Indie/Alternative charts

Review: Notably breaking away from their distinctive red and white colour palette, this new edition of The White Stripes' blues rock classic 'White Blood Cells' comes as a heavyweight LP. Cut directly from the original 14" master tapes and happily repackaged into what is arguably its best reissue yet, we're sure any true White Stripes fan will be lost without it; while it is their third album, White Blood Cells was for many music listeners their first introduction to the Detroit duo, thanks to the breakout hit 'Fell In Love With A Girl' catapulting them to stardom.

Review: Back in 2000, Jack White was right at the height of his popularity - not that it has waned much since, to be honest. De Stijl is the second album from his band The White Stripes and while it didn't placed that impressively in charts at the time, it has since become a cult classic amongst late coming fans who have gone back and worked their way through the band's discography. Fact fans will be interested to know that 'Why Can't You Be Nicer to Me?' was used in an episode of The Simpsons and 'Apple Blossom' was used in Quentin Tarantino's film The Hateful Eight.

Review: RECOMMENDED
It almost (almost) pains us to recommend this one - The White Stripes aren't really a band that should be releasing Greatest Hits albums. We'd much rather them give us a surprise record of typically groundbreaking, brand new theatric and infectious blues-tinged rock 'n' roll. But we are where we are, and after more than a decade without much activity from the siblings beggars can't be choosers.

One of our objections is exactly how you choose what to include on an LP like this. What defines a 'hit' from an outfit that are renowned for packing albums with nothing but stone cold gems, even if they failed to make it onto radio playlists or single format. In this case, though, the challenge has been met - with chart topping fare like Seven Nation Army notably absent, while more wildcard tracks such as 'I Think I Smell A Rat' and 'Dead Leaves On the Dirty Ground' given their deserving dues.

Review: RECOMMENDED
Let's face it, White Blood Cells is the moment when The White Stripes really broke the mould. It's a continuation of Jack and Meg's garage rock aesthetic as fine-tuned over two previous albums, and wholeheartedly a straight up rock 'n' roll album. But the elements are so perfectly primed it's impossible not to rank this as one of the greatest long form outings of this century, so far. And we're not alone - Rolling Stone even reckons it's among the best LPs of all time. Pity the fool who disagrees.

From the racing 'Fell in Love With A Girl', to the beguiling mystery of 'The Union Forever', 'I Think I Smell A Rat''s meld of mariachi riffs and mosh stomp and the emotional piano closer 'This Protector', to the innocent acoustic joy of 'We're Going To Be Friends', this is a masterclass of songwriting and arrangement, tracks that evolve, perplex, surprise, and - most importantly - entertain.

Review: This 20th Anniversary reissue of the The White Stripes' Elephant will make you roar once more. Jack and Meg White's raw and minimalist garage rock, which they've been making since 1997, is by now a staple of the international rock market identity - and of course, the blinding hits 'Seven Nation Army', 'I Just Don't Know What To Do With Myself' and 'The Hardest Button To Button' all feature on their debut here. Celebrating the now cemented legacy of a wholly original duo, this anniversary edition includes a bonus disc of alternative tracks, some of which come in a format of much import, mono. And that's not to mention a string of covers and rarities. It also comes in a deluxe bookback edition, with liner notes by Jack White himself!