I wrote the following White Stripes album descriptions in 2007. :/ It's often weird reading back on old writing, especially when there are a lot of things one would have written differently whether in terms of content or even punctuation and grammar. I think I neglected to mention the White Stripes' second album De Stijl (Sympathy for the Record Industry, 2000) because the post I was responding to asked what these specific albums sounded like or which albums he/she should have gotten after De Stijl:Their self-titled (first album), while not their most diverse work, is a solid and consistent rock record. It has its slow tracks here and there, but most of the tracks showcase their signature sound of short, sweet, driving blues-rock. Their sound isn't completely developed here, but it's pretty much The White Stripes at their barest of bones. This is also Jack's proudest work, according to himself.
White Blood Cells is probably their most accessible album. It was their breakthrough album, afterall. It contains Fell in Love with a Girl, Hotel Yorba, and Dead Leaves - all of those familiar singles which launched them into the mainstream. As a whole, it's probably not their most consistent work. It kind of drops off, during the last four or so tracks, but it's still a White Stripes record, if you savvy.
Elephant is probably their most "sophisticated" album. It has a great balance of soft ballads, hard-rockers, (a few more) blazing guitar solos, and it's the first to feature Meg on vocals. This is also where Jack's lyrical aptitude really starts to shine through, and it continues on through their latest album. The balance of diverse tracks and The Stripes' ability to blend them all into a such a cohesive work gives Elephant a great all-around album feel. It's possibly The White Stripes best work, to date.
Icky Thump is also pretty diverse, insofar as it hearkens back to sounds that came out of or were prominent on their older albums (such as certain organ and guitar sounds). Not to mention The White Stripes stray further from the aesthetic of the number three (guitar, drums, vocals) - so far as to include (surprisingly successful experiments with) trumpets and bagpipes. To some, the hearkening back to old sounds is a bad thing, because they say The White Stripes have started to repeat themselves. However, I think they've managed to take most elements from their older albums, experimental and non-experimental alike, and refine them to their very best (odd percussion times, the use of mic distortion effects, etc).
A lot of people consider Satan The White Stripes' worst album, because it strays the furthest from their sound. Guitars were largely replaced by piano, and this is where they really started to break their own rule of the number three, with the inclusion of mandolin and marimba. The album is one big experiment and is the reflection of a frustrated man/artist. The time leading up to and during the album's recording was a tough time for the band (more specifically, Jack): things were going wrong in the studio (you can hear a tambourine stand or some other piece of equipment topple over in "White Moon;" the tape on which "The Nurse" was recorded was cut incorrectly and had to be re-pieced together); Jim Diamond was suing The White Stripes over production rights to their first two albums; Jack just went through a break-up with Renée Zellweger; his hand was still recovering from surgery after his car accident; and of course, he was still dealing with the whole episode with Jason Stollsteimer from The Von Bondies. All of these events served as the inspiration of the album's theme of broken trust (hence the title, "Satan" being all of those people and events "getting behind" Jack and allowing him to move on with his life and work). Satan is, subtly (and sometimes not so subtly), their most lyrically bitter and harsh album, but I think the band was able to turn their frustrations into something great. Definitely, IMO, their most under-rated and under-appreciated album.
Another thing that makes Icky Thump great to me (especially as a reflection of the band, at perhaps their best, overall) is that it's a complete rebound from Satan. The band is definitely rejuvenated, on Thump, after a prolonged hiatus with other projects (The Raconteurs and Loretta Lynn). Jack's personal life also took a turn for the better, during the time between albums (a marriage, a couple of kids, and a relocation from Detroit to Nashville will do that). I don't know much about Meg's personal life, but she also moved out of Detroit (to California). Overall, Jack and Meg were happier with their new lives, new loves, and new environments, and, most of all, the band was happier and eager to get back into the studio.
Note: The White Stripes' 2003 album Elephant (V2/XL Recordings, 2003) did not feature Meg's first appearance on vocals - only her first appearance on lead-vocals.
