The White Stripes
albums
Being nice, this band is one of the most overrated bands ever to appear on the planet. They have sold many
rights to major labels and that is why they are popular, no more no less. There are so many other bands out there
with more talent than the White Stripes that it is past the point of ridiculousness. All that said, you would think I
hate this band? No, I don't actually, they have some stellar material. Being overrated is not the same as being
bad. There are plenty of their songs, "Fell in Love With a Girl", "Black Math", "Jimmy the Exploder", "Truth Doesn't
Make a Noise", etc., that rank among the best released by any rock band in the 00's. The difference between this
band and most seems to be consensus: The White Stripes are a wildly inconsistent album band for those that
care about such things. No one really agrees on which album is their best, which can be a sign that what I said is
true; then again..sigh...you never know. In my opinion though, they are hardly one of the better blues-revival
bands in existence (much better are Black Keys, Royal Trux, Jon Spencer, Morphine, must I go on?) and they try
to get by with their music on non-music apparatuses: inside jokes from movies/culture, filler album tracks, an
obscure personal life, etc. I don't hate the band at all, but they would rank somewhere below literally HUNDEREDS
of other rock in roll artists of this decade alone.
Band Members: Jack White - guitar, vocals
Meg White - percussion
Best Album: De Stijl
Biggest Influences: Paul McCartney, Pixies, Jon Spencer
1999
White Stripes - 5/8
This is a decent debut, though it hardly warrents much attention. If they were a local band I would be
impressed, but how they got a record deal I don't know. The record starts off with a lot of charm, but it quickly
fades into obscurity while listening. Some times they try to wake you up with up tempo tracks like "Broken Bricks"
or "Little People", but then you realize there isn't much to those songs either and you fall back asleep. To cover
Robert Johnson and Bob Dylan is hardly a bold move or anything, its actually quite a "safe" move because those
are well respected artists; it's not as bad as covering some Captain Beefheart to prove you are cool though
(though the band tries that in the next year to gain some points with the critics). The good: scattered about are
some tracks like "Do", "Cannon", and "The Big Three Killed My Baby", which are great, enjoyable rock songs,
and the opener "Jimmy the Exploder" is easily the best thing on here. I would even go as far as to say "Stop
Breaking Down" is a better cover than the Rolling Stones do on Exile on Main Street! But the rest of the album is
a chore to wade through for most, half of these 17 songs being nothing too interesting musically. The inside
jokes about Tesla/Edison and incorporating "John the Revalator" in to a song are hardly reasons to come back. I
may have even missed some people Jack White mentioned in his lyrics! Who cares. Still, the die hard WS fan
would find some to like on the debut. - Trevor e.y.
1.jimmy the exploder- 4
2.stop breaking down- 4
3.the big three killed my baby- 4
4.suzy lee- 3
5.sugar never tasted so good- 2
6.wasting my time- 2
7.cannon- 3
8.astro- 2
9.broken bricks- 3
10.when i hear my name- 2
11.do- 4
12.screwdriver- 1
13.one more cup of coffee- 2
14.little people- 3
15.slicker drips- 2
16.st. james infirmary- 2
17.i fought piranhas- 3
2000
De Stijl - 7/8
Now this is how you make a record, a near 8/8 rating indeed. The band has honed their songwriting skills and
made the tightest and shortest album of their career. Sure it is derivative as hell, but it is incorporated in ways
that pay respect to the elders of the past. Confidence seeps through on songs like "Hello Operator" (with nice
drum clicks, how the hell did they make that work?) and the Hendrix guitars of "Little Bird" (not 'little wing' heh)
that was simply not there before. A keen pop sensibility comes in, borrowed from the Kinks but oh well, on tracks
such as "I'm Bound to Pack it Up" and "Sister Don't You Know My Name". Also the rock quotient is still there on
"Let's Build a Home", the cover "Death Letter", "Why Can't You Be Nice to Me", and the superb "Truth Doesn't
Make a Noise", the best song of the band's career so far. This song alone makes the album worth getting, a
lyrical, smoldering blues pop track that comes along only by a pure genre master, which White proves himself to
be on this record. Then you have the opener and closer, the former being a brilliant pop moment form a band
who I didn't even know could do it and the latter being an old fashion romp a la "Bron-yr-Stomp" by Led Zeppelin
(also sampled is "Over the Hills and Far Away" in "Why Can't You be Nice to Me", check out those similar power
chords). Minor quabble - "A Boy's Best Friend" doesn't work as a ballad and "Jumble Jumble" fails as a rocker,
but those are the only real problems on De Stijl. This record is the reason I could see all the fuss about the band,
once they got popular with the records that weren't as good...yeah. - Trevor e.y.
