I Guess This Is Goodbye (For Now)

So whilst I’ve been off dealing with Shitfest 2011, The White Stripes decided to call it a day, and according to The Grauniad, there’s been much wailing and gnashing of teeth. Which, I have to say, surprises me a little bit.

First off, whilst the whole idea of White Stripes – the stripped down alt-blues-swamp-rock, the dress code (including bouncers), the vintage recording material, and all the rest – made for some great songs, a fantastic live experience and the rest, but when was the last time you listened to a White Stripes album all the way through? How many times did you ever listen to Get Behind Me Satan all the way through? Twice? Icky Thump? Once? Thought not. There’s one problem with restricting yourself to drums/guitars (and the occasional keyboard) – there’s only so far you can go. And that well was starting to run dry back in 2003.

Second, it isn’t like Jack White hasn’t telegraphed this for the last, what, five years? The Raconteurs. The Dead Weather. Albums with still great Country singers. Poor Meg must have been sitting at home bashing paint tins disconsolately.

Third, bands just don’t break up permanently any more. Every single band seems to be going through some eternal cycle of make records, stop making records, break up, get back together for a lucrative reunion tour a few years later. I can’t imagine The White Stripes will be any different, especially seeing as it’s just the two of them and they still seem to be Best Buddies.

So I’m not really that upset. Or at all upset, in any way, shape, or form. Still, nice to be reminded of great songs like this though: