The White Stripes - Get Behind Me Satan
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Free Music Notes for Get Behind Me Satan
Free Music Review: Rock Legends? They Are Now...
Hit: 5 Stars
This week two of my favourite bands have released brand new albums, which has left one of these bands a bit in the shade. Yes, Coldplay's much-anticipated "X&Y" will storm to No.1 all over the world this week, while The White Stripes will sit in the shade somewhat. Not to worry though, because the Detroit-duo have another classic on their hands here. They've released five albums in six years, each one packing more punch than its predecessor. 1999's self-titled debut and the 2000 sophomore follow-up "De Stijl" were released before Jack and Meg broke into the mainstream with 2001's "White Blood Cells" and 2003's mammoth "Elephant." It's two years since a flurry of red, black and white decorated 2003 as the rock year of the Stripe, and they have returned with "Get Behind Me Satan."
This album is more downbeat than their last, and one could almost expect the siblings to have taken advantage of this week to release it. With Coldplay hogging the limelight, they can try to slip by and release this album without much fanfare, right? Wrong, but it was worth a try. This album is going to be on many critic's end of year best-of lists. A lot of people have criticised this album for the swift change in musical direction, but The White Stripes make music that is very sonically limited, so you'd be a fool to think they'd not evolve at some point. This album is the turning point, and it's an incredibly smooth transition. The best bands never sit still for very long, anyway.
The album opens with the first single "Blue Orchid." This song blows you away right from the start. Jack's playing his guitar so hard and Meg's banging her drum kit at breakneck pace. The beat is heavy and startling, working in perfect contrast with Jack's high falsetto vocal display. I love the lyrics on this song and how they complement the melody of the guitar. A great first single and one of their best songs ever! "The Nurse" begins immediately with the tropical sound of a marimba! This is the first sign of the musical evolution from The White Stripes, and it works very well. Over the course of four minutes, the song builds up a catchy arrangement with sharp and swift stabs on Meg's drum kit in the background. She pierces the canvas of the song at regular intervals, but always out of sync with the marimba, so as to intimidate the listener. The song is also incredibly dark, with lyrics such as, "The one that you're trusting, suspiciously dusting the sill." A very stark, dark and beautiful piece of music. "My Doorbell" is the catchiest song on the album and has a bass that will stick in your head for days! The piano is used in this song and it works so brilliantly that you might even catch yourself getting your groove on. "Forever For Her (Is Over Me)" is dubbed as the best ballad Jack has written in years. It's certainly a great song, with a simple melody and wonderful lyrics. Jack's vocals are great in this song, as he sings, "So let's do it! Just get on a plane and just do it!"
"Little Ghost" is a bloody great song that sounds almost country to me! The lyrics are just darn cute, the vocals are well arranged, and that fiddly guitar that runs the way through just gets me jumping all over the place. A fun, short song. Sometimes the length of songs by The White Stripes reflects the time in which they took to record, and this is a perfect example. "The Denial Twist" is humorous, smart and sassy. Jack has the upper hand as in a lot of older tracks, where he somehow makes the person he's singing about look like a complete fool. It's a song about the truth, and how denial is perhaps the real Satan. "White Moon" opens with a gorgeous piano intro that is almost Romanticist in nature. Jack's vocals in this song reach that occasional yelp of insecurity that infected the amazing songs "I Want To Be The Boy To Warm Your Mother's Heart" and "You've Got Her In Your Pocket." Meg's drum kit is in full force with the keys of the piano, and the lyrics are bewildering to say the least. "Instinct Blues" is an amazing song that takes about 30 seconds to really get going. It's like the song needs tuning up, before Jack and Meg can really rock out on one of the album's finer moments. The pounding drums work brilliantly, and Jack's lyrics are just hilarious. Everyone's getting it, apparently...