1.you're pretty good looking- 4
2.hello operator- 4
3.little bird- 4
4.apple blossom- 3
5.i'm bound to pack it up- 4
6.death letter- 4
7.sister, do you know my name- 3
8.truth doesn't make a noise- 4
9.a boy's best friend- 2
10.let's build a home- 4
11.jumble, jumble- 2
12.why can't you be nice to me- 4
13.your southern can belongs to me- 4
2001
White Blood Cells - 6/8
White Blood Cells is the band's 3rd released record, but it plays more like their second. It finds them in a
transitional phase where they are making ballads instead of rockers but still suffer from to many songs that come
off as filler. Hilariously, the band had fixed its problem of inside jokes and dull songs on De Stijl, but here they
return to it. Regardless of what number album this is for the band, it is a step up from the debut in class but a
step down from De Stijl. There are some remarkably catchy songs in the first four, but they either sound
derivative of themselves ("Dead Leaves" and "I'm Finding..Gentlemen") or of other songs ("Fell in Love with a
Girl" is pure Pixies). In fact, the album kind of alternates ripping off Frank Black and Paul McCartney. I always
expect some one to start singing "one sweeet dream" after the verse in "The Same Boy You've Always Known",
stolen from the suite in Abbey Road. To point out all of the rip offs is pointless, because despite the lack of
originality this is still a good record (especially if you stop listening after # 10). Interesting as always, the band
has yet to make a bad record. This album brought the band a lot of success, and probably boosted their egos to
an unnecessary level, but who am I to complain right? Well, everybody can complain, and no one has to agree;
this is all my opinion so keep ye pants on. SO I say that White Blood Cells is a good little record, despite all of
the filler and lame lyrics that keep it what it could have been - a great EP. - Trevor e.y.
1.dead leaves and the dirty ground- 4
2.hotel yorba- 4
3.i’m finding it harder to be a gentlemen- 4
4.fell in love with a girl- 4
5.expecting- 3
6.little room- gf
7.the union forever- 3
8.the same boy you’ve always known- 3
9.we’re going to be friends- 4
10.offend in every way- 4
11.i think I smell a rat- 2
12.aluminum- 2
13.i can’t wait- 3
14.now mary- 3
15.i can learn- 1
16.this protector- 2
2003
Elephant - 4/8
Here is where the band, and all of their fans, completely lose me. Is "There's No Home for You Here" the same
song as "Dead Leaves and Dirty Ground"? Is "I Want to be the Boy to Warm Your Mothers Heart" the same song
as "Same Boy You've Always Known"? Is "The Hardest Button" the same as "Seven Nation Army"? Aren't most of
these songs very boring? Are there any great songs on here beyond the first two? Is "In the Cold Night" trying to
be like The Velvet Underground? Could this review be more monotonous? Is this overrated as hell? Isn't "Ball
and Biscuit" just a waste of seven freakin' minutes? Isn't Thickfreakness by The Black Keys, released this same
year, ten times as good as this is in terms of two-person blues-rock? Do half of these tracks not sound like either
the John Spencer Blues Explosion or a stylistic jamboree of crap?!? The answer is yes, to all. What a bad record.
- Trevor e.y.
1.seven nation army- 4
2.black math- 4
3.there's no home for you here- 2
4.i just don't know what to do with myself- 2
5.in the cold, cold, night- 2
6.i want to be the boy to warm your mothers heart- 2
7.you've got her in your pocket- 2
8.ball and biscuit- 2
9.the hardest button to button- 2
10.little acorns- 3
11.hypnotise- 2
12.the air near my fingers- 3
13.girl, you have no faith in medicine- 2
14.well it's true that we love each other- 2
2005
Get Behind Me Satan - 1/8
Oh dear God, even worse. Everything about this band has gone to utter crap. "My Doorbell", "I'm Lonely",
"Instinct Blues", and "Red Rain" are some of the worst songs I've ever heard. This album is similar to the last,
except there is more piano and more bad songs. The only decent song on here is "The Denial Twist". It is really
hard to listen to this record, and I am bored with this review. Like any one star record, your average local band
can do music this well, maybe even better! - Trevor e.y.
1.blue orchid- 2
2.the nurse- 2
3.my doorbell- 1
4.forever for her- 2
5.little ghost- 1
6.the denial twist- 3
7.white moon- 1
8.instinct blues- 1
9.take take take- 2
10.ugly as i may seem- 1
11.red rain- 1
12.i'm lonely- 1
2007
Icky Thump - 1/8
They are trying to change, even the cover is in black and white! OOOOO artsy! I am beginning to resent this
band quite a lot. They seem to think this music is good music, but beyond "Icky Thump" and "Little Cream Soda" I
just get annoyed by everything. The vocals on this are freakin' hilarious and exaggerated, am I the only one who
thinks this? They try bagpipes, spoken word, and the usual blues-meets-pop thing and none of it works. I read
rave reviews at the time it came out, so hyped so hyped, and went out and spent $11 on it. It is just as bad as the
last record, and records don't get much worse then those two. There is nothing compelling about this music at
all! Marnie Stern (2007) and Jane Siberry (1993) can do music like "St. Andrews", except good. It is lame, alll the
fun drained out, garbage. I am not going to ever buy another record by these folks unless they can prove to me
they want to actually make good new music. As of 2003-present, The White stripes are the most overrated band
on planet Earth. - Trevor e.y.
1.icky thump- 3
2.you don't know what love is- 2
3.300 miles per hour torrential outpour blues- 1
4.conquest- 1
5.bone broke- 2
6.prickly thorn, but sweetly worn- 1
7.st. andrews- 1
8.little cream soda- 3
9.rag and bone- 1
10.i'm slowly turning into you- 1
11.a martyr for my love to you- 1
12.catch hell blues- 1
13.effect and cause- 2
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