White Stripes

Lit up by the punked-out blues riff of "Black Math" and the high-pitched Queen-like squall of "There's No Home For You Here," the group's fourth LP is probably its dirtiest but has the smartest lyrics of them all. "Ball And Biscuit" goes back to the altar of Jeff Beck worship; the fact that "Seven Nation Army" gets radio airplay is a modern miracle.

There are still only two of them. But now they sound like an army. The White Stripes made
Elephant, their fourth album, in just two weeks last year, at a London studio outfitted with
an eight-track tape machine and recording gear that predates the Beatles. But the Detroit
duo walked out with a work of pulverizing perfection. Singer-guitarist Jack White and his
ex-wife, drummer Meg -- the undisputed king and queen of the new garage mov... More >

Saying not enough with less ("I Want to Be the Boy Who Warms Your Mother's Heart," "The Hardest Button to Button") (Grade - ***)