Album review: White Stripes, 'Under Great White Northern Lights'
Rating: 2.5 stars (out of 4)
The White Stripes haven’t been heard from in nearly three years, so it’s disappointing to find that they’ve resurfaced merely to add yet another you-had-to-be-there document to the big pile of unremarkable live albums.
Make no mistake -- the White Stripes are a terrific live band, though a lot of the fun is watching the interaction between guitarist Jack White and his former wife, drummer Meg White. That’s why the CD is superfluous to the concurrently released DVD of the band’s 2007 Canadian tour. A U.S. tour later that year was canceled when Meg White pulled out because of an anxiety disorder, and ever since the band’s status has been in doubt as Jack White soldiered on with the Raconteurs and the Dead Weather.At times “Under Great White Northern Lights” (Warner Bros.) feels like a career capper, a de-facto greatest hits, even though it’s raw even by the duo’s famously low-fi standards. This is the White Stripes in distortion-saturated overdrive, and that’s not a bad thing. If there are post-show overdubs, they’re inaudible. The crowd noise is amped up, and White’s voice cracks, verging on hysteria. He throws himself into every song like the deranged ax-murderer he plays on stage. Meg remains a reliably game foil for her partner, accenting his every flourish.
But right down to the tongue-in-cheek stage patter (“My name’s Jack White and this is my big sister Meg White on the drums!”) there’s nothing here that White Stripes’ fans haven’t heard before; even the covers (Dolly Parton’s “Jolene,” Burt Bacharach's “I Just Don’t Know What to Do with Myself”) are longtime concert staples. It’s good to have the White Stripes back in some form, but here’s hoping this is merely a place-holder until the duo’s next studio album rather than a farewell.
greg@gregkot.com
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