"Passive Manipulation" is Meg's only vocal appearance on the album, and even thought it lasts for some 35 seconds, it packs one Hell of a punch! It's disturbing yet intriguing, as she sings incestuously about the confusion between fathers and lovers, which is a bit of a play on the media fascination over Jack and Meg's actually relation to one another. "Take, Take, Take" is another great song in which, if you listen really closely, you'll hear a doorbell ringing in the background! It's taken seven songs, but it's finally rung! Rita Hayworth is the true star of this song, as Jack would probably have you believe. "As Ugly As I Seem" is a softer, more melodic piece about the truth even more, and the ugly must be metaphorical. It sure can't be about Jack's appearance, he is HOT. Okay, so kill me, I couldn't resist putting that in there! "Red Rain" rocks hard and is one of the best songs on the whole album. It opens with a strange tapping and an unusual bell noise that, truth be told, is quite scary. The drums are heavy all the way through and shows that Meg is a vital part of this band, no matter what people might say. "I'm Lonely (But I Ain't That Lonely Yet)" closes the album brilliantly. The final song on every Stripes album seems to be amazing, much like this one! The piano melody on this track is really amazing.
OVERALL GRADE: 10/10
A lot of people have ripped this album for not being heavy enough. These people aren't real fans, otherwise they would respect the evolution that The White Stripes have undergone on this incredible album. They're not just rock, people! They're a mixture of rock, blues and a lot of other stuff in between. I'll be the first to admit that I only got into the band with Elephant, but since then I've bought every album they've released. They are fast becoming one of my all-time favourite bands, and this album, in time (with repeated listens), could overtake Elephant as my favourite Stripes album. This piece of work is shrouded in ambiguity. From the superb album cover, the album title (who is talking to Satan?) and the overall theme. All I can fathom is that this album is partially about blood, the truth, white ghosts singing in cabins and doorbells! Yeah, it's twisted, but I wouldn't have it any other way...
Free Music Review: A Masterpiece
Hit: 5 Stars
This album is incredible. I can't think of any other way to describe it. It expands the genre of the Stripes and explores new musical depths. I don't think there is one vocal track or instrument out of place. The Nurse was written to be played on marimba, and can't be played on anything else, for instance. I don't mean that literally, of course...
1. Blue Orchid - Thumping, classic Stripes, with a more modern approach; the layered guitar and digital sound (probably through Jack's DigiTech Whammy) is a never-before-heard sound on a Stripes song; and yet, it fits perfectly. And Jack's screaming falsetto is beyond words. And, as always, Meg's brilliantly childish drumming fits perfectly. The perfect song to blast and sing along to (if you can sing that high).
2. The Nurse - Undoubtedly the strangest White Stripes song ever ('Aluminum', from White Blood Cells, is probably next), the gentle Carribean feel is very relaxing; Jack's lyrics, on the other hand, contrast it beautifully, him crooning about a caretaker who swears to "never let you down" and yet she "puts salt in your wounds." Brilliant lyrics, anyway. And the loud, treble-distorted bursts of guitar and drums reflects the urgent feel of the lyrics and provides the perfect dark/light contrast. Great song.
3. My Doorbell - Catchy. I like the drum beat at the beginning; then comes Jack spitting out the lyrics "I'm thinkin about my doorbell, when you gonna ring it? When you gonna ring it?" Not exactly my favorite song. But I certainly like it a lot. Great allegory for someone who nevers visits.
4. Forever for Her - Beautiful ballad. I really love the lyrics. What else is there to say? A beautiful, beautiful piano song by Jack. This is the first glimpse into a softer said of the Third Man, which most people never see. The song carries a very heavy feeling of loss and regret, although it manages to never dip into a minor key. Favorite line: "With the weight of a feather, it tore into me." A song about reuniting and lost love and moving on. Love it.
5. Little Ghost - Fantastic bluegrass breakdown. Love this song. The lyrics present a wonderful story of love, and how, when in love, you are the only one who can really see this person you love. It's amazing how there has never been a Stripes song like this, and yet it fits so perfectly. Fantastic song. I love the multiple vocals tracks and the mandolin.
