Favorite Albums: 2000-200411. The White Stripes, DeStijlOriginal position on my Stylus ballot: #5 Is Jack White still a big deal? Like, if he just did “side-project”y nonsense with lesser talents from now on, would he still get to be a proud member of the Great Rock Canon? Does he now have to pull off a classic solo album to confirm he’s a bigger deal than Damon Albarn or Michael McDonald or Darryl Hall? Also, if he fails to hand the critics his 461 Ocean Boulevard, which White Stripes album is the mandatory inclusion on Best Of The ’00s lists? The breakthrough or the even bigger follow-up? Since it’s no longer economically feasible for radio rockers to be repped by some Gold & Platinum dealie, I’d give the nod to the last album they made before I ever heard of them. It’s low on hit recognition (though the token “Hello Operator” would more than fool purchasers of that fantasy catalog chart perennial), but goes down easier than what followed, sticking to the minimalist attack (acoustic Zep tribute “I’m Bound To Pack It Up” aside) and letting songwriting and tempo provide the variety; it feels like they removed the worst three songs from the album themselves for a change, rather than making me do it. “Sister, Do You Know My Name?” and “You’re Pretty Good Looking (For A Girl)” may be Jack’s best come-ons to date, and, at the very least, they do an awesome job of making blues rock sound nothing like Blueshammer.

Favorite Albums: 2000-2004
11. The White Stripes, DeStijl
Original position on my Stylus ballot: #5

Is Jack White still a big deal? Like, if he just did “side-project”y nonsense with lesser talents from now on, would he still get to be a proud member of the Great Rock Canon? Does he now have to pull off a classic solo album to confirm he’s a bigger deal than Damon Albarn or Michael McDonald or Darryl Hall? Also, if he fails to hand the critics his 461 Ocean Boulevard, which White Stripes album is the mandatory inclusion on Best Of The ’00s lists? The breakthrough or the even bigger follow-up?

Since it’s no longer economically feasible for radio rockers to be repped by some Gold & Platinum dealie, I’d give the nod to the last album they made before I ever heard of them. It’s low on hit recognition (though the token “Hello Operator” would more than fool purchasers of that fantasy catalog chart perennial), but goes down easier than what followed, sticking to the minimalist attack (acoustic Zep tribute “I’m Bound To Pack It Up” aside) and letting songwriting and tempo provide the variety; it feels like they removed the worst three songs from the album themselves for a change, rather than making me do it. “Sister, Do You Know My Name?” and “You’re Pretty Good Looking (For A Girl)” may be Jack’s best come-ons to date, and, at the very least, they do an awesome job of making blues rock sound nothing like Blueshammer.