So why is The White Stripes’ De Stijl on this best 1,000 albums ever thing?
I must start off with “Your Southern Can Is Mine,” a song that I’ve become flat-out obsessed with over the years.
This is blues music out of the Old South, and by way of the translation from Jack and Meg White it’s incredibly catchy and wonderful. Like the aesthetic of Jack White and The White Stripes, its strength is in its simplicity – there’s minimal acoustic guitar and tasteful, subtle percussion from Meg, which spotlights the vocals and that old time blues vibe.
And by old time-y, “Your Southern Can Is Mine” is a cover of a Blind Willie McTell song recorded way back in 1927 (nearly 100 years ago as of this writing!). And in fact, Blind Willie McTell can be heard at the end of the song, pulled from a 1940 interview, if the internet is to be believed.
And then throw that song against “Hello Operator,” which spans to the other side of the sonic spectrum – a blast of bluesy garage punk – and it’s such an incredible contrast. But note again how minimal the set-up is – not only is there no bass player, everything that Jack does on guitar and with his voice, and everything Meg does on drums is spare and performed for maximum impact.
“You’re Pretty Good Looking (For a Girl),” the De Stijl opener, is classic White Stripes garage rock: simple, clean, with a deeply gorgeous melody. Just delightful.
And speaking of delightful, also see “Apple Blossom,” which moves acoustic guitar and piano into the mix.
For more acoustic gorgeousness, and I mean gorgeousness: “I’m Bound to Pack It Up.”
The White Stripes are endlessly inventive and rangy, as the grimy hard rock blues of “Little Bird” proves. This instrumental track has a Led Zeppelin by way of the Delta Blues vibe to it.
Some stats & info about The White Stripes – De Stijl
- What kind of musical stylings does this album represent? Rock Music, Detroit Bands, Garage Rock Revival, Garage Punk, Alternative Rock, Blues Rock, Hard Rock
- Rolling Stone’s greatest 500 albums ranking – not ranked!
- All Music’s rating – 4.5 out of 5 stars
- When was De Stijl released? 2000
- My ranking, the one you’re reading right now – #168 out of 1,000
The White Stripes’ De Stijl on Spotify
A lyrical snippet from The White Stripes’ De Stijl that’s evocative of the album in some way, maybe
Hello operator, can you give me number nine?
What does the “best 1,000 albums ever” mean and why are you doing this?
Yeah, I know it’s audacious, a little crazy (okay, maybe a lot cray cray), bordering on criminal nerdery.
But here’s what it’s NOT: a definitive list of the Greatest Albums of All-Time. This is 100% my own personal super biased, incredibly subjective review of what my top 1,000 albums are, ranked in painstaking order over the course of doing research for nearly a year, Rob from High Fidelity style. Find out more about why I embarked on a best 1,000 albums ever project.