Review Summary: The White Stripes found a bigger room.
I was born in 1997, so when I look back at the nineties I don't see whatever was wrong with the decade, but instead I see (or hear as the case may be) "Nevermind", "The Bends" and "Californication". So that makes me wonder what will the kids born in 2007 hear and admire ten years from now? I have no way of knowing at the moment, but I have a possible contender: The White Stripes 2003 effort "Elephant".
Starting off with the sinister fake-bass of "Seven Nation Army", the Stripes set the tone of the album from simple (this and "The Hardest Button to Button"'s drumbeat) to dementedly nostalgic (there cover of "I Just Don't Know What to Do With Myself") to threateningly masculine ("Ball and Biscuit"). The last one, for those who care, features Jack White's first recorded solo(s). The album also features down n' dirty garage rock ("Black Math"), which is one of my favorite songs. It lets Meg off her drums and onto the mic for the smooth jazz of "In the Cold, Cold Night". This track presents a missed opportunity for Jack to play the drums, which he has been proven adept to while playing for The Dead Weather. To top off this sundae of eccentricity, the album features a guess turn of Mort Crim ("Little Acorns") and Holly Golightly ("It's True That We Love Each Other"), with whom Jack playfully flirts with to the annoyance of Meg.
Sure the problems of a typical Stripes' album presents itself, namely Meg's drumming, but at this point we might as well take it in. The album is fun and well written and is full of surprises. Take it in kiddies, because the White Stripes never rocked this hard again.
