Before they were world renowned rock stars with multiple songs in the charts, The White Stripes were just an up and coming odd, but charming rock n' roll duo from Detroit's immense and impressive underground rock scene. In 1999 they issued their mission statement unto the world in the form of a debut album simply titled The White Stripes, which had been recorded in Jack and Meg White's home on a four track reel to reel tape recorder.
The White Stripes has a pretty lo-fi feel in some respects, though not in as rough and dirty a way as anything The Black Keys did early on. This album does sound a little more refined in certain ways. That said, most of the songs are short bluesy rock n' roll tunes. You can hear the blend of blues, rock, punk, and other genres coming together to form a sound that up to that point the world had never heard the likes of before and hasn't again since. It's raw, pulsing, and in your face yet at the same time has this ghostly presence to it.
Astro is kind of an odd tune, as it doesn't have much of a structure yet at the same time it flows beautifully. It's loud, pounding, and will crush a city like Godzilla. While it is loud, the natural reverb gives it this otherworldly feel that it wouldn't have otherwise. It definitely makes the song seem like even more of a ginormous monster than it already is to begin with. It's definitely a great one to play if you need some rock n' roll that cranks.
Screwdriver in my opinion is the cream of the crop that is The White Stripes. It has this jangly, bluesy, yet loud rocking riff to it that will blow your face off. However, it knows how to use dynamics and back off in certain places. Plus, Jack's singing is rather powerful here too. Some points he gets so powerful and high that he is almost screaming which is not something you often hear him do. Meg absolutely whales on the drums too. This is definitely one of her finer moments as well.
The White Stripes is definitely a remarkable first effort by the band. It's by no means my favorite album of theirs, though. It took some time for it to really grow on me and for me to understand before it became one that stuck with me. It laid the foundation for what the band was about and has quite a few tunes that I'm sure you'll be fond of yourself. It's ranges from loud, hard, and fast, to more laid back, sedate, and emotion driven. I definitely recommend it.
The White Stripes, by The White Stripes receives 3 out of 5 stars.
Track List:
1. Jimmy the Exploder
2. Stop Breaking Down
3. The Big Three Killed My Baby
4. Suzy Lee
5. Sugar Never Tasted So Good
6. Wasting My Time
7. Cannon
8. Astro
9. Broken Bricks
10. When I Hear My Name
11. Do
12. Screwdriver
13. One More Cup of Coffee
14. Little People
15. Slicker Drips
16. St. James Infirmary Blues
17. I Fought Piranhas
Buy the album on Amazon:
https://www.amazon.com/White-Stripes/dp/B001B83M9Q/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1508488395&sr=8-1&keywords=the+white+stripes+the+white+stripes
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