Review Summary: A short EP from The White Stripes, is an enjoyable listen for fans of many different styles of music.
I picked up this short EP in France along with The White Stripe's full length album, Get Behind Me Satan. I had heard Blue Orchid and I enjoyed it so I decided to get this as a small souvenir.
The EP starts with the infectious title track
Blue Orchid. The song has an undeniable groove, which makes it immediately catchy. The drums really make the song with a very simplistic beat, but accents the guitar riffing by Jack White extremely well. The drums use a lot of cymbals also, which gives it a really heavy feel. The song is repetitive, but does not seem to get very annoying. A very fun song to listen to.
Next up is
Who's a Big Baby?, which has a very creepy feel to it until the vocals come in and ruin the whole song. The vocals are extremely repetitive and are distorted in a very odd manner. The music in this song is really great, but the vocals annoy me very much so I cannot listen to it very much at all. When it's done it always makes me happy as it is a very testing song.
Then comes the bluesy
Though I Hear You Calling, I Will Not Answer. With only acoustic guitar and xylophone in this song it has a somewhat hollow feel, put is pulled off nicely. The recording is very lo-fi, I assume it was done purposely, for the effect it gives. It feels like it was recorded in a live studio, as it sounds really raw. It's a cool song, but when you hear it twice in a row it gets rather bland. It's nothing really special or extraordinary, but it's an enjoyable listen.
My personal favorite is next,
You've Got Her in Your Pocket (Live). It's only Jack's voice and his guitar. The song's subject matter is very easy to figure out, as you can hear every word he says very clear and the lyrics are very straightforward. He is singing about a girl who he loves and he does not want to see her leave him. The guitar is awesome, with very many small licks thrown into the song. I like this version better than the studio version, because he sings with more emotion on this track, and his voice does not have any effects on it. Great song.
Track by track.
1. Blue Orchid 4/5
2. Who's a Big Baby? 2/5
3. Though I Hear You Calling, I Will Not Answer 3/5
4. You've Got Her in Your Pocket (Live) 4.5/5
Pros
Two unreleased songs and a new live song.
Catchy songs.
You've Got Her in Your Pocket (Live).
Cons
Songs can wear thin after only a few listens.
It's not very long (12:56)
Who's a Big Baby?.
Overall I think this EP is good for people who really love The White Stripes.
