Minimal to the point of sounding monumental, this Detroit guitar-drums-voice duo makes the most of its aesthetic choices and the spaces between riffage and the big beat. In fact, the White Stripes sound like arena rock as hand-crafted in the attic. Singer/guitarist Jack White's voice is a singular, evocative combination of punk, metal, blues, and backwoods while his guitar work is grand and banging with just enough lyrical touches of slide and subtle solo work to let you know he means to use the metal-blues riff collisions just so. Drummer Meg White balances out the fretwork and the fretting with methodical, spare, and booming cymbal, bass drum, and snare cracks. In a word, economy (and that goes for both of the players). The Whites' choice of covers is inspired, too. J. White's voice is equally suited to the task of tackling both the desperation of Robert Johnson's "Stop Breakin' Down" and the loneliness of Bob Dylan's "One More Cup of Coffee." Neither are equal to the originals, but they take a distinctive, haunting spin around the turntable nevertheless. All D.I.Y. punk-country-blues-metal singer/songwriting duos should sound this good. ~ Chris Handyside, All Music Guide
Track List
(try tracks 1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9,10,11 and 12)
favorite Stripes album...how the f**k is Ten Thousand Fists by Disturbed even close to how this sounds?? it makes me mad that they'd compare Disturbed to the awesomeness of Meg, and Jack White. They're incomparable with modern metal crap. Stripes forever!
Funny- I love Bob Dylan and it was that cover that made me want to listen to the album and I thought it was great!!! Not sure who all the other covers are or who the original artists are. Would love to know.
every track on this album has a sense of space thats lacking in alot of their later albums, it may not cover as much ground but it covers what it does beautifully, my second favorite white stripes album and a modern classic