20 years ago: Release of The White Stripes’ album Get Behind Me Satan
The White Stripes’ fifth studio album, Get Behind Me Satan, marked its 20th anniversary this week. The album garnered critical acclaim and went on to win the Grammy Award for Best Alternative Album. In honor of this milestone, let’s take a look back at our initial review of the album from 2005.
The enigmatic nature of The White Stripes as a band that blurs the lines between rock and conceptual art continues to intrigue with each new release. Jack and Meg White’s fifth offering sees them twisting their signature blues sound into unconventional and subversive forms. Displaying a blend of feral energy and pop sensibility, the album embraces its eccentricity with unapologetic confidence.
Get Behind Me Satan was crafted in a mere two-week period, a deliberate choice that adds to its raw and unpolished charm. The record exudes an anti-authoritarian spirit that challenges conventional norms, inviting listeners on a tumultuous journey through its unconventional sonic landscapes. It serves as a statement to debunk the notion that creating a compelling album requires extensive time and meticulous planning, subtly poking fun at mainstream acts like Coldplay in the process.
The album’s sonic palette is a kaleidoscope of surprises, with unexpected elements such as marimbas replacing traditional guitar riffs and playful melodies giving way to rhythmic twists. Jack White, the driving force behind the album’s songwriting and production, sheds his rocker persona to reveal a mischievous troubadour dismantling the boundaries of music genres with gleeful abandon.
Get Behind Me Satan deviates from the White Stripes’ earlier penchant for aggressive rock anthems, opting instead for a subtler and more nuanced approach. Jack White’s guitar work displays a newfound delicacy and finesse, eschewing brute force for intricate fingerpicking and melodic exploration. His vocals, too, undergo a transformation, evolving into a weathered croon that exudes melancholic beauty rather than anger and aggression.
Throughout the album, there is a sense of artistic experimentation and self-discovery, as if Jack White is peeling back layers of his musical identity to reveal a more vulnerable and introspective core. Get Behind Me Satan emerges as a bold and unapologetic artistic journey, meandering through uncharted territories of sound and style with an audacious spirit.
In the end, Get Behind Me Satan stands as a testament to artistic risk-taking and creative exploration. The album’s departure from the expected path leads to unexpected delights and reveals hidden depths within The White Stripes’ musical repertoire. Embracing the unknown and venturing into uncharted waters, the album demonstrates that sometimes it’s the journey into the unfamiliar that yields the most compelling discoveries.