Review Summary: Sister, do you know my name? I've heard it before but I wanna know.
A garage rock fan in 2014 is, inevitably, a fan that is at least slightly disappointed. With Jack White now embracing his country fetishes, former cornerstone the Strokes all but reduced to synthpop (granted, not that bad of synthpop, but still), and the Black Keys leaving behind their dirty roots for Danger Mouse, this formerly booming scene has all but disappeared, like a ghost town in some respects. Of course it was a fad, and it probably only should've lasted as long as it did, but some fads can still be
good.The only thing one can do is take a listen to the past through their stereos.
De Stijl is an album that brings it all back in an energetic fashion.
Opener "You're Pretty Good Looking (For a Girl)" kicks things off in a early-Beatles-by-way-of-sledgehammer sort of manner. It's simply a very solid pop track, and a highlight of the album. This Beatles-esque influence is found in other places (specifically "Apple Blossom" and "Truth Doesn't Make a Noise"), but none so heavy as this opener. "Hello Operator" and "Little Bird" rock, and rock hard, both similar in style to "Expecting" off
White Blood Cells. From there, we have a solid acoustic number ("I'm Bound to Pack It Up"), a cover of an old blues tune ("Death Letter"), and then, some of the best slow tracks the White Stripes have done ("Sister, Do You Know My Name?" and "A Boy's Best Friend".) These two tracks are glorious, but in slightly different respects. "Sister"'s guitar is drenched in dark blues, brewing sinisterly over Jack's voice calmly relaying his school troubles. "Boy's Best Friend" involves the same bluesy guitar, but I sense a greater amount of loneliness portrayed here than in "Sister". Either way, both tracks are highlights.
"Let's Build a Home" picks things back up with a simple punk-blues riff over driving drums. Unfortunately, this song, for me anyway, is a case of a studio version of a song played much worse than when played live. I highly recommend a live version of "Let's Build a Home" (there is a good example in this here link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9CEY2qX9qJc), which is played a much faster tempo, and generally incorporates another old blues staple into the song. On
De Stijl, "Let's Build a Home" is nothing extremely special, as well as the next track, "Jumble Jumble". However, both still are okay tracks, and don't necessarily detract from the album in a major fashion. "Why Can't You Be Nicer to Me", though, seethes with menace, amidst a driving guitar riff and flashes of violins. It's yet another highlight from this album. "Your Southern Can Is Mine" finishes this album with another blues staple, accompanied by acoustic guitar and tambourine.
OVERALL
Simply, this is
the definitive White Stripes album.
De Stijl is a very consistent offering from the White siblings/ex-spouses, with quality only dipping slightly (and almost unnoticeably) in the back half. No indulgences, no odd experimentations, just simple, straight-ahead blues rock. The guitar is as good as anything off their two most famous albums, and Meg's cavewoman drumming keep the album driving.
A
4.8 out of 5 for me.
RECOMMENDED TRACKS:
You're Pretty Good Looking (For a Girl)
Apple Blossom
Sister, Do You Know My Name?
A Boy's Best Friend
Why Can't You Be Nicer to Me?
