Released: 2007

Genres: Alternative Rock, Garage Rock Revival, Blues Rock

The Musiquarium’s Icky Thump Review Score: 4.5/5

It’s crazy to think that one of the most influential rock bands of the 21st century was only around for a decade before disbanding. Where a lot of great bands’ final albums find themselves at the verge of disintegration (see Pavement’s underrated, but unraveling Terror Twilight or Cream’s extremely disappointing and lazy, Goodbye), Icky Thump has the White Stripes feeling as united and explorative as ever.

The pro-immigration title track contains some of the most iconic guitar riffs that Jack White has conjured up yet. 300 M.P.H. Torrential Outpour Blues and Effect and Cause both provide some acoustic blues. The Spanish-influenced Conquest is a cover of a 1952 song, and is one of the album’s most exotic-sounding tracks. Rag and Bone and Bone Broke are classic White Stripes bangers.

Little Cream Soda is one of The White Stripes’ heaviest moments, as well as my personal favourite of the “Little” songs that appear on every one of their albums. Organ-accompanied songs like I’m Slowly Turning Into You, You Don’t Know What Love Is (You Just Do as You’re Told) and A Martyr for My Love for You all find a balance between being rocking and melodic. Catch Hell Blues has some tasteful mix of slide guitar and distortion.

The only weak spots are the one-two of Prickly Thorn, But Sweetly Worn and St. Andrew (This Battle Is in the Air), which both have the duo experimenting with bagpipes. I’m not particularly fond of bagpipes in the first place, but these two tracks just feel out of place and could probably have been one track instead of two.

Despite not quite being perfect, Icky Thump is still one of the greatest final last albums from a rock band (as well as one of the duo’s most diverse records), and is in no way a sign that The White Stripes needed to call it quits, but by doing so, Jack and Meg White helped to preserve the band and avoided the pitfalls that many groups find themselves in, where they drag things out with diminishing returns. What a fitting end for one of the greatest rock groups of the 21st century.

Trivia: Icky Thump won Best Alternative Music Album at the 50th Annual Grammy Awards.

For credit breakdowns and historic release details, view The White Stripes on Discogs.

Back to the 2007 Album Guide or the The White Stripes Reviews page.

Written by Brett Nippard