Amazon.com: The White Stripes are back with the most bombastic album they've ever produced! While revealing the band's roots in American folk music, Icky Thump is an explosive, revolutionary assault that brings together garage rock, every blues style of the past 100 years, nouveau, and flamenco. This is truly a modern rock and roll masterpiece!
The White Stripes Photos
More from the White Stripes
Elephant
White Blood Cells
The White Stripes
Get Behind Me Satan
De Stijl
Walking With A Ghost + 4 Live Tracks
The Document
Candy Coloured Blues
Rhinoceros
Amazon.com: Bagpipes, a song written as the soundtrack to a Michel Gondry music video, Patti Page's musical shadow, and Jack and Meg co-narrating a scavenger's rummages: It must be time for Icky Thump, the many-flavored riposte to 2006's Get Behind Me Satan. The duo starts big with the title track--Jack's fast-tumbling, falsetto-tinged lyrics jagging on hyper keyboard-sounding segues and Meg's pounding drums. They rarely shy from an idea, invoking acoustic Bob Dylan to frame "300 M.P.H. Torrential Outpour Blues," but interjecting a series of distortion-laden guitar paroxysms for good measure. The end of Icky, on "Effect and Cause," is where Jack's trademark vocal warble and spare, quick acoustic strums meet Meg's single-minded beats. Everywhere on Icky giant riffs leap and shout, with Flamenco horns and those eerie bagpipes and rhythmic shifts and Jack's impatient vocal kinetics, marking new territories even as the White Stripes again populate them with vintage ideas. --Andrew Bartlett
Disc 1:
Icky Thump
You Don't Know What Love Is (You Just Do As You're Told)
Not their best. For me, the White Stripes can do no wrong. And while they didn't do wrong with Icky Thump, they didn't do their best either. If I had to choose a couple cuts to recommend, I'd pick "You Don't Know What Love Is" and "Effect and Cause."
White Stripes - Ickythumped I wanted to write an article about the White Stripes since their release last year 2007, Ickythump, but didn't have the inspiration until now.
The White Stripes, Meg and Jack White are a Alternative rock group out of Detroit Michigan, which formed back in 1997. They originally portrayed themselves as a sister and brother duo, when in fact they were married for a period of time at the beginning of their careers. Even after their divorce, the band has remarkably still stayed together.
The White Stripes use a do-it-yourself, low fidelity approach to recording songs, using a very raw, minimalist simplicity of composition and arrangement primarily inspired by early punk rock, and blues. Personally as a newer fan of White Stripes, I have grown to appreciate their stripped down, Lo-Fi primal sound. Furthermore, their playfulness and general quirkiness make the albums never too heavy or too bizarre for mainstream listeners. With their newest album Ickythump, the Stripes have returned to this analog, scratchy, Detroit garage rock sound after their experimental departure with their 2005 release 'Get Behind Me Satan,' and its piano based pop. However even though Ickythump is a return to earlier styles, it seems more over produced then previous recordings since this is their first and only release with Warner Bros.
It was pointed out to me that Jack White has an obssession with the number three with his recordings, and live performances. As stated on Wikipedia: "Jack has emphasized the significance that the number three holds for the band, citing it as inspiration not only for their tri-colored uniforms (red, white, black), but their pared-down approach to what he considers the three elements of song: storytelling, melody and rhythm. The number three also frequently appears in White Stripes' album artwork, and texts written by Jack, such as liner notes or messages written on the band's website, are often signed with "Jack White III" or simply "III". There are also only three sounds--drums, guitar and vocals--in most of their songs; sometimes keyboard or piano is substituted for guitar." The one thing which I found interesting in Ickythump is that his supposed rule of Three wasn't as honored as previously in other albums. In songs such as 'St. Andrew(The Battle is in the Air)' the recording has bagpipes, raging guitar, drums, and Meg White all churning together at the same time - the additional layers which lend to making the track sound more lush and full also detracts from the White Stripes' strict regimented style of three-is-best.
After writing an article about Death Cab for Cutie and the lyrical genius of Ben Gibbard, it is a bit of let down to come to Jack White's lyrics. Jack White's lyrics are not profound or deep, however they do showcase the playful, ramshackle style that the White Stripes have become so famous and loved for. Lyrcially the songs that stood out strongest for me were the albums title track 'Ickythump' and the folksy 'Effect and Cause.' The song Ickythump deals with the topic of immigration, and criticized America's current stance on immigration policy, as such the song is the first political song which the White Stripes have put out since "The Big Three Killed My Baby," off The White Stripes (1999), the bands debut album. The defining point of the song comes when Jack White states: "White Americans What? Nothin' better to do?" "Why don't you kick yourself out? You're an immigrant too." "Who's using who? What should we do?" "Well you can't be a pimp And a prostitute too."
The whole song with its abrasive guitars leaves the whole question of the immigration debate uncomfortably unresolved; lyrically and musically.
With Jack's marriage to British model Karen Elson and in a dedication to his own Scottish heritage, the White Stripes showcase a mini-suite with 'Prickly Thorn, But Sweetly Worn', and 'St. Andrew(The Battle is in the Air)'. The two tracks on the album are a a nice homage to his roots with soaring bag pipes, and raucous drums, which sounds strangely like Led Zeppelin and 'The Battle of Evermore.' Unfortunately, to a lot of hard core White Stripes fans these tracks may come across as alien and a radical change from their previous song stylings, but I found them entertaining and to be strong tracks in the middle of the album.
Another stand out track was their rendition of Patti Page's 1950's song 'Conquest' which was originally written by Corky Robbins. The song originally was a 50's song jump blues tune about the battle of the sexes, which the White Stripes turn into a raging garage rock bullfight, complete with dramatic mexican trumpets, and malaguena guitar riffs. Their new rendition takes the tune to a more darker place than the original.
Even though I am not an over the top fan for the White Stripes, I can appreciate and respect their spontaneous tempo shifts, their song dynamics, and their prog rock influences - which abound on this album. People have pointed out that this is easily the White Stripes loudest, in your face album, and at first it was hard to digest, but after a few listens it does grow on you.
-Andrew D.B. Joslyn Music Musings For more reviews please visit: [...]
Great album, TERRIBLE master! Whatever idiot mastered this CD made it so loud that the drums crunch and clip during particularly loud parts. This is particularly noticeable during the chorus on track 3 and the 0:05 part in Icky Thump.
The vinyl version was mastered by a different person and has none of this terrible clipping, plus all the different instruments sound more distinct and snappy. Get that instead.
Now seven albums strong It's undisputed that the White Stripes are one of the best rock bands of all time. Although I might need some time to think about where to place them in my list of favorite bands, this album proves that they rank pretty high on the Richter scale.
"Icky Thump" is an earthquake-shaker of an album, starting off with a title track with slamming guitar chords, Meg White's loud cymbals and an angular guitar solo acting as the chorus. The solo is followed by a schizophrenic keyboard solo that adds much more excitement to a spectacular start.
And the excitement never ceases. Jack White literally turns into a wannabe-Spanish tenor, with his cry on the epic "Conquest". Who would have thought that Jack would go so far with his loud songs?
Another original twist comes in the form of bagpipes. "Prickly Thorn" starts as a folk-song, complete with clapping. However, it changes gears in a psychedelic bagpipe melody, mixed with strange quotes and laughs.
And it still features awesome exploding songs, such as "Little Cream Soda". Although I have heard Jack White give odd monologues alongside loud guitar blasts, his coolest one yet came in this song. He spends time reminiscing about times when he wanted his ice cream soda a little colder, passing it off by saying "oh well."
I'd have to say that Jack White is starting to develop quite an ego, though. With "Rag and Bone," Jack literally brags that "If it's just things that you don't want, I can use 'em/Meg can use 'em/Make some money out of 'em, at least". Still, I'd have to say that Jack White has every reason to brag--they're the hottest band out in America right now, and still as explosive as they were when they began.
But still, back to rocking. In fact, "Catch Hell Blues" shows off Jack's wacky slide guitar effects. I love how inventive Jack is with high-pitched guitar squeals. I missed these squeals from bands such as "Rage Against the Machine," and I'm glad White has made the squeals cool again (thank goodness!).
And finally, Jack has never sounded so soulful as in the last jam, "Effect and Cause". There's nothing better than a simple acoustic guitar song, with excellent protest lyrics such as "Well you can't take the effect/And make it the cause/I didn't rob a bank/Cos you made up the law".
This is, to date, The White Stripes' explosion album that shows them off at their best. There's so much original materal, so many awesome sound effects and so much protest angst that I couldn't give this album any less than my highest recommendation. Go get it if you're a rock fan. You won't regret it.
candycane dreams of white stripes! When I first heard that the latest cd for the White Stripes would be hitting the stores soon, I was excited. As a longtime fan, I own all of their music. Before I could buy the cd the music videos for the songs 'Icky Thump' and 'Conquest' began playing everywhere. Even though I was absolutely sure I would be buying the cd without hearing a song on it, I was pleased to see that the White Stripes sounded better than ever. The music videos caught the attention of my son (age 16) who remembered that I had the older White Stripes cds. He began listening to them back to back. So, when I finally bought the latest cd, he wanted to listen to it also. I started spending the mornings in his room searching for the new cd, while he began spending the afternoons after school searching my room for the new cd. It just goes to show how the sound of the White Stripes is crossing over into several generations. The music of Jack and Meg is across the board, in that, they have a blues song, grass roots song, punk song, rock song, and folk song on the same album. Although,'Icky Thump' and 'Conquest' seem to be the favorites of this new album, I favor the song 'Rag and Bone'. Much like the music on the cds of the White Stripes, the artwork on the albums are confined within the style that is the Whites! Often a black and white photo with red splashes of color and objects of symbolism always continue to show just how complete their albums are in design and thought. This cd sounds as fun as the cover photos where Meg and Jack are dressed like characters out of a scene from 'Mary Poppins'. In contrast, the photos inside the cd booklet are simple and carefree, while maintaining the expression that Jack and Meg balance each other. I am suggesting the cd 'Icky Thump' to friends and family. As a fan, I often have candycane dreams of White Stripes!
Anything Goes Trivia
Trevor
Megaton Man
