Shock! Its sprawling 14 tracks rarely cover new ground from the previous three long-playing efforts. The riffs feel repetitive and on occasions the songs ape older tunes - 'There's No Home For You Here' is basically 'Dead Leaves and the Dirty Ground' all over again.
I would've loved to have said how I can get lost in music in 'Elephant', how I could get drowned in sound, but that's just not happening. Don't get me wrong - had this been a band's debut album it would be something definitely worth shouting about. But it's not; it's the White Stripes fourth, and you kinda expect a bit more from a band's fourth album.
'Cold Cold Night' (with Meg on lead vocals) sticks out a mile due to it straying from the garage/blues gusto of its companion tracks. 'I Just Don't Know What To Do With Myself' - a radio session recording - has no place on here at all and its inclusion is baffling, not because it's a cover (of course they've recorded covers before) but it sits uncomfortably at the start of the album.
It's not until 'It's True That We Love One Another', with its wobbly Moldy Peaches-style singing, where they really shine through. Why? Because it's simple, it's fun, because it doesn't have Jack doing his crazy guitar slides all over the place like much of this album does (he's a great guitarist, but it does grate after a while). Unfortunately, it's the last track and that's that.
*Harumph* What a let down.
White Stripes - Elephant
Yes.
But then how many times have you been told by every magazine or paper you read that such and such an album is going to change the way we listen to music, only to find that it's content is simply a cold and uninspired retread of previous endeavours?
The day this records was released my housemate purchased his copy from MVC as soon as he'd finished lectures. He said "maybe one day, I can look back and tell my grandchildren that I bought this first." Sgt. Pepper's this is not.
White Stripes - Elephant
Even if you don't really like or get the album, the fact that its got quality is undeniable... I honestly cant see how someone can review it properly and give it half marks.
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If you think I just post what Sean thinks then you are a bit of a dick.The Strokes, for one, are one of my favourite bands and we all know what Sean thinks of The Strokes.... I could post a list of the amount of bands Sean and I disagree on, but I have other things to do...
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There is very little in the way of editorial constraints on Drowned in Sound writers. People are free to write what they want to write, that is the "joy" of this site.
Reason it was late was cus the album promo's weren't sent out 'til the day of release cus of a security fear of it leaking to the net?!?! It was available 2months befoe release wasn't it?
The only reason articles don't go up is if they are poorly written or don't justify what they are saying i.e. blind hatred, obsessive love of a band with no backing up with whats and whys.
Sean
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Musically though, it's average. The White Stripes have come pop because they've had a few decent pop tunes, but Elephant lacks these. It even shamelessly rehashes old tunes (the first vynil blatantly rips 'Dead Leaves...' somewhere. If the entire music press wasn't dicking them, then this would be an issue.
If you're ignorant to these facts that your either deaf, stupid or you have you cock in Jack White's fat arse too.
If two piece bands are so fucking good, then why is no one going on about all the other decent acts that were doing this at the same time as the Stripes started? Bands like Modey Lemon who drop with any novelty, but have easily as much soul?
Things get half-marks when they're average, and right now, open a dictionary, look up 'average' and you'll see a big hairy elephant shitting all over the page. There.
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But nah, I didn't think it was much cop either. So despite the inaccuracies, I guess the point was about right. "De Stijl" still to be bettered.
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""There's No Home For You Here" is an intentional reworking, it doesn't just happen to sound like it."
... which is exactly what I said. And what is the point of an 'intentional reworking'? Could they not be arsed writing any new songs?
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I mean, misinformed music journos are unforgiveable scum - but what about misinformed messageboard post-ers? huh?
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*fear*
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FUCKING TRASH
Re: FUCKING TRASH
The White Stripes - Elephant
The White Stripes - Elephant
Everybody, I mean everybody is giving "Elephant" God-like praise and rating it best album-of-the-year an so on. It's terrible. It is such an awful album. I'm not going to get into whether the drums are bad or the lyrics are bad or anything like that. A lot of great Rock and Roll is made by people who aren't great "Writers" or "Musicians". I would even argue that those things get in the way of the big picture, the big picture being the songs and the sounds. If I wanted important words I'd read a book. If I wanted good chops I'd listen to classical. So it seems, at least to me, The White Stripes have the right stuff to get the job done and apparently everybody, except me, thinks they did. I just don't understand. I feel like I'm in an episode of The Twilight Zone.
I know what people say about critics; they criticize because they can't do. That's not the case here and that's what bothers me so much. To prove it, my friend Tommy and I recorded some songs on a Tascam Porta-One 4-track recorder. Tommy played drums, I played guitar, and we both did vocals. Two people, half the tracks, and none of the money. Judge for yourself. Do it yourself. http://www.videocentral.org/the_white_stripes/
The White Stripes - Elephant
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The White Stripes - Elephant
Haha
Just browsing some old reviews, never have I seen a review on here that is as wrong as this one.