lambchops's Full Review: Elephant by The White Stripes
I have found true love in the most musical sense of the word.
Elephant entered my heart much too late. I had put off buying the album for no particular reason. Words escape me, Elephant is just as big an album as the title suggests. It is a much larger, much more vibrant album than Detroit duo The White Stripes ever assembled. It is in one word PERFECT. And I do not use that word flippantly. It will most certainly rank among the top few albums of 2003.
All of this from a band that only recently became something of a phenomenon. Beginning with their third album (and first mainstream release) White Blood Cells, The White Stripes has by all standards “hit it big.” With rough production, a few bad songs, and thrown-together aesthetics it left some doubt in the band’s staying power. Elephant leaves nothing in doubt. The White Stripes have cemented themselves in the psyche and history of American music.
Jack White and Meg White are the combined force behind The White Stripes. For a long while it was thought that they were siblings or cousins. Turns out that the duo is in fact a divorced couple—and this, I suppose, is what has led the music they make to seem so raw and emotional yet glib at the same time. Jack provides the majority of vocals and the guitar while Meg keeps rhythm on the drums. This is the band’s complete lineup and as such it would superficially seem that they are very much the minimalists. They are on some levels very simple, but on the most important level (the creative) the two shine brilliantly. Their melodies are concise as are their songs. Brevity in this case makes for punch and even more importantly memorable rock and roll.
Kicking off with lead single, Seven Nation Army, Elephant makes an immediate impact. It is the kind of song that jumps down your throat and kicks around in your gullet. Bubbling over with electric guitars and hard hitting guitars, the track weaves a lush tapestry. Jack’s vocals are exceptional—among the best that I’ve had the pleasure of hearing within the last decade. Whereas he seemed a bit of a pretentious bloke in the band’s earlier outings, he seems the rightfully confident rocker here. It is truly a classic. But the album doesn’t stop with just one song.
Black Math continues in much the same vein, though with the injection of a notably punk attitude and thick electric guitars The White Stripes spins an entirely new picture of their talents. But it is with There’s No Home For You Here, listeners will catch another glimpse of the catchy songwriting that will most certainly rank them in rock annals.
The White Stripes change things up with the Burt Bacharach cover I Just Don’t Know What To Do With Myself. The roots of the song are clear in the beginning, but as the track progresses it is clear that they’ve gotten a great deal of joy out of infusing their own influence into the previously calm, collected track. It fits perfectly into the overall picture of Elephant. But even with that said, the excellence of that track is outdone tenfold by In The Cold, Cold Night. Meg takes a step forward in this sparse, folky track. Her shuddering, precocious vocals are perfect. Essentially an acapella turn for the drummer, the song is only modestly aided by Jack’s guitars. It is with songs like this that the band shows that they have true talent and true staying power.
The middle part of Elephant is by no means a letdown. I Want to Be the Boy to Warm Your Mother's Heart is a lovely, sweeping song that surpasses all of my expectations. Warm, inviting and beautiful the track showcases Jack’s talent on the piano in addition to his gorgeous vocals. Whereas Seven Nation Army showed his punk attitude, he is tender and genuine here. You’ve Got Her In Your Pocket is similar in feel. But even lighter and more emotional. While on many levels it is a continuation of the song that proceeded, the lighter turn hits me even harder. It is in fact one of my favorites.
Ball and Biscuit is an incredibly evocative blues rock epic track. “Epic” in that it is over seven minutes is length—something very much atypical to the normal length of songs from The White Stripes. But it passes much too quickly. As much as I love that track, I am drawn to The Hardest Button To Button. It is easily one of the best tracks on Elephant. Jack highlights emotes with a Jagger-esque swagger. But instead of sounding like a wanna be Stone, he comes up with a new hard rocking modern swing. It works perfectly.
Little Acorns is in part an homage to the band’s Detroit roots beginning with a Mort Crim sound bite (Crim is a local newscaster). The song itself isn’t one of the best, but with that said it is nonetheless better than the vastest majority of material out there. Hyptnotize is a brief punk rock gem. What when I say “punk” I mean in the way that punk was before it was an official genre. It is a mix of punk and classic rock. It works well as a segway to the lovely The Air Near My Fingers. Once again, Jack kicks butt with understated vocals and guitars. The song itself is representative of the band’s ability to craft memorable melodies with very few instruments.
As Elephant nears an end, Girl, You Have No Faith in Medicine will keep listeners listening. A hard, thick, rich rocker it returns to the formula laid down previously be Seven Nation Army and Black Math. As such, it is a very worth experience.
It is not a challenge to make it all the way through Elephant, but it is still worth sticking it out to hear It's True That We Love One Another. Both Meg and Jack sing throughout. The song itself is a conversation between those two and Holly Golightly, fellow garage rock revivalist. Their voices fit perfectly together in this track that flows like an off-the-cuff breakdown. Not to discount the words—because they too are entertaining:
Jack I think your pulling my leg
And I think maybe I better ask Meg
Meg do you think Jack really loves me?
You know, I don't care because
Jack really bugs me
Why don't you ask him now?
Well I would Meg
I really just don't know how
Elephant is a wonderful, wonderful album. I’m not ready to say that Jack and Meg are incredibly musicians. But the two are somehow able to time and time again arrange and write incredible songs. If Elephant is any indication of their talent, then they have a heck of a lot more to offer the world. The White Stripes are here to stay regardless of whether or not they are ever able to put together another hit. Elephant is without question the best album of original material that’s been released any time in recent history. Great job, guys. Michigan rocks.
Muze: Copyright 1995 - 2008 Muze Inc. For personal non-commercial use only. All rights reserved.
Epinions.com periodically updates pricing and product information from third-party sources, so some information may be slightly out-of-date. You should confirm all information before relying on it.
- Add to My Yahoo!: 
- Add to Google Homepage: 
© 1999-2008 Shopping.com, Inc.