6. The Denial Twist - Wonderful. The lyrics, the stop-time piano, the almost Motown drums (provided by the beautiful Meg). My favorite lyric: "If you think holdin' hands is all in the fingers, grab hold of the soul where the memory lingers." This song could just have easily been played on a blarring electric guitar, but somehow it would have lost it's beauty that way. Great song.
7. White Moon - Without a doubt, the most beautiful song Jack's written. Ok maybe not the most beautiful, but it's up there. At times the lyrics seem a little forced, or for the sake of rhyme, but the melody is beautiful, as are most of the lyrics. I love this song and think it's incredibly perfect. The perfect ballad.
8. Instinct Blues - Ah. That sounds a lot like the old Stripes...but there's just something about it that isn't. Perhaps it's the spitting, struggling, occasional guitar solo. Anyway, this is sort of the "Ball and Biscuit" of Satan, which basically means it's the one hardcore electric blues song. The lyrics are a little nonsensical (to me, anyway). Nevertheless, a great rocker.
9. Passive Manipulation - Love it. Although Meg's voice is much better on "Cold Cold Night", I still love it when she sings. The lyrics touch on incest and family relationships, and one can only puzzle whether Jack intended for that, or whether the words just came into his head. Lovely little piece, sung by the lovely little Meg.
10. Take, Take, Take - A song about an obsessed fan who is "not that hard to please", yet will stop at nothing to get a piece of hair from none other than 40s movie queen, Rita Hayworth. The song builds on the main character's ironic self-statments. "I guess I'm not that hard to please/I guess you couldn't call me greedy", and claiming that an autograph from Rita was "all that I needed", and then the photo was "all that I needed", etc. It touches on the fact that fans try to "be cool" around celebrities and such. The lyrics are great and are delivered with bitter irony dripping from Jack's mouth. Musically, the song is great too, with a 1-b3-4 chord progession, and a hard-to-follow tempo of the chorus, laden with timpanies, in which Jack simply sings "Take, take, take". If you listen to this song in headphones, you'll hear the split vocal channels, which usually come at the end of each verse, in which one word will come from the right, then the left, etc. Stunning song.
11. As Ugly As I Seem - Nice little acoustic song. The lyrics reveal Jack's (or the narrator's) self-conciousness. Nothing much to say; it's not spectacular, but it's a nice song.
12. Red Rain - My favorite song on the album. Jack's soft/hard guitar is amazing and surprising every time. I love the bells in the beginning, and his whispering falsetto, following the melody. Then BAM! Meg comes in with two hits of the snare, and Jack shrieks, sounding very, very much like Plant "CAN'T YOU HEAR ME? Can you hear me calling your name girl?!" It's incredibly haunting how much he sounds like Ol' Percy. If you close your eyes, you'd swear it was Plant singing. The White Stripes at their finest (electric guitar wise). Great slide-work by Jack, as well.
13. I'm Lonely (But I Ain't That Lonely Yet) - The perfect closer of the album. The melody is soft and beautiful, and the lyrics are sad and lovely and happy, all at the same time. The lyrics touch on incest, family love, anything, I suppose. This song is just...beautiful. The most amazing side of Jack, I think, because we've all seen the hardcore electric side. I also love how the instrumental parts constantly hit the b3 of each chord (thus making it the minor chord for just a second). This is song is gorgeous and perfect. Jack croons, sighs, and whines. It's amazing.
This is a spectacular album. As someone else said, it will really separate true Stripes fans from "Detroit opportunists", as Jack calls some of em.
Rock on, Third Man.
Free Music Review: Wicked.
Hit: 5 Stars
I got "Get Behind Me Satan" the second my Borders opened up on the day the album came out. I am an avid listener of the Detroit duo, as they are probably my favorite band. Despite the fact that this should bias my review, it doesn't because this album is unlike anything The White Stripes have ever put out. This album is filled with hard bass-filled rockers reminiscent of the Stripes' previous albums, but it is also filled with bluegrass and some of the best piano ballads I have ever heard. I'll go through them one by one.
