Now I own the White Stripes!

I have been listening to The White Stripes in the car CD player every day for two weeks. Their latest album, White Blood Cells grabbed me by the throat. You see, I do not read SPIN or Rolling Stone, and I do not listen to other people while they are talking, so I did not know about The White Stripes. Thankfully, one lazy evening I saw the video for "Fell in Love with a Girl" on MTV2. The video rocked! It is done with Lego animation. I really liked the tune, but I loved the animation. I figured that I would never be a complete person without owning that album.

I was right - at least for the moment. Somehow MTV2 always leaves me feeling empty - needing to buy something. That is, unless they are playing a video with Puffy or Jimmy Eat World. When that happens, I want to punch myself in the jimmy. That is not a good feeling.

This is an album with about two heads. All at once I feel very good, and very, very naughty. The songs range from acoustically light and happy (We're Going to be Friends) to a throbbing, electric love song (Fell in Love with a Girl). With the subjects and sounds ranging all across the board, this one record had songs for about 10 different CD mixes.

I cannot explain why exactly, but I think the sweet, endearing punk-ish sounds work in concert with the Beatles-esque melodies. The reason may lie in an understanding of independent music. This is not Celine or Alien Ant Farm. The passion is sincere, and the mood-swings are unpredictable.

I cannot help but think about Stereolab when I think about White Blood Cells as a whole album. Seriously. S-Lab's sound is melodic, wandering, and uncommercial. Their precise blend of sounds allows the band to record songs with socialist propaganda. Similarly, Jack and Meg White's tight and hard-driving blues/punk can disguise relatively sappy love songs. By doing so, they produce a series of honest songs, which beg to be played over and over again.

This is a good album. You will feel good when you own a copy for yourself.

(If you are interested in The White Stripes, check them out on the web at www.thewhitestripes.com then go out and buy White Blood Cells.)

Special Note to People who Work in an Office:

1. Remember to check out Lounge Radio on the web at www.lounge-radio.ch ! Our good friend Thomas in Switzerland keeps the down-tempo grooves flowing 24-7 for all those with a computer. It is the only way to survive the day.

2. If you are interested in listening to music in the K7 Records series, DJ Kicks, check out www.k7.com for the entire collection. You can also listen to tracks from every album they have released, and DJ sets from featured artists. You cannot go wrong spending an afternoon supervised by the sweet music from our friends at K7!