The White Stripes “Elephant”

Compare to: The Strokes, The Hives, The Vines

Rating: 9

After releasing their fourth album entitled “Elephant,” The White Stripes seem to be exactly what rock and roll culture has been waiting for. Now that rock music has begun to reclaim some of its past glory through bands like The Strokes and The Hives, The White Stripes have come out with this delightfully unique album that will undoubtedly restore some faith in popular rock music.

Jack and Meg White, who have fooled many people into thinking they’re siblings, are actually a divorced couple who come from Detroit. The twosome recorded “Elephant” entirely on an eight-track reel in London. This created a very unusual sounding album that includes a wide variety of folky-bluesy punk rock tracks that have captivated me the entire way through this remarkable musical experience.

“Elephant” begins as an exciting musical adventure with a rambunctious tune called “Seven Nation Army.” I was immediately enticed by Jack’s yearning, yet somewhat aggressive-sounding lyrics that are enhanced by Meg’s simple and distinctive drum beats. The power that is packed into each beat of the drum creates an image in my mind of an enormous army marching into battle with Jack White as its leader.

As the third track rolls around, titled “There’s No Home For You Here,” I can’t help but be enchanted by the emotion Jack uses in the bitter song. I was able to feel rejecting anger in his voice, and at the same time, I could sense the independence the song presents.

Meg makes her vocal debut in the fifth track, entitled “In the Cold, Cold, Night.” This sultry song features Meg singing alongside Jack, who coyly strums his guitar to her sweet voice. This song instantly became one of my favorites of this album due to its unrefined and dainty qualities.

This musical adventure comes to an end with the cute and countryish ditty called “Well It’s True That We Love One Another.” This song, which includes guest vocalist Holly Golighty, is an adorably witty and wonderful choice to end the record with.

— Annie Krumhardt

Eisley “Laughing City”

Compare to: Radiohead, Sixpence None the Richer, Veruca Salt

Rating: 6

Eisley is a Texas-based quintet composed of four siblings and a friend that sounds a little like Radiohead, a little like Sixpence None the Richer and a little like Veruca Salt. The similarities between Eisley and the aforementioned bands lie in the way those bands make use of dynamics, instrumentation and vocal melodies.

The vocals, shared by sisters Chauntelle and Sherri DuPree, are pretty and hypnotic, if a bit overwrought and warbly. The music benefits from well-placed Fender Rhodes and Wurlitzer organ embellishments that create the sonic equivalent of a dream within which the band works. Electric guitars alternate between clean, lush arpeggiated tones and distorted power chords, conveying a feather-and-anvil dynamic.

Despite the fact Eisley is exploiting all of my soft spots with the use of these musical elements, I just can’t listen to the EP more than a couple of times. I’ve come to the conclusion the culprit is mediocre songwriting.

No matter how beautifully textured and well-produced the songs themselves are, it’s doubtful they would pass the acoustic guitar test. For a band that scored the opening slot on Coldplay’s current tour, this is a bit of a letdown.

“I Wasn’t Prepared” starts off nicely with an interesting vocal melody sung to a Beatles-ish piano progression, but it just stops there. The song doesn’t develop or take us anywhere. The music is like a soundtrack to a dream, but that’s not very interesting if you’re dreaming of staring at a concrete wall.

“Tree Tops” is my favorite track, featuring a calliope-like keyboard sound that puts a smile of delight on the face of the little trapeze artist in my soul. With soaring vocal harmonies and the band finally being roused from its ethereal, trance-like state, “Tree Tops” has the strongest chorus on the record.

Eisley, with a pinch more of the rock and a smidgen less of the sugary, extended vocal warblings, you could have been a contender.

— Tony Lombardo

Deftones “Deftones”

Compare to: A Perfect Circle, Chevelle, System of a Down

Rating: 8

Evolving naturally from White Pony, the Deftones’ self-titled new album shows the band’s ability to experiment while still staying distinctly metal. Although this album is their most cohesive work to date, it has nothing that jumps out as an obvious single, but the Deftones have never been concerned with writing hit singles, and instead find their sound through experimentation.

What Radiohead has done for rock is what the Deftones are beginning to do for metal. They steer from mainstream sounds—perpetually pushing boundaries. The Deftones try to change perceptions of how a metal song should sound. Like Radiohead, they also have been influential within their genre, if bands like Chevelle and Taproot are any indication.

On the opening track, “Hexagram,” the