Track One: Blue Orchid.
The popular, hard rocking single. Primal, hard, gritty. Awesome chord progression. Jack's stiletto voice never seems out of place in this track. One of the best tracks on the record.
Track Two: The Nurse.
A stranger track. This one has Jack playing the marimbas meaning they would have had to mixed in some guitar parts. It's confusing. But the track is kind of mellow with a nice little melody on the marimba and then out of nowhere there will be blasts of guitar and Meg's drums. Takes getting used to, but this has become one of my favorites.
Track Three: My Doorbell.
This is one of the three best songs on the record. Jack plays sweetly and skillfully on the piano. Great chorus. "I've been thinkin' about my doorbell, when ya gonna ring it?"
Track Four: Forever for Her (Is Over for Me).
Many of the other reviews I have read label this song as one of the best ballads Jack has ever written. Ohh no. No it's not. It's a NICE ballad, and it speeds up towards the end. Great lyrics. Inspiring lyrics, but not AS inspiring as some later songs.
Track Five: Little Ghost.
Wonderful bluegrass! Mandolins! Guitars! Feel-good country song. I love it.
Track Six: The Denial Twist.
When I first listened to the album straight through, I was sure that this was the standout track as it was awesome and catchy. Upon more listenings, there is another song that beats it out, but "The Denial Twist" makes me feel like I'm right there with Jack in some piano hall and he's improvising piano chord progressions and lyrics right there. This song takes me away, but then again it makes me feel more alive than usual.
Track Seven: White Moon.
A very slow ballad. It seems Jack is singing his soul on this one. Not very catchy though. The lyrics are definitely worth taking a look at to indugle. The music and the beats don't do much for me though. I like the story however.
Track Eight: Instinct Blues.
Whoo! I love this song. It begins with the guitar kind of warming up. It gives the impression that the player doesn't know what he's doing. That idea is quickly dispelled when Jack bursts out with riffs reminiscent of "Ball and Biscuit" which is one the Stripes' best songs without question. I want to learn how to play this. Thank you BrokenBricks.com. This is the most rocken song on the record. Still not the best though.
Track Nine: Passive Manipulation.
Meg sings some haunting lyrics in this thirty-five second track. Examine the lyrics on this one.
Track Ten: Take, Take, Take.
Jack must be an Welles fan. This song mentions Rita Hayworth (one of Welles' brides). It's very catchy, again the lyrics make a nice little story. The piano sounds great. Jack sounds great. Another mood elevator.
Track Eleven: As Ugly As I Seem.
Wonderful little riff on the acoustic guitar. Feels like, "We're Going to Be Friends" a little bit. This a song about inner and aesthetic beauty. It's also about being self-conscious. This song should speak to many.
Track Twelve: Red Rain.
Another one of the few tracks where you can hear "Elephant" and the orginal "The White Stripes". Another track to belt out riffs on the guitar. Jack's guitar. This is clearly what Jack knows best. This is clear on "Red Rain", "Blue Orchid", and most of all "Instinct Blues". The hard rockers and most enjoyable tracks of today usually have the least to offer in terms of lyrics. This is not true in "Get Behind Me Satan".
Track Thirteen: I'm Lonely (But I Ain't That Lonely Yet).
Here it is. This is one of the best White Stripes songs, if not one of THE best songs I have ever heard. This song has so much to offer in every aspect of the song. I won't sit here and type how much I love this song. Go indulge yourself. A piano ballad that hopefully won't be overlooked. You can feel in this song. You can feel yourself. You can feel Jack.
Overall, "Get Behind Me Satan" has much more to offer than previous albums. While previous albums might be more enjoyable to some than this one, this is the best Stripes' album I've ever heard. As far as the whole gospel/Satan reference goes, it doesn't really matter. Reading the blurb in the cd sleeve, and listening to the lyrics, enjoying the music, this is the most enjoyable Stripes record. The record is clinched as something meaningful when the last track finishes. I've never FELT that much listening to a song. Who is Jack singing to in this record? He's singing to you.
