how the sonic can be lost

i just bought the new album from the white stripes. most of you know how much i admire jack and meg - her restraint on the drums, his mastery of the guitar, and most especially, how well they listen to each other when playing. a white stripes concert is a master's class of everything that's right about live music.

and whenever i sit down and absorb a white stripes album, i'm amazed at the guitar riffs. most of the time, when you listen to other bands, you can hone in on certain instruments and say to yourself, "well, even though i don't know how to play any music, i could still probably learn what they just played in a couple of hours." not so with jack. there's no way in hell i can ever play anything off "white blood cells" or "elephant" or "de stijl".

but i could probably play anything off "get behind me satan", their newest album.

not that the songs aren't pretty; they are. and not that the lyrics aren't magestic; they are (any time you can mention rita hayworth twice in an album is fantastic). but it's just missing that white stripes thing, the moment in a song when all the emotion of being the best rock band in the world comes out in a hook. the moment when all get out is finally released, and your heart begins to race and the song's climax begins to erupt and it all comes down to this, it all comes down to this.

it's the moment that turn rock sounds into rock music. it's the moment that separates amazing musicians from people like me.

the sonic, as my roommate's brother described it.

i don't know what happened to their sonic. maybe loretta lynn has it. maybe they're leaving the sonic for someone else. maybe they're just trying to level the playing field between them and every other band in the world. maybe it's a new stripe.

i don't know what. i just know that i missed it.

and i'm sad that i just typed this whole thing.