While in Canada, Jack and Meg took time off of their flashmob gigging and one-note symphonies long enough to team up with the Malloy Brothers (again) and hit the Nunavut territory in the Arctic to monkey around for this new Icky clip. It's like a Stripes dating profile: on their off time, the faux-sibs enjoy white houses, red boats, and long beach-side strolls. And Arctic graveyards.
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In other Stripes news, the duo played MSG last Tuesday night to a packed and reportedly rapt room. The New York Times' Kelefa Sanneh was on hand and impressed, but we found particular insight in his take on Meg White:
A White Stripes concert also underscores the importance of Ms. White, whose drumming is more sophisticated than many fans (and many more non-fans) realize. She refuses to imitate a metronome, refuses to flatten the songs by making them conform to a steady pulse. Instead she seems to hear the music the way Mr. White does: as a series of phrases, each with its own shape and tempo. In ?Icky Thump,? the title track from the group?s most recent album, which was released last month, she occasionally warped the rhythm by shortening one of the beats, perfectly in unison with Mr. White?s guitar. If her playing were mathematically precise, it would be less musically precise.
Never really thought about Meg's playing that way before, and it's an interesting take on the pair's chemistry. Not clear how Kelefa means "refuse" vis a vis metronome imitation; not sure Meg's choosing to keep roughshod time, but that's besides the point -- this 'deconstructing the tunes to reveal a series of phrases' theory is the most erudite capitulation we've heard yet for the basic premise most Stripes fans work upon: The shit just works, ya know?
