With the title of my blog it seems most fitting that my first post would be about the split of one of the best bands to emerge in the past two decades of Western music.
White Stripes simply were one of the most exciting, passionate rock n roll bands around. Jack White, a man who was rightfully voted NME's most rock n roll musician of the noughties, had an astonishing ability in bringing out a raw, pure blues, guitar sound that feels all but extinct in the modern era. Meg White, his partner on the drums (who also gave a variety to the band at times by singing), provided a rhythmic backbone to a band that truly understood what rock n roll, at least sonically, meant.
The two were once married but insisted for a while that they were in fact brother and sister so that there was a greater concentration on their music as opposed to their relationship. Coming from Detroit and having a real DIY approach to their music (with Jack White producing all of their albums) they released their debut in 1999.
And what a thunderous debut album it was! The White Stripes, which is probably still their best, consists of Jack blowing out screeching guitars on songs such as Screwdriver and Jimmy the Exploder ("Hoo hoo hoo hoo"). It was a shock to the musical scene, which at the time had a deficit of real creative talent, that this out-of-the-blue sound managed to mould together so many musical influences and deliver a gritty hubbub of blues, punk and garage rock. The album also marked the start of a trend of White Stripes records which were well received critically. Soon, with hits such as Dead Leaves and Dirty Ground, Hotel Yorba and Fell in Love with a Girl, they started to gain the popularity they deserved.
It was Elephant, however, that really stood as their breakthrough into the mainstream. Seven Nation Army with its famous hypnotic video proving an iconic moment for the band also featured a riff children hummed for years to come. Yet, they never really let go of their roots and managed to evolve their sound and remain interesting. Get Behind Me Satan was again a powerful display of blues and rock, while Icky Thump had a more chaotic sound to it which showed that Jack was perhaps looking for new directions.
Why the White Stripes broke up has not yet really been properly explained. Jack claimed that it was to "preserve what is beautiful and special about the band," and Meg's acute anxiety problems that forced them to cancel 18 tour dates in 2007 might have been a contributing factor. It feels as if Jack is looking for other opportunities to channel his creativity, by recording and producing with other talented musicians, having taken White Stripes as far as he could. Recently, he released Sea of Cowards with his side-project the Dead Weather and it turned out to be an excellent return to form.
Still, I had always hoped that a new White Stripes album would arrive soon. Having seen them live as a 10 year old at Reading 2002, I guess I was lucky or spoiled or both, to see such a genuine, there-for-the-music, rock n roll band fronted by a real genius (possibly only challenged by Josh Homme and the Strokes). It’s hard to believe that we will no longer really have a band so naturally cool and indifferent to the idea of selling out, they were just here to play. Yet, fortunately, with a man as talented and musical as Jack, there is no fear that he won't come back to make bigger and greater things. There's simply no holding him back (something Jason Stollsteimer could testify to).
For that reason I’m not as worried by the break up of the band as I should be. Yes they will be sorely missed but they released six albums that probably took them as far as they needed to go and nobody is a better judge of what is necessary for the music than Jack. And what about the future of rock n roll? Well if Jacks still around I know that sooner or later I’ll be hearing some god damned blues guitar terrorizing our sound waves, and I can’t wait.
