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Detroit duo The White Stripes continue to ascend to the peaks of rock and roll – and this time out they’re astride an elephantine beast of an album.

The White Stripes - Elephant

"The White Stripes are rock’n’roll" – Mojo

Meg and Jack White - AKA The White Stripes - return with a new single and their long-awaited new album. The ‘Stripes: Jack on vocals - accompanied by his own guitar and occasional piano - and erstwhile running-mate Meg - on drums and occasional harmony vocals – have added another fourteen of their trademark storming tunes to their already accomplished repertoire with their album chart-topping opus: Elephant.

Mostly recorded over ten days last April at the decidedly low-tech (by modern music industry standards) and low-key Toe-Rag studios, in Hackney, The White Stripes' fourth album is everything you ever wanted it to be. Same formula, but with a slightly ‘warmer’, sometimes fuller tone. Elephant is a beast of a record with a heart of gold.

All the tracks bar one were laid down in Hackney - with Liam Watson at the helm - the exception being committed to tape at the world-famous BBC studios in Maida Vale. Despite this, it sounds like it could have been taped anywhere – and really doesn’t represent a radical departure from the bands’ back-catalogue. Something for which the growing legions of ‘Stripes fans should count themselves fortunate!

Fell In Love With a Girl

Comprising fourteen tracks in all Elephant contains some real gems – the single Seven Nation Army is as good as anything on the pairs' breakthrough album White Blood Cells, while the charming, wistful You’ve Got Her In Your Pocket is as good as any ‘Stripes song you’ll have ever heard.

Elsewhere Jack White croons "I want to be the boy to warm your mother’s heart" and you know you’re in the presence of a yearning soul. "This album is dedicated to, and is for and about the death of the sweetheart" declares the album sleeve – and it’s clear from the lyric content on show that Jack White is as capable of playing the hapless romantic card as he is of playing the riffing bluesman one.

All of Elephant’s tracks are original compositions, except for one surprise cover version – a somewhat feral cover of the Bacharach and David standard I Just Don’t Know What To Do With Myself. This marks the latest addition to a round of covers the band have at their disposal; on the recent British tour they segued from their own I Think I Smell A Rat into Bob Dylan’s Ballad of Hollis Brown and then to a cover of country standard Jolene - with Jack White mixing up the songs’ gender politics by taking the vocal!

Album of the Year?

So, is this the most anticipated album of the year? Quite possibly – it’s certainly an early contender for album of the year, with the NME already hailing it as sounding like a greatest hits collection, rather than just the latest chapter in an extraordinary quartet of recordings. Every song a potential single? Well not quite – but very nearly. Jack White’s bluesy guitar lines and occasional acoustic guitar combine to produce a fine collection of tracks reminiscent in their ability to swap styles and story songs of The Pixies’ Black Francis at the height of his jagged power.

As for Meg’s drumming – some have called it primitive, but the clattering wonder of her uncluttered playing compliments the stripped-down sound of Jack’s guitar and lyrics just right. The album even showcases a little bass guitar for the band – who perform live with a strict one guitar and drum-kit sound. Odd acoustic guitars creep in here and there, giving the whole set of recordings a slightly more varied feel than the band’s earlier work.

The only immediately obvious glimmer of Britain that’s rubbed off on the record is the appearance of Holly Golightly, who adds her vocals to the final track of the album. Holly turns up on the closing track on side ‘d’ if you get the vinyl (and you really should you know – in the spirit of the analogue nature of these great recordings, if not to view the cover and interior artwork in all its glory).

Holly made her vocal contribution – on the sweet ‘duet-for-three’ It’s True That We Love One Another way back in November of 2001. Her own records are all well worth checking out – in particular Serial Girlfriend or any of her Damaged Goods recordings and the great Laugh It Up album on Vinyl Japan.

Live 'Stripes

The White Stripes' UK April tour took in Wolverhampton, Manchester, Glasgow and twin nights at London’s Brixton Academy. The tour saw them paying to packed houses, showcasing tunes from across their back-catalogue – from the Country Joe and The Fish tinged tub-thumper Hotel Yorba (they performed a sweet, if faltering a cappella version of this at Manchester) to newer tracks Ball and Biscuit and all shades in-between.

Much has been made of the ‘mystery’ surrounding the band – something which the pair of them have done nothing to put straight – and the closing track on the album does more than a little to fuel, in a playful way. Are they (former?) man and wife? Are they siblings? The truth is; we don’t know – but what we do know is they make a lean, dynamic musical couple and consistently produce on record and on stage – passing (seemingly effortlessley) from Detroit indie obscurity and straight into the mainstream without compromising their sound.

White Blood Cells was always going to be a hard act to follow for the White Stripes – in particular with the levels of scrutiny being focused on the defiantly retro two-tone duo – but despite being part of an industry that is often no respecter of quality they really have pulled it off again. Long may their (musical) honeymoon period last.

Free Gig

The next UK gig for The ‘Stripes will be the free open air event at Heaton Park in Manchester – part of the BBC Radio 1 ‘Big Weekend’ event 4 May. The band are appearing alongside The Coral, Stereophonics, Badly Drawn Boy, Feeder, Aqualung and Dirty Vegas. Tickets were distributed on a first-come, first-served basis from the BBC in Manchester.

The album is available on CD, and as a sepia toned limited edition gatefold double vinyl package - and there’s even a groovy coloured US pressing with one disc red and the other white, if you can track it down! The band’s earlier albums – the eponymous White Stripes and follow up De Stijl - named after a Dutch art movement advocating simplicity above all else – together with the titanic last album White Blood Cells are all still available.

For more information on The White Stripes visit their official website - which includes a full discography, forthcoming gig dates, news, photos, artwork, and tablature - at: www.whitestripes.com

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