the White Stripes - de Stijl.

drop.io/destijl

why i picked it:
i've lately become a sucker for finding bands' older albums. 


considering my first Brendan Benson post was not his best (and not so popular with the group), i'm going to keep with tradition and bring the rest of you you down with me (until you see it my way)!


the White Stripes are nothing new (if anything, their sound is quite old). you've probably heard the hype, but rarely gave them a chance beyond a few singles on the airwaves. i too was that guy a few years ago. so i decided to see what the big deal was and got EVERY WS album. most of them sat on my computer, waiting. 


finally, several months ago (pre MusooKlub), worn out of the trendy/folksy synth/indie rock that was dominating my audio-consumption,  i took it upon myself burn some CDs and force them into my (pre-NPR) car rotation. i was quickly hooked.


rather than force you all the way back to their self-titled 1999 debut, we'll instead focus on their 2000 sophomore album - De Stijl - which has also quickly become a favorite of the Raman-rotation.


the thing i love about the White Stripes (in general) is how RAW they are. guitar. drums. vocals. and sometimes a piano. i often joke that now that i'm in (suburban NY) with no friends to play Rock Band, it's just my girlfriend  + i - like Jack + Meg White (who are ex's, so that's one of many places the parallels end) on the guitar + drums. but Kat does look pretty funny wailing about on the drums =)




favorites:
the first 1/2 of the album is just solid, so it's really hard to pick faves. here are a few though. 


#1: "you're pretty good looking" - the original mixtape kickoff for that girl you've got a crush on (sorry ladies, it's pretty gender specific)
#2: "hello operator" - makes you want to tap your feet and yell along (just not at work)
#3: "little bird" - makes you want to go mix it up and get into some trouble…
#4: "apple blossom" - a little ditty for a pretty girl.
#6: "death letter" - bluesy and cool.
#8: "truth doesn't make a noise" - early indication of Jack's piano passions (which later frequently shows up in the Raconteurs).
#10: "let's build a home" - just plain fun.
#11: "jumble jumble" - this one's a party anthem if there ever was one.


...and for good measure, i cheated, and added a "bonus track" to this club reco (from another WS album, Elephant):
#14: Well It's True That We Love One Another




personal updates:
most of you already know - but a few weeks ago i took my girlfriend Kathryn on an Ireland road trip. somewhere along the way, on a rainy, scenic overlook (after giving her a flower we later found out was poisonous) i finally convinced her to marry me =)  but that's a year or so away. so hopefully we can have our first MusooKlub meeting on Alaskan cruise ship. details are TBD.


other than that, i (still) do interweb-related stuff for a large company that sells soap. although now i do said strategeries for one of our "customers" (stores that sell our stuff) in suburban NJ, with the frequent commuter rail trips into the big bad city. but i'm really (still) figuring out what i really want to do with my life - whether it's as Ted Moseby or Roland "Prez" Pryzbylewski (semi-obscure TV-career references)


what else? i (still) read a LOT of comic books - i'm far too excited for Scott Pilgrim book 6 (comes out this Tuesday!), and the pending (August!) Edgar Wright/Michael Cera film of the same name. and i like to travel. a LOT. the first goal was 7 continents by 30 and 50 states by 50, but those were too easy, so i've adjusted the goal such that i must keep BOTH my country and US-state count each greater than my age. 


i occasionally write silly things on my bloog.