https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0J2QdDbelmY&feature=kp On paper The White Stripes were seemingly too weird a proposition to make the breakthrough as a mainstream act. After all they were a two piece band comprising of just drums, guitar and voice. Supposedly a brother and sister team of Jack and Meg White - the truth eventually emerged that they were previously husband and wife they wrote beautifully modern, ragged blues music. Whilst their image was carefully constructed, their strength was built upon the ferocious sound that they unleased. Jack White happily took on the role of the decades guitar wunderkind and on Seven Nation Army he starts with making his guitar sound like a bass on the intro before launching into that almighty riff. Why is this a landmark? Well their whole sound influenced how to approach recording from hereon in, analogue was suddenly cool again. And it brought the guitar riff back into fashion. People who knew nothing about the band could hum it. What it also did was look to the past to create a new vision of the present. There was no mistaking the influence of Mo Tucker of The Velvet Underground on Meg Whites drumming and Jack White managed to sound like an unholy combination of Led Zeppelins Jimmy Page on guitar and Robert Plant on vocals. Seven Nation Army unashamedly put classic rock back onto the table again but this time around, made it sound like a very cool thing indeed. Now, try and get that guitar riff out of your head.
What makes music fantastic? Star quality, amazing music, breathtaking lyrics and the ability to bring something new to the table, even if that means a new take on the classics. That's what I love to listen to and write about.
As well as writing for What Culture, I occasionally write a blog http://tedney.blogspot.co.uk and sometimes use Twitter, but sparingly @TedneyNash