The White Stripes’ new album, Elephant, is being described by the music press as everything from this week’s album of the year, to a weaker, whiter rehash of the blues. A more accurate description of the minimalist duo’s latest release is a strong, hook-laden pop album tinged with blues and folk elements.
What makes the Stripes noteworthy is their ability to write songs which are infectiously catchy and listenable; with riffs and melodies that stick in your head. Not to mention those cute little red-and-white outfits. Their sound has evolved very little, with their palette consisting of no more than guitar, drums and Jack’s vocals, (he’s one of the most nasal voices in rock, in addition to being ugly). Meg’s drumming is the sort of forgettable, simple banging that any child could pull off, leaving Jack the star of the show to deliver with huge, distorted riffs and bombastic solos.
The album opens with the paranoid “Seven Nation Army,” another of Jack’s attempts to deal with the enormous popularity that the duo have acquired since their last album, White Blood Cells. Over and over again throughout the album gentle melodies morph into crushing faux-metal riffing and back again just as quickly on songs like “Black Math,” “Little Acorns” and “The Hardest Button to Button.” “There’s no Home for You Here” is an excoriating break-up anthem made all the more caustic by its lack of anger in favor of a detached and almost incredulous-sounding examination of how much Jack’s significant other sucks and why she should go away.
The centerpiece of the album is the blues-rock of the seven-minutes-and-change “Ball and Biscuit,” where Jack haughtily delivers lines like “and right now you could care less about me / but soon enough you will care, by the time I’m done” before backing his boasting up with a series of wailing solos dripping with the Strokes’ bluesy, cock-rock aesthetic.
While largely strong throughout, the album, the middle songs falter. Songs like “Cold, Cold Night,” “I Want To Be the Boy” and “You’ve Got Her In Your Pocket” are pleasant and listenable but seem mundane and forgettable in comparison to the larger-than-life quality of the other songs surrounding them. Luckily these songs are the exception and not the rule, and the album resumes its original frenzied, upbeat pace before cratering on the last song.
“It’s True That We Love One Another,” makes fun of the controversy surrounding their relationship, which is either brother-sister or husband-wife, depending on which interview you happen to read. In this sense, the song is really just a lame inside joke and is too cornball. Sort of like wearing a red-jumpsuit with white tassles, or touring with Loretta Lynne.
Cheesy antics aside, The Stripes have succeeded in crafting an album that continues in the direction of their previous albums, but on a much grander and more confident scale. While Jack and Meg seem to view their ever-growing popularity with suspicion, Elephant is an almost sure sign that the group is only going to get bigger.
