966. The White Stripes - Elephant (2003)

Track Listing

1. Seven Nation Army
2. Black Math
3. There's No Home For You Here
4. I Just Don't Know What To Do With Myself
5. In The Cold Cold Night
6. I Want To Be The Boy To Warm Your Mother's Heart
7. You've Got Her In Your Pocket
8. Ball And Biscuit
9. Hardest Button To Button
10. Little Acorns
11. Hypnotise
12. Air Near My Fingers
13. Girl You Have No Faith In Medicine
14. Well It's True That We Love One Another

Review

Another great album by The White Stripes, and possibly my favourite one... despite not giving much attention to the ones that followed this, I listened to a bit of Get Behind Me Satan but then I started this list and my musical knowledge stops in 2005. I hope to remedy that soon.

This is another album of great music and variety, with a resolutely analogic sound it is one of those album which is best listened to in very loud vinyl, which I fortunately have. The resolution not to use any tools past the 1970s really pays of in the organic and rich sound.

Then you have some great moments, like the wordless chorus in the first track or the sonic assault of Ball and Biscuit or even a Burt Bacharach cover. It all ends in a light mood with the last track, fun, light but pretty cool. The album is just great fun to listen to and if you add to this the considerations taken into account while making it it makes for a really great thing.

Track Highlights

1. Seven Nation Army
2. The Hardest Button to Button
3. Ball and Biscuit
4. Girl, You Have No Faith In Medicine

Final Grade

10/10

Trivia

From Wikipedia:

Upon its release, critical response to this album was overwhelmingly positive, and many critics hailed it as the one of the defining events of the 2000s garage rock revival. Uncut magazine remarked that "Elephant is where the tabloid phenomenon of summer 2001 prove they are no flash in the pan by making a truly phenomenal record." David Fricke (with Rolling Stone) called it "a work of pulverizing perfection," adding, "It will be one of the best things you hear all year." and Allmusic said the album "overflows with quality".

The Hypnotic video for Seven Nation Army: