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Stars indicate the most critically-acclaimed albums.

Elephant
by The White Stripes


8.2

based on 28 reviews
Read critic reviews
How did we calculate this?

based on 226 votes
Read user comments
Rate this album

MUSIC:

The Raconteurs: Broken Boy Soldiers

For their major label debut (and fourth LP overall), the Detroit-based duo of Jack and Meg White offer up 14 new tracks, all recorded in London and (fortunately) showing absolutely no trace of major label production values. Meg White takes a rare turn behind the microphone on a couple of tracks, as does guest Holly Golightly on the closing "It's True That We Love One Another."

LABEL:	V2
RELEASE DATE:	01 April 2003
DISCS:	1 disc
GENRE(S):	Indie, Rock

NOTES: Also available on vinyl (2xLP). CD art varies by region (there are 6 different album covers in total).

All critic scores are converted to a 100-point scale. If a critic does not indicate a score, we assign a score based on the general impression given by the text of the review. Learn more...

100

Rolling Stone

It is a glorious thing to hear. It will be one of the best things you hear all year.

100

The Onion (A.V. Club)

All the elements of previous White Stripes records surface again, but in weirder, more intense strains that don't break with Jack and Meg White's past, yet don't slavishly adhere to it, either.

100

PopMatters

Each album, from the White Stripes to De Stijl to White Blood Cells, has shown their evolution from Blind Willie McTell cover band with a pop sensibility to full-fledged, honest-to-goodness rock 'n' roll gods, a status finally reached on their latest disc.

100

Uncut

Laced with enough blue-eyed longing to make the most diehard Gram Parsons fan weep with wonder and the sort of verbal acuity that would give even Dylanologists pause for thought, Elephant is where the tabloid phenomenon of summer 2001 prove they are no flash in the pan by making a truly phenomenal record. [May 2003, p.94]

100

Spin

This is not garage rock; this is art rock. And that's a compliment. [May 2003, p.107]

100

Trouser Press

A masterpiece, regardless of hype.

E! Online

It's a massive success.

Magnet

It's what the British Invasion might've sounded like had it come after punk rock. [#58, p.109]

Mojo

Where Elephant does differ from what has gone before is in terms of quality. It's just better all round. [Apr 2003, p.88]

New York Magazine

It is stranger, thornier, and meaner than anything in the band’s past.

Delusions of Adequacy

A follow-up album that not only meets expectations, it blows them away.

Q Magazine

A record sufficiently impressive to suggest that White Blood Cells caught Jack and Meg using only a fraction of their talents. [Apr 2003, p.98]

Billboard

Never has the pair sounded more fresh and self-assured; nor has it delivered such a fully realized work before.

Dot Music

'Elephant' is already this year's most crucial purchase.

New Musical Express

The eloquence, barbarism, tenderness and sweat-drenched vitality of 'Elephant' make it the most fully-realised White Stripes album yet.

Drawer B

Elephant is a startlingly dark and consistent record, incorporating frequencies never before heard on a White Stripes album.

All Music Guide

Elephant overflows with quality -- it's full of tight songwriting, sharp, witty lyrics, and judiciously used basses and tumbling keyboard melodies that enhance the band's powerful simplicity.

Splendid

Elephant isn't one of those albums that'll change your life, or your tastes, or even the face of your music collection -- it's just a strong and consistent collection of powerful rock songs.

Junkmedia

So the news is good. They didn't sell out, they didn't run out of ideas, and they were able to find still more places to yell "Whooo!" Go buy this now.

The Guardian

The duo have refined their sound until it is shatteringly effective. Nevertheless, Elephant sounds suspiciously like the White Stripes' apotheosis.

Blender

They break their own rules, even adding expansive guitar solos, to keep themselves interested and fans off-balance. [May 2003, p.123]

Playlouder

'De Stijl' is just about better song for song, but the sheer vitality and energy of this one alone makes 'Elephant' their most accomplished record to date.

Austin Chronicle

A baby elephant still, bigger, brighter than its two siblings, but it's in your kitchen, and it ain't leaving anytime soon.

Entertainment Weekly

Not that there aren't hints of greatness on Elephant.... That said, ''Elephant'' also flaunts everything that's contrived about the band -- the gimmicks for which they've become better known than their actual music.

Village Voice

The second side is the dullest sequence they've put together since tracks five through 11 on their debut.

Pitchfork

Therein lies the contradiction of The White Stripes. How do you combine the shit-hot with the "twee?" Elephant's shortcomings suggests the enterprise is futile.

Stylus Magazine

From its opening bars of stop/start low end, to the motivational tape samples, to the aforementioned multi-tracking, Elephant just screams and begs to be viewed as a departure from the Stripes’ well-known approach. The problem is that in between all this commotion lie the same vintage jams that the group has trafficked in for years.

Almost Cool

In the end, it just feels like Elephant is the culmination of the group trying to please absolutely everyone and it instead feels like sort of a mess.

The average user rating for this album is 8.2 (out of 10) based on 226 User Votes
Note: User votes are NOT included in the Metascore calculation.

Patrik D. gave it a0:
Sucks, three chords worn out so called rock N roll !

Will S gave it a10:
Very good album, but did anyone notice that "There's No Home For You Here" sounds almost exactly like "Dead Leaves and the Dirty Ground"?

Emuke gave it a10:
This album wasn't a change for a broader fanbase-it was a change for self-discovery and experimentation. The mellow and cold vibes from Elephant hit all the right notes-- and Meg's vocal escapades are captivating and give promise for more trial and error from the duo. Songs like I Want to be the Boy, You've got Her in Your Pocket, In the Cold Cold Night, and I Just Don't Know What to do With Myself are preformed ingeniously; the vocal drive audible give energy and soul to the tracks while the subtle yet strong guitar-and-drum team set a sexy, intimate, overall appealing mood. Five stars, rating of ten, one of the best albums of the year, if not decade.

Steve gave it a10:
Proof that mixing rock and art isn't all pretension and exclusive. one album that is indeed a landmark in rock.

Mitch gave it a10:
Just a flawless album. I'm sorry, but even though the drumming is essentially one-dimensional, Jack White has produced some of the coolest guitar riffs since Zepplin 2. Every track is more compelling than the last. The lyrics are edgy, potent and all around interesting. Even in "In the Cold, Cold Night" and "I Want To Be The Boy", you can feel the energy radiating from this record. Their best album. Period.

Francesco B gave it a0:
Pessimo!

Nicole gave it a10:
I absolutely adore this album.

Elephant by The White Stripes

Elephant
by The White Stripes