I'm pretty easy going as far as the White Stripes go. I like some of their stuff and there are bits of their canon I don't care for. And whilst the pedestal on which most music critics seem to hold them on seems bizarre to me, neither would I wholly castigate them either.
The temptation is of course to subscribe to the "it's the White Stripes so automatically it must be great" thesis but first impressions are that this album is a regression after the daring Get Behind Me Satan. Indeed those that thought the last album wasn't White Stripes enough will be pleased with what they get here.
But the intriguing thing about the Stripes for me has always been that feeling that they are always searching for new ground and this album has the other effect. When it hits the spot, it's great but the overriding feeling is that they've stuck on the safe ground for this effort.
A definite backwards step then, but not one without its moments.
No comments:
Post a Comment