The White Stripes
– Icky Thump
Icky Thump is the sound of Jack and Meg White tearing down the house they built, brick by raw, distorted brick. It’s loud, lurching, and unpredictable—a garage-rock séance powered by border politics, bagpipes, and busted guitar amps. If Get Behind Me Satan was them getting weird, this was them getting ugly—and loving every second of it.
Best of…
Jack’s guitar tone across the record sounds like it crawled out of a swamp and found a fuzz pedal. He’s riffing like he’s trying to summon spirits, not fans. Meanwhile, Meg’s drumming is as elemental and unpolished as ever, the heartbeat of a band that always sounded like it could collapse mid-song and keep going anyway. But there’s craft beneath the chaos. Jack is still a blues scholar, twisting American roots into something strange and new, yelling like a preacher at a backwoods tent revival.
Lyrically, he’s restless and a little pissed off—about immigration, consumerism, and phonies of all stripes. But he’s also having fun, tossing off lines like spitballs in a high school hallway. The result is their most muscular record since Elephant, but it’s more twisted, more cynical, and far less concerned with making you comfortable. It’s rock ‘n’ roll without a safety net.
Choice Tracks
Icky Thump
That opening riff doesn’t walk—it stomps. Jack shreds like he’s angry at the guitar, howling about immigration and hypocrisy with venom and fire. Easily one of their fiercest openers.
You Don’t Know What Love Is (You Just Do As You’re Told)
A mid-tempo kiss-off disguised as a radio single. It swings like classic soul but drips with passive aggression. Jack’s voice softens just enough to let the bitterness sneak in.
Rag and Bone
One part vaudeville, one part junkyard sermon. Jack and Meg trade lines like they’re running a con, and the groove is so filthy you’d swear it came from a busted phonograph found in a basement.
Conquest
A brassy, flamenco-stomp cover that Jack transforms into a bizarre rock duel. Horns blare, guitars snarl, and it all ends with a dramatic flourish that’s completely over the top—in the best way.
A Martyr for My Love for You
Haunting and slow-burning. Jack trades volume for vulnerability here, and the result is stark, twisted beauty. It’s romantic, but also kind of terrifying.