The White Stripes – De Stijl

Detroit’s own ‘brother and sister’ drum-and-guitar duo broke out of local obscurity with their eponymous debut, a primitive garage romp that borrowed liberally from Led Zeppelin, the Kinks, the Rolling Stones, various American bluesmen and other rock and roll stalwarts. With second album De Stijl, the band eschews its earlier raw posings in favour of blues with a hint of art rock. De Stijl (literally translated, ‘the style,’ a European art movement that praises the virtue of simplicity in design), hints at a band that plays its music guided by simplicity in form and function. The 13 songs on De Stijl show this stripped-down duo coming into their own with more complex arrangements and more varied instrumentation. De Stilj features an electric violin, harmonica, and piano (played by singer Jack White). All in all, De Stijl offers more dynamic range and melody than the band’s debut and a (comparatively) slick production. from the confectionery pop bounce of You’re Pretty Good Looking, to the blues howler, Hello Operator, to the dirge-like Death Letter, De Stijl was a massive step forward.