Album of the Week: The White Stripes - "Elephant"

Rating: 8.6/10

From the arena-rocking riff that kicks off "Seven Nation Army" to the studio chatter that rounds up "Well It's True That We Love One Another," Elephant explores spheres of indie, folk, and blues rock in a way only The White Stripes can. The 2003 record combines influences from the aforementioned genres into 14 monsotrously powerful yet for the most part brief songs.

The rockier tunes, such as "Black Math" and the album-opening "Seven Nation Army," are riff-heavy romps with brilliant guitar work from singer/guitarist Jack White. The latter is famous for its so-called bass riff (which is actually played on guitar and utilizes a whammy pedal) that's been played time and time again at sporting events. Not to be overlooked is the march-style drum beat and eccentric guitar solo. The former is a shaky sludge of crash cymbals and another catchy guitar riff. "Black Math" then proceeds to suddenly switch tempo into a more deliberate snarl.

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