Album: White Blood Cells Release Date: 7/3/2001 Length: 40:30 Label: Sympathy for the Record Industry Rating: 9.3 |
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| Track Listing | |
1. Dead Leaves and the Dirty Ground (3:04)  |
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| 2. Hotel Yorba (2:10) | |
| 3. I'm Finding it Harder to be a Gentleman (2:54) |
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| 4. Fell in Love With a Girl (1:50) | |
| 5. Expecting (2:03) | |
| 6. Little Room (0:50) | |
| 7. The Union Forever (3:26) | |
| 8. The Same Boy You've Always Known (3:09) | |
9. We're Going to be Friends (2:22)  |
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| 10. Offend in Every Way (3:06) | |
| 11. I Think I Smell a Rat (2:04) | |
| 12. Aluminum (2:19) |
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| 13. I Can't Wait (3:38) | |
| 14. Now Mary (1:47) | |
| 15. I Can Learn (3:31) | |
| 16. This Protector (2:10) | |
| Review | |
| Every once in a while, there comes along an album that grabs ahold of you, unapologetically hurls you around the room, and roughly releases its grip on you when it finally concludes. I am not speaking in a literal sense, of course, because very few people would buy a CD that physically abuses them. No, the abuse that White Blood Cells, the third full-length release from the White Stripes, dishes out is of the aural variety, and it is immensely enjoyable. | |
| As of now, I have owned White Blood Cells for a few months, which has been more than enough time to establish my love of this album. At the same time, however, I am a bit flummoxed at how to approach this review. I could unabashedly rave about the enormous amount of raw energy exerted within these sixteen tracks. I could wonder in awe how this sound could be achieved by a band consisting of only two members (Jack White on vocals, guitar, and, every once in a while, piano, with his sister Meg pounding away on the drums). I could liken this album to a musical journey of sorts, its ups and downs all packed within forty minutes of non-stop action. | |
| But I decided that none of these would fully accentuate just how good this CD is (at least without being excessively loquacious). This is one that you simply must listen to yourself to appreciate. So, in the end, I have decided to fall back on yet another gimmick review. I now present to you, in descending order, the top ten songs on White Blood Cells. | |
| 10. Offend in Every Way | |
| The tenth-best song is also the tenth track. As is the case with most of the songs on White Blood Cells, "Offend in Every Way" is driven by a killer guitar riff courtesy of Jack White. This one has what could be considered a country twang to it, which is by no means a bad thing. Lyrics like "I'm coming through the door / But they're expecting more / Of an interesting man" ensure that this song is good, but it is not quite catchy enough to be considered one of the album's best. | |
| 9. This Protector | |
| The record's finale, "This Protector" is quite a change-of-pace from the usual electric guitar and drums approach of most of the White Stripes' songs. Here, Jack abandons his guitar for a piano, and percussion is nowhere to be heard, which produces a near-surreal mood. Adding to the stripped-down feel are Meg's backing vocals, which creates a layered effect when added to Jack's. While not necessarily groundbreaking, this is an excellent closer, and a song worth listening to. | |
| 8. I Can Learn | |
| "I Can Learn" alternates between minor, clear-cut guitar lines and thick, heavy power chords, while Jack showcases his vocal range more than on most of the White Blood Cells songs. Again, nothing spectacular found here (though we are nearing the 'spectacular' area), but a solid song nonetheless. | |
| 7. Hotel Yorba | |
| The first single off the CD, "Hotel Yorba" is an upbeat and playful romp. Its sound shows folk and country roots, but the White Stripes still manage to pull it off so that it sounds like a rock song. As the beat rolls on at a mile a minute, Jack proclaims "It might sound silly / For me to think childish thoughts like these / But I'm so tired of acting tough / And I'm gonna do what I please". Definitely not a traditional single, but it's exactly the sort of thing that the music industry needs. | |
| 6. The Union Forever | |
| Without a doubt, this is the darkest and most moody track found on White Blood Cells. Nearly all of the lyrics are lines taken from the film "Citizen Kane", yet when Jack sings "Well I'm sorry, but I'm not interested in gold mines, oil wells, shipping or real estate / What would I liked to have been? / Everything you hate" it is hard to imagine a more bitter and sincere delivery. This is the closest thing to an epic on the record. | |
| 5. Expecting | |
| Rock and roll doesn't get much heavier than this. An explosion of power chords opens this two-minute adrenaline rush that needs to be heard to be believed. You can actually break a sweat listening to this song. Okay, so I am exaggerating -- I think my point has been made. | |
| 4. The Same Boy You've Always Known | |
| Much more mellow than most of the songs found on White Blood Cells, "Same Boy You've Always Known" and subsequent track "We're Going to be Friends" are like the calm after the storm, or rather between the storms. "Same Boy You've Always Known" is a bluesy tune which features Jack crooning lines like "The coldest blue ocean water / Cannot stop my heart and mind from burning", before revealing at the song's conclusion that "If there's anything good about me / I'm the only one who knows." An excellent change-of-pace track. | |
| 3. Fell in Love With a Girl | |
| Perhaps you've seen this one on MTV or MuchMusic. "Fell in Love With a Girl" is the album's second single, and, on one hand, is really not the best representation of White Blood Cells as a whole. On the other hand, it is yet another blistering, fast-paced song that seems to finish before you can even exhale, making it a typical song on this record that crams sixteen songs into just over forty minutes. Though you'll be so lost in the music that you should barely notice. | |
| 2. Dead Leaves and the Dirty Ground | |
| Soaked in reverb, "Dead Leaves and the Dirty Ground", starts White Blood Cells off with an absolutely relentless guitar riff. This is the kind of style that more albums should employ in their opener. As the first White Stripes song that I ever listened to, this one just blew me away with its in-your-face approach. I quickly recommended it to fellow AoN music reviewer Dan Kricke, who, not even through listening to it for the first time, asked in amazement "Who are these guys?" A must-hear. | |
| 1. I'm Finding it Harder to be a Gentleman | |
| "I'm Finding it Harder to be a Gentleman" was the best song of 2001 -- not "Pyramid Song" by Radiohead; not "Frontier Psychiatrist" by The Avalanches; not "Hard to Explain" by The Strokes; and not even "My Sacrifice" by Creed. All were great songs (well, three of four is not bad), but the White Stripes took the crown in this category with track three on White Blood Cells. This song features clever lyrics, excellent dynamics, and an incredible dose of pure catchiness. "I'm Finding it Harder to be a Gentleman" is a definite keeper. | |
| It should also be noted that this album's top seven songs, as decided by me, are all found within the first half of White Blood Cells ("Little Room", track six, breaks the streak, though it would have been considered if it was longer than fifty seconds). It bursts out of the gates with a flourish and just does not slow down -- as if you needed another reason to add this record to your collection.. | |
| Rating: 9.3 | |
| - Luke Adams |
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