Free Music Review: White Stripes: Get Behind Me Satan (Third Man/V2)
Hit: 5 Stars
Just so I can clarify things. Just because they call themselves brother and sister doesn't necessarily mean they are actually brother and sister. When you go to a church, you learn that you are God's children, and most people in church call you brother or sister. God is your father. Now that we have that. It is family values against the most hated man on Earth. White Stripes continue to let it be known that there are problems in this world, and he is not going to have the man downstairs add another one and cause to have the world deteriorate in possibly a year. (This was written on June, 6th, 2005 [Next Year: 06/06/06. Remove the slashes and the zeros and you get what my prediction is.]). He starts his confoundation with the lead single "Blue Orchid". ("you were given a flower/But I reckon there's just no pleasing you...get behind me/Get behind me now, anyway!").
Can't explain "The Nurse". he farthest I got was that real help would not want to do you wrong, unles you want them to. Otherwie, if Clue really happened, than chances are like the Gorillaz "Demon Days": "You Can't Even trust the air you breathe."
"My Doorbell" deals with loneliness (Kept thinking about my doorbell/when are they going to ring it?)" Slow down, brother. The time wil come. We are all not alone.
"Forever For Her (Is Over For Me)" is a song about the old kick-in-the-head about a breakup that he can't stop singing about.
The bluegrass "Little Ghost" is a song about a girl he misses and whenn he ends up doing things with him, other people start to think he is crazy, because it is just a blank space. "Little ghost, little ghost/one I'm scared of the most/Can you scare me up a little bit of love/I'm the only one that ses you and I can't do much to please you/and it's not yet time to meet the Lord above!" Too bad this song is too short for it's own good. This is the ultimate standout and a better single to throw out. It i also a new way to confound the red 'cile we know: Singing about praising the Lord above to bring back the life he loved for so long, even if the others who knew her would rather move on. My guess is this nostalgic wonder must have been influenced by his return to country thanks to Loretta Lynn and the movie Cold Mountain, which plays the same music and he plays a troubadour. I have an idea for this video. I don't know whether I should send it to them or not.
"The Denial Twist" is a song about showing your love, but people think that the standard way of lioving someone is all just Hollywood protocol.
"White Moon" is Jack White's next or lullaby, but maybe not the first come-on-home lullaby that sounds heartfelt alone.
"Instinct Blues" is a song that asks if everyone has a use of their sixth sense, why is it that ours don't produce much answers to situations. You can hear plenty of the punk influence in this one.
"Passive Manipulation" brings Meg White front and center as done with "In The Cold Cold Night". This one is for the women who ends up confused between fathers who love and lovers who wished to have fathered you. It only lasts 33 measly seconds, and it brings out Meg's sweet sisterly sound to the White Stripes, as it always has.
"Take, Take, Take" is a sound that sounds more like he is trying to throw gluttony and greed out of the window like a frisbee. When I liestened to this, the sound made for this sounded a little less DIY and more into the studio and meeting contemporary needs, which was really not my main expectation for the White Stripes album.
"As Ugly As I Seem" plays like they are being literal for talking about looks, when they are really talking about being ugly on the inside, and the children laughing is the one who claims to never have sinned.
"Red Rain" reaches Elephant heights and the most grungiest of the songs they have ever written. The darkest of them all, indeed.
"I'm Lonely (But I Ain't That Lonely Yet)" lets us know he is writing a Blues song to let us know that he doesn't want to be alone, but of course he has his standards.
This is the most different from all of the White Stripes albums we have heard (it is way too structured and too contemporary in sound, except the pianos), but only because this one seems as if he is really putting everything he has on the table for people to understand how he is. You will get a reaction: the will to confound him and condemn the man who created gun violence and rape for your children. Thank The Lord for The White Stripes to help snap us back to normal, possibly. (Forgive me if that sounded all too blasphemic.)
Rating: 7.5/10
Free Music Review: It's a grower...and it's brilliant
Hit: 5 Stars
I'm going to look at this in lots of depth, you have been warned!
When I first heard this CD, I was (like many others I think) fairly disappointed. This is the White Stripes's equivalant to Radiohead's Kid A; its features musical changes in direction that herald a fairly new sound that differs from their previous albums. Once I had managed to take on board this change, however, I listened to this new album a few more times. It was well worth this, because what many songs lack in immediacy they make up with sophistication and the brilliant songwriting that is found in any of the White Stripes' music.
So, track by track:
1. Blue Orchid. This is a muted take on the typically blues rock introduction that the duo have employed previously. The lyrics are wonderful - biblical, direct and sarcastic
- and overall this is a good opener/single.
2. The Nurse. This one took me a while to get into, if I am honest! the marimba/quiet vocals/bursts of dissonant drums makes for quite unsettling music...but this is what is intended. The lyrics look at the deceptiveness of appearences and the subject of betrayal, and really elevate to the song. The song builds emotionally as it prgresses, without ever resorting to dramatics. Its a real acheivement.
3. My Doorbell. This is one highly immedeiate song that is pop perfection. It has an irrepressible happiness to it that I found irresistable :) and so far this is my single of 2005. It's very catchy. People have made much over the use of piano on this album (it's on most songs) but if they were listening carefully they will have noticed that Jack has often played piano from his first album onwards...so what's the big shock?
4. Forever for Her (is over for me). This is a romantic song that starts off slowly and develops into a real singalong; one of the album highlights. The marimba really adds to the song.
5. Little Ghost. It's pretty cute lyrically, but the country and western vibe doesn't do it for me. This is the weakest song on the album, unless you are a fan of squaredancing.
6. The Denial Twist. Currently getting a lot of airplay in England; its a great, quickmoving little song that has some astute observations on relationships in the lyrics. Again, very catchy.
7. White Moon. Quiet and thoughtful, this has yet to make much of an impression on me.
8. Instinct Blues. This treads a more traditional White Stripes path, involving that much loved guitar and a mighty, bluesy riff. I read the lyrics as a dig at divas like Paris Hilton..."I bet even your little dog gets it!". This is one of my favourites.
9. Passive Manipulation. Meg's little ditty in full: "Women/Listen to your mothers/Don't just succumb to the wishes of your brothers/Take a step back/Take a look at one another/You need to know the difference/Between a father and a lover". It's short, cute, and very White Stripes.
10. Take, Take, Take. Jack tackles the subject of fame via Rita Hayworth. This is a great storytelling song, it really takes you there; it's is cleverer than just saying "the paparazzi suck and my fans irritate me." That's the gist of it, but I appreciate the subtlety.
11. As Ugly as I Seem. Acoustic guitar and gentle vocals make for another mellow song. Its all about the lyrics, which cover a range of topics and feelings.
12. Red Rain. Here Jack sounds like a demented preacher casting hellfire and brimstone from his pulpit. It is an awe-inspiring song...the guitar manages to sound like some kind of torrential downpour crashing down by the final chorus. The lyrics distill Jack's uncompromising morality into a few lines: "If there is a lie/Then there is a liar too/And if there is a sin/Then there is a sinner too." Be afraid...you won't find lyrics like that in JLo's latest single, that's for sure.
13. I'm Lonely (But I Ain't That Lonely Yet). This is a witty song that incorporates a feeling of genuine melancholy with an irrevant touch; it is a good end to the album, winding down after Red Rain has worked itself into a frenzy.
In summary, do get this album; if its the first you've heard of the White Stripes you will be intrigued by the songwriting and intelligent themes, whilst if you are already a fan of the band the album brings a sense of rediscovery. The Stripes have managed to prove themselves to be more versatile and brilliant than ever...but remember to be sure to give the album the attention it deserves.