10 Amazing Classic Rock Inspired Albums From The 21st Century
8. Elephant - The White Stripes
After the Strokes blew up at the start of the decade, most of the rock fanbase had an innate desire to get back to basics. While the rough and tumble band out of New York had their eyes set on more straight-ahead rock and roll, something more bluesy was coming from a little garage in Detroit.
The White Stripes were formed to bring rock back to its most primitive state. No need for flashy keyboards or grand arrangements. Just guitars, vocals, drums...that's it. Jack White had definitely shown the power that he had on the band's previous work, but Elephant is where he blossomed into one of the greatest songwriters of his generation. With songs rooted in the bluesy tradition, White took some of the basic chords that musicians first learn when picking up a guitar and turned them into some of the most raucous rock and roll the decade had ever seen.
You can hear a lot of the influences of old bluesmen like Robert Johnson on songs like "Ball and Biscuit" while other tracks like "Black Math" feel like they're trying to channel hardcore punk via the Texas Swing of ZZ Top. Then there's the showstopping "Seven Nation Army," which is one part Bond Theme, one part Jimmy Page style smoothness. With everyone stripping things down, Elephant was the album that showed just how much could be done with just two people and a ton of attitude