white stripes
get behind me satan
do you guys remember kid A? or am i getting old yet?
remember how, when it came out, it evenly split fans down the middle. in other words, there were the fans who hated innovation and experimentalization and avant-gardeness and basically decided to spit on radiohead's new direction, because they were too stupid to have a clue what was going on. they had wanted an OKC2 and now that they weren't gonna get it, they were whining like little ugly brats at the supermarket. then there were the fans who were a little startled at first by the overwhelming bizarreness, but after a few listens they embraced the strange new sound as beautiful. wonderful. amazing. they really outdone demselves dis time, we said.
yeah get behind me satan is a bit like that. if you've heard the single, don't even for a SECOND think of it as a defining song for the album. because there is no defining song for this album. every song is different, crafted in such a way that it really makes you think this attention deficited disordered brainchild of a record must've been all thought up in a dream. and really, that's the only true problem with get behind me satan - it was only recorded in a fortnight, and it kinda shows (the phone ring in "take, take, take"?!?!?!) so maybe in that sense, it's not as mindblowing as stuff we've come to expect from the 'stripes, but i have to admit.. it's still pretty good dammit. okay maybe there's one more problem.
the white stripes' trademark RAWK sound that we've come to expect from them is only here sporadically. and that's why i actually tore into a tangent about kid A. fans who have come to expect this signature sound from their whitening strips will be shocked and dismayed that blue orchid is the only song that makes them wanna headbang their brains out. and it's the *first* fuckin' SINGLE! those COCKTEASES!
okay but after a few listens you'll either hate it... or hopefully, you'll respect and like it. it seems like the whites are saying "hey look, we've done the crazy lovin' rawk'n'roll headbangin' album a few times now, well it's time we tried something completely different, so give us a chance, mmmkay?"
so i did. and the first thing i noticed were the lyrics. yes there is still plenty of repetition, but the lyrics are darker. stronger. more honest (the "truth" album as jack described it). incestuous. and i'm not just using that is a vague descriptive tag, there are more than just hints at incest here. but it works. as does their nu-country style, which is much more prominent on this album, probably a byproduct of jack white's involvement with van lear rose and the cold mountain soundtrack.
but wait a second! a marimba! where the hell did that come from.
wait...! piano?! bass?! random percussion instruments?!!? an instrument repertoire that expands beyond guitar and drums?!!?!
jack white has definitely spread his wings on this album, but despite the lack of electric gi-tar sweetness and the somewhat obvious rush-job on a few songs, it really ain't bad. it's perfect for those long bluesy summer nights. and if you don't like it, that's fine. just don't ever talk to me again. seriously. go join those whiny ex-radiohead fans and listen to linkin park or something. i don't bloody care.
