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| From | Stewart Mason <flamingo@theworld.com> |
| Subject | Re: revisiting the White Stripes |
| Date | Thu, 30 Oct 2003 02:16:15 -0500 |
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At 10:58 PM 10/29/2003 -0800, AssociationWorks wrote:
>1) What kind of "rock" band has no bass player?
Well, the Doors, for one. Not that the Doors didn't suck 31 flavors of ass
-- 'cause they did -- but it's not unheard of for rock bands not to have
bass players.
>2) Yeah...Jack and Meg do actually kind of suck...and this is good?
>It actually REALLY limits the dynamics of their sound.
To which Jack would undoubtedly say "That's kind of the point." And
although I do think the White Stripes are seriously on the gimmicky side --
not a bad thing in itself -- I have to agree with the theory. I've heard
Jack White's earlier bands, where he was playing with a better drummer and
a bassist. They don't sound as good as the White Stripes. Who, to my
ears, do sound good. (By the way, I do think Jack's a genuinely good
guitarist, and I've heard far worse drummers than Meg White in my day. Ever
notice how every single Neil Young and Crazy Horse song has *the exact same
drumbeat*?)
Until Outkast's "Hey Ya" came out -- and as a side note, I find it odd that
I don't think a hit single that features most of the beloved tropes of
classic power pop (a prominent acoustic guitar track, handclaps, falsetto
harmonies on the chorus, a cool vintage synthesizer hook straight out of
the ELO songbook, even lyrics about the frustrations and idealization of
love) has been mentioned once so far on a list that claims to prize these
virtues above all others -- the best single I'd heard all year was the
White Stripes' "Seven Nation Army." Sure, you could argue that the song is
nothing but a riff...but it is one major-league, kick-ass riff that riffs
harder than any other riff has riffed in ages.
S
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