For a band that would soon become one of the biggest in the world, The White Stripes had some evolving to do before they could reach the heights that took them to superstardom. De Stigl was a great first step towards that goal. Their self-titles debut, while a raw exposition of their garage rock revival sound, was pretty samey and sometimes nondescript, though it did have some good moments within. This, their follow-up, is an improvement in every way over the debut. There's more variation, better songwriting, and it's more of a good time as well. For example, "Truth Doesn't Make A Noise" is unequivocally the best pre-White Blood Cells song they made, with a guitar riff trading off with piano lines and some of the catchiest singing Jack White has ever employed. The rest of the album isn't quite on that song's level, but it's not far off, as the album makes sure to add more instruments and tempos into the mix this time around. In all, a successful evolution for The White Stripes.
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