So tonight The White Stripes officially announced their retirement from music. For most of us this announcement will not necessarily come as a great shock – the band haven’t released anything for three years now, and Jack White has been practically whoring himself out to new bands all over the show. For me however, this announcement, though possibly inevitable, is still tinged with sadness. Whilst the group have not released anything for a good while now, there was always the possibility that they were working on a new release, or might do so at some point in the future. The thought that they will not give us anymore music is a very sad one, especially as, in my opinion, The White Stripes simply got better with age. Many will disagree with this, stating that White Blood Cell or Elephant was the group’s best work. My favourite album by far was Icky Thump. That album was a culmination of all the heavy, thick, gruesome surliness the band had always offered mixed with a much more diverse, curious sound and instrumentation. Its tracks might not have been as regimentally punchy as the likes of “Hardest Button to Button”, but it was deep and challenging, and I liked that. Below is a short playlist of my absolute favourite tracks by The White Stripes. As well as there being a slight bias towards Icky Thump tracks, I have also include here some of the more quiet and sobering tracks within The White Stripes arsenal. My thoughts are that their slower, sparser songs are often the most intense and heartfelt, and really feel developed and committed, yet subtly charming. Here’s to The White Stripes then, one of the most important bands of the noughties, and maybe of our generation.
1. “Seven Nation Army”
Perhaps the most loved, played and renowned of all the White Stripes tracks – and with good reason. This song encapsulates the authoritative, cyclic rhythm that The Whites Stripes honed throughout their first few albums, refining their sound dramatically to this simple, rhythmically driven, captivating song. The epitome of The White Stripes’ sound, with a wailing guitar solo and a perfectly parallel video to match.
2. “300 M.P.H. Torrential Outpour Blues”
Possibly my absolute favourite White Stripes track. Beautiful guitar and organ parts interweave between each other, with heavy, over-sampled cymbals flooding the soundscape. Intriguing, considered and enlightening lyrics, delivered with an appealing vulnerability.
3. “My Doorbell”
4. A notable departure at the time for The White Stripes, being made up of piano, percussion and voice with complete absence of guitar. I thought the piano was a great addition to their work and added a whole new dimension of styles and sounds that could be incorporated in future White Stripes tracks. Still very simple and catchy, this track was in my head for weeks when it was first released.
5. “In the Cold, Cold Night”
For years I never really paid attention to this track – there is so much else on Elephant to distract one’s attention that this gem laid hidden to me for far too long. A rare demonstration of Meg singing, which she does well, and her voice certainly fits this track. The guitar part acts as a partner to her vocals – which combined are subtle but interesting. Very calm, cool and still, with almost subterranean synth and drum parts in the background.
6. “A Martyr for My Love for You”
Diverse instrumentation is at play here, with many guitar parts, organs and percussion, but the two things that draw you in with this track is the vocals and the lead guitar riff, which are desperately perfect. Jack’s lyrics, and especially his delivery of them are just inspired here, capturing exactly that feeling of all-consuming, painfully complicated love.
7. “Catch Hell Blues”
A very bluesy track indeed, with expertly executed bottleneck guitar playing that mutates into a marvellously dark and penetrating riff. This track is awash with crunchy, thick guitars and squealing wails, dropping away to eerily still intersections. Almost completely void of vocals, this track is aggressive, mardy, and fantastic for it.
8. “We’re Going to Be Friends”
This track is yet another perfectly captivating guitar and vocal event, very very subtly backed with percussion. This track documents really rather realistically yet romantically a sweet subject (childhood schooling), which is almost moving with its enchanting subtly and good-natured execution.
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