3 Jack White Bangers That Rival His Work With The White Stripes

Jack White’s recent set at Coachella revealed a few things. First, rock and roll is very much alive. But also, people are craving analog experiences. Humans in a room with other humans, listening to music performed by humans. And it revealed that White continues to make music that rivals his work with The White Stripes. If this thought sounds blasphemous to you, then just wait until you get to the final track on this list.

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“It’s Rough On Rats (If You’re Asking)”

When White returned in 2024 with No Name, I think many listeners were relieved to hear Jack sound like Jack again after years of creative detours. Here, a slide guitar riff propels the kind of ferocious blues only White is capable of. I say this because many efforts to update the blues often result in lawyer rock, and with White, there’s none of that. This one echoes the scoundrel vibe of The White Stripes’ 2001 banger, “I Think I Smell A Rat”, and was a highlight from his sweaty Coachella set.

“Lazaretto”

The title track to White’s second solo album begins with a deep groove by Dominic Davis. Davis grew up with White and has been the longtime backbone of White’s solo groups. He plays the bass like a Motown Funk Brother raised on Detroit punk. (Disclaimer: Davis is a friend of mine and someone I’ve made a lot of music with, but I’d still say all these nice things even if he were a perfect stranger.)

But back to the matter at hand. If you don’t count White’s Whammy pedal, The White Stripes typically eschewed bass parts. Together, these childhood comrades lock in on what may be the guitarist’s best riff, to take nothing away from “Seven Nation Army” or “Icky Thump”. Crank this, and you’ll understand what I’m talking about.

“G.O.D. And The Broken Ribs”

White’s existential single begins at the beginning. We find ourselves in the Garden of Eden, where he uses the biblical creation myth to describe an apocalypse. But there are several interpretations available. Perhaps the end of the world is just the end of the world the narrator once knew. Either way, the journey appears to be a perilous one. From there, we are taken across Detroit rivers, learn capitalism by way of writing a cheap novel, become like Frozen Charlotte dolls, and wind up at the beginning of the world, with only “one boy and one girl.”

So what else can we glean from this epic stomp? White’s best garage rock isn’t in the past.

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