a bit different "truth doesn't make a noise". The song seems quite calm but really it's angry, neurotic and frustrated. 4/5
Track Eight - Instinct Blues: Although some might think that this one's a lot like The White Stripes' early songs, I don't think it is even though it follows the blues structure. It's one of the few songs on the album that is mainly guitar led. It's another angry one, but it isn't angry in the same way as White Moon is, it's angsty angry. But even though it is angry, the lyrics are very innocent in a way. The song reminds me a bit of Captain Beefheart and Frank Zappa. 5/5
Track Nine - Passive Manipulation: The only track on this album that showcases Meg White's lovely voice and frankly, I think she deserved a little more time than 35 seconds. 2/5
Track Ten - Take Take Take: This is the second Rita Hayworth song, and it tells the story of Jack finding Hayworth in a bar and asking her for her autograph. But it doesn't have a happy ending. This one really shows you that Jack White is a fantastic storyteller as well as a fantastic musician. It's another funky one too, and I love it for this too. 5/5
Track Eleven - As Ugly As I Seem: Quite poppy, yet still quirky and imaginative. Reminds me of a more upbeat version of "I'm Bound to Pack It Up" from De Stijl. I can imagine that this will be released as a single, as it isn't as "weird" as some of the others. 4/5
Track Twelve - Red Rain: A very nice guitar riff starts this song off. First it sounds like it will be a countryish song, but it ends up as a track that could fill stadiums as well as grotty clubs. Very guitar led, and has the best use of triangle in rock. The song sounds almost psychadelic in some places (anyone heard of a song called Montana?) and sometimes even gothic. 5/5
Track Thirteen - I'm Lonely (But I Ain't That Lonely Yet): Another that is poppy/quirky. Jack talks about his family and how great they are, but it never gets too soppy because it has a lot of humour injected into it. A nice closer, contrasting with the brash start of Blue Orchid. 5/5
EDIT: Calculated the average score with the given scores for the single songs, and edited the rating accordingly to 4 stars. - Damrod
