The White Stripes Album: “Get Behind Me Satan [Japan Bonus Tracks]”

Good-bye to the casual fan; hello new sound. The White Stripes got popular with simple, catchy, and very creative songs. From De Stijl, to White Blood Cells, to Elephant, their popularity skyrocketed as their songs and albums got better and better. As everyone could tell, their style peaked at Elephant. So, I was expecting to be disappointed by Get Behind Me Satan because how could it be better than Elephant?

I was wrong. Like David Bowie with Aladdin Sane (after Ziggy Stardust), The White Stripes did not try to best Elephant, they altered their style and have written their best and most intricate songs yet. In short, they took a step back and sideways to go forward.

Just pick a great song. "Red Rain" is Jack White's most creative song to date and it's melodic in the most interesting way. "The Nurse," with it's seemingly random but calculated guitar crunches and it's purposeful lack of a real chorus, it has all the elements of great indie rock. "Take Take Take" is an off-rhythm harmony that's probably the best melody in the White Stripes catalogue.

You've heard the White Stripes go country before, but on "Little Ghost" Jack pushes to bluegrass and still makes it work. The textures and layering of the song are beautiful. "My Doorbell" is probably the song that is most representative of their former style on this album. It's simple, catchy, and funny. "As Ugly as I Seem" has great transitions and the patient notes come off perfectly.

After an album of experimentation and great results, the White Stripes have all the credibility they need to write a traditional closing song which is still really good anyway. Even when they write formulaic songs they elevate above the formula.

This album cements the White Stripes as a classic rock band. Without hesitation, I'd put them and Radiohead up there with The Doors, Pink Floyd, R.E.M., Nirvana, and so forth.

Absolutely floored by the new album. I'll preface this by saying that if you are expecting a redux of Elephant, you will be disappointed. If you're open to new sounds, new influences, you're going to love this. Get Behind Me Satan is the White Stripes "Rubber Soul" or, to appease those who cry blasphemy at such a comparison, "Led Zeppelin III," a transition from the songs and structures we as fans have become familar with to a new, unchartered and experimental territory. And it works wonderfully. There are no more than four "guitar" songs on the new album in the typical White Stripes style. The majority of the songs are based on piano, with a few (most notable "The Nurse")on marimba and maracas. But make no mistake- this is not an album of humdrum piano ballads. Meg White's primal drumming is the link between the classic guitar heroics and blues chords and the new, progressive markings of this album. Several songs ("Little Ghost") also hint at Jack's recent work with Loretta Lynn, for which both received Grammy nominations.

A friend asked me to describe the album- the best that I could say is that, it sounds like no other White Stripes album, but by the same token, no one besides The White Stripes could make this. While the guitars take a back seat, make no mistakes- this is a WHITE STRIPES album- and their finest to date.

In the White Stripes 5th album, "Get Behind Me Satan" we get

13 tracks of exactly what we deserve from the White Stripes,

a new album unlike the other 4 in every way. I'll admit I

was initially put off by this new offering, but after a

second spin I was hooked.

What trills me the most is that this time 'round, a pounding

piano has replaced Jack's usual raw guitar. Meg's minimal

drumming is great for what it is and for what it is not, but

she does get to flex her skills a bit more.

Stand-out tracks include: My Doorbell (possibly my new fav),

Little Ghost, I'm lonely, Instinct Blues, and Blue Orchid.

It's obvious that Jack's song writing is on a whole new level

that was only hinted at in the other records.

Above all, this album expands on what the White Stripes music

is all about: making songs that take us beyond our expectations. It's a rush to listen to an album and get excited about what you hear, at the same time genuine anticipation for where the next track may go. The inner blues maniac in me misses the rock from time to time, but the mellow tracks and soothing lyrics make it all ok.

5 out of 5, a must own!

Don't let the bad reviews fool you.

Well, I do seem to notice a pattern. The bad reviews come, for the most part, from fans who were drawn in by the more radio-friendly rock found on Elephant, the previous album from the White Stripes (and found, to an extent, on some of the Stripes' other albums). If you like the Stripes for "Seven Nation Army," this might not be the album for you; Give it a try, but expect something totally different.

Jack White has clearly been influenced by his recent work with country legend Loretta Lynn, and the blues influences seen in the White Stripes' albums since the very beginning are stronger than ever in this album. It's still rock, but it's an interesting "blues-country-rock" medley. I've never been a country fan (or much of a blues fan), but I am in love with this album.

This is the most original album I've heard from any modern band, and is probably the White Stripes' best. I highly reccomend it.

Stashing the noisy guitar for a piano to bang on, Jack White decided to take a crossroads left at the Delta of The Blues. The result is an album he bragged about recording in a two week blast. "Get Behind Me Satan" is lo-fi racket without the volume, an album where the marimba plays leads and Meg sings a snippet of a song ("Passive Manipulation"). For a band that prides itself on eclecticism, this is their most left field CD to date.

The time dreaming up Loretta Lynn songs had their influence on "Get Behind Me Satan." "Little Ghost" and "I'm Lonely (But I Ain't That Lonely Yet)" sound like they were meant for Lynn's "Van Leer Rose" project. (I wonder if Dwight Yoakum is flattered by the song-title swipe?) Some of the songs are by contrast humorous ("Take Take Take" - the misbegotten tale of an obsessed fan) to lovely ("Forever For Her Is Over for Me"). Jack White is proving to be a pretty crack songsmith. (His work with the Racountours offers further proof in that department.)

The primitivism that some deride about "Get Behind Me Satan" is actually one of the album's charms for me. There is still something cool about hearing a band play with their blemishes showing. In an age where singers back out of TV appearances if they think their pre-recorded "live" vocal overdubs don't sound complimentary, I am completely OK with The White Stripes deliberately NOT spending three years performing cosmetic surgery in the studio. Even the songs that sound like they need a little work ("Instinct Blues") are entertaining, because "Get Behind Me Satan" is meant to be a long-player. This isn't a collection of singles and easy to MP3 ring-tones. This is a CD meant to be played and followed through the scope of its many diverse ideas and eccentric songs/production. Jack and Meg White are invested in their music enough to take risks and allow the chips to fall where they may. It makes "Get Behind Me Satan" a beacon of hope among the squeaky clean factory bands trying to sell you cookie cutter rock.