What happens when a two−member band pushes garage rock to the very limits of listener tolerance? What happens when that very same band decides to tour, of all places, every single province and territory of Canada? The result is The White Stripes' new live album and accompanying documentary film, "Under Great White Northern Lights," based on the band's 2007 tour.
Following The White Stripes from British Columbia and the Yukon Territories and then east across the continent to Newfoundland and New Brunswick, the film features footage from concerts, life on the road and behind−the−scenes interviews with guitarist and singer Jack White and his ex−wife, drummer Meg White.
The White Stripes formed in 1997 in Detroit, Mich., and gained widespread success in 2002, when their third album, "White Blood Cells" (2001), merited enough independent popularity to merit its re−release on the major label V2 Records. Praised for their simplistic recording approach and stripped−down, garage−rock fusion of punk and blues, the duo went on to release "Elephant" (2003), "Get Behind Me Satan" (2005) and "Icky Thump" (2007), all of which won Grammys for Best Alternative Music Album in their respective years.
In a live setting, The White Stripes take an extremely energetic and spontaneous approach to their music. Their presentation inspires awe at the raw power of the little band, but they frequently sacrifice musical precision for stage presence. They don't even use a set−list for their shows, relying instead on noisy transitions, during which Jack White unleashes huge blobs of distorted feedback from his guitar and amplifiers. In addition, he sings as though struggling to be heard over his absurdly loud instrument, wailing and shrieking in tones that rarely hit the correct pitch. As a result, many of the songs on this live collection have been rendered nearly unrecognizable.
For her part, Meg White plays the drum kit with such minimalism that most beginners could easily duplicate her parts. She began playing drums in 1997, the same year that The White Stripes formed, and has never had a lesson. Meg does little, aside from keeping the beat while Jack launches into squealing, distorted solos and fuzz−filled interludes. In interviews, the reclusive Meg rarely speaks, instead allowing Jack to expound at length on the band's approach to music.
A few of the tracks on "Under Great White Northern Lights" are actually worth the listen. Songs like "I'm Slowly Turning Into You," "We Are Going To Be Friends" and "Icky Thump" call to mind the more refined rawness of Modest Mouse or Cold War Kids. A few of the Stripes' more bluesy numbers have the sweet, fuzzy ring of another notable garage−rock duo, The Black Keys.
But for the most part, "Under Great White Northern Lights" falls flat, with Jack White's cleverly penned numbers lost in the shriek of his voice, drowning underneath the overdriven feedback from his out−of−tune guitar.
At the very least, it helps to be able to watch the movie; the visual effect of The White Stripes' emphatic gestures and strutting on−stage demeanor were lost when one just hears the audio. With the DVD, one can understand the entire effect that they're striving to achieve. In this regard, the film serves as a garage−rock performance art piece.
But this is supposed to be music; a listener shouldn't have to see it to "get it," and more importantly, they shouldn't have to "get it" to like it. This collection of performances thus violates the main purpose of a live album by failing to prove that the band can recreate at least some of the magic they make in the studio. In this regard, "Under Great White Northern Lights" falls short of the mark, but its intimate perspective into the lives of Jack and Meg White begs the idea that only the enigmatic duo can understand their spontaneous live shows.
