Heather Mendygral, Arts Editor 2001
In 2000, I had an assignment to write a review of the Sleater-Kinney show for The Daily Cardinal Arts page. I showed up at the Annex on Regent Street early to see the opening bands, both two-piece acts and both unknown artists. As I watched the openers assemble their red and white equipment on stage in their coordinating red and white clothing, I was skeptical yet intrigued. They seemed to have a certain dynamic, which was further solidified by the rumor at the time that they were siblings. The band introduced themselves as the White Stripes from Detroit and broke into the first gritty song of their set. The guitar and drums were raw, unpolished and at times out of tune and out of synch. This was garage rock at its best. Driving, simple beats layered with distortion, feedback and blues guitar. The White Stripes definitely made an impression on me, and I went to see them for a second time in 2001 at Party in the Park. The outdoor show had even more energy and volume, and Jack and Meg White had noticeably honed their sound. Muddy guitar and echoing beats mixed with Jack's vocal range proved to be a recipe for success. The twosome also performed a brilliant cover of Dolly Parton's ""Jolene,"" which showcased the band's blues-rock style.
The White Stripes have stayed true to their beginnings, never relenting the gritty sound that saturates their first album. They brought music back to a lo-fi purity that stood out amongst the over-produced music of the time. The White Stripes brought something new to the table as they combined rock, blues, country and punk genres as a two-piece band. It also helped that the duo had a somewhat mysterious relationship in the beginning with conflicting reports of siblings or spouses. This intrigue along with the creative music videos they produced (yes, this was back when bands still made music videos) helped catapult the White Stripes into the mainstream.
The White Stripes' discography in the 2000s is a steady stream of catchy rhythms, heartbreaking blues and quick and dirty rock 'n' roll. The core of these sounds can be found in ""Fell in Love With a Girl,"" ""Dead Leaves and the Dirty Ground,"" ""Seven Nation Army"" and ""Hotel Yorba."" Over the years, the White Stripes have added some more complexity to their songs with slide guitar and guest musicians, but they never lose the driving force of Jack and Meg White. The White Stripes have offered a catalog of great songs over the past 10 years, but what makes them worthy of the title Number One Band of the Decade is the influence they have had on the rest of the music scene. The White Stripes have proven that two people, one guitar and one drum set can create a wall of sound more dynamic than five-piece bands can establish. The twosome also opened the door for more lo-fi gritty bands to break out and start a new garage-rock trend. If it weren't for the popularity of the White Stripes, bands like the Kings of Leon would have never seen the light of day.
Justin Stephani, Arts Editor 2009
Jack White almost, almost, moved to Wisconsin as a teenager to attend a seminary and become a priest. Father Jack would have been one weird minister of the Word, but he opted out when he was told he couldn't bring his new guitar amp with him. Thank you, God. Without the guidance of Jack White, subtle aesthetic and lyrical revitalizations would be without their righteous leader.
As far as the garage-rock revival carrying over into the 2000s, the Strokes, Hives, Vines and White Stripes paved a path for rock, and as the most inimitable of the bunch, the Stripes' influences and sounds are classically untraditional and nonparallel with the industry.
From Pixies to Nirvana to Pavement, where exactly do the White Stripes fit as a next step in this progression? They don't. And they don't want to.
Instead, they were at home listening to Blind Willie McTell and Son House, too busy being awkward yet intimate spouses (now-ex's) rocking out with just a guitar and snare and bass drums. Because of this two-piece organic minimalism, they often don't focus on creating traditional images or sweeping emotions. Their songwriting is more comfortable re-enacting conversations and trains of thought fleshed out with instrumental endearments or aggressiveness as needed, while Meg provides the rhythm and haze of the conversation with dull but assertive thuds and cymbal flourishes.
As the decade progressed, this contrasted with not only their predecessors, but also with peers, as countless pop-punk and punk-rock groups threw formulaic, busy rhythms at every angsty song they made. And while Meg made simplistic drumming as appropriate and acceptable as Ringo, Jack satirized teenage angst both lyrically and musically, with the simplicity, directness and extroverted nature of his one-sided conversations running counter to the bland emotive nature of most contemporary rock. In ""Apple Blossom,"" White speaks directly to his very own ""apple blossom,"" asking her what her problem is. ""Ball and Biscuit"" portrays a seemingly drunk White telling his ""sugar"" to settle down and have a ball and a biscuit. And ""Effect & Cause"" explains causal relationships while casually ending a relationship. And all of them carry a poetic ingenuousness that has come to define White's lyricisms.
Rockers were previously confined to their garages, stuck listening to the radio and condemning the commercial gloss, trying to play it out of their memory. But when ""Seven Nation Army"" comes on, amps turn to 11 and a Pandora's box of creativity opens.
Yet now that their sound and concepts are becoming more superficially expansive, including bagpipes and horn sections on 2007's Icky Thump, it is easy for fans to forget what made them unique in the first place: the blues. When they burst onto the scene, they were a couple of young, brash Yardbirds who didn't hide anything behind their brand of blues and would come to inspire the Black Keys of today's indie scene.
Over time, they have proven not only their influence, but also their worthiness such an expansive influence. Even though they don't draw pictures of anxieties or depression, the mysterious influences and direct extroversions create an artistic vision for musicians to aim for. For those sitting around trying to figure out how they can be better than rock's contemporary radio imposters, the White Stripes provide guidance. And with each quirky ""Hotel Yorba"" and awkward ""You've Got Her In Your Pocket,"" the music industry can consider itself nudged in the right direction. I guess Jack White became a preacher of sorts after all, only rock 'n' roll is way fucking cooler than church.
