Send In The Striped White Jets

The White Stripes "Rag & Bone"

The White Stripes "Catch Hell Blues"

I've always dug the White Stripes. From the first time I heard their quirky super electrified blues frenzy I was a fan. They have since become wildly popular and I'm still scratching my head in confusion over that one. Its really a one in a million chance that such an odd band like the White Stripes would be up on the charts alongside standard American garbage such as Creed and No Doubt, but yet there they are, selling out arenas al over the world.

I'm not bitter about this. I don't feel like they were "my band first" and they "sold out" because of their widespread appeal mainly due to the fact that they have never really changed from record to record. Jack White continues to be one of the biggest weirdos in rock and their music stays simplistic and heavy. 2005's Get Behind Me Satan was marked as a departure of sorts for the band and wasn't as well recieved. In my opinion that was one of the best records they did, and still remains heavily played in the POP ZEUS household. Their latest offering Icky Thump is more of what I expect from the band: Eclectic blues played at deafening volumes.

Icky Thump rips from the self titled opening single to to the acoustic burning of "300 MPH Torrential Outpout Blues to the frenzy of "Rag & Bone" to the shit hot slide guitar on "Catch Hell Blues". Jack White once again proves his worth as an electrifying guitar player and Meg White, well, she's a cutie pie and she keeps time very well. Hopefully the White Stripes will continue to make records like this long after their arena phase has come and gone. I'll be seeing them at the Silver Dollar Fair in Chico, CA in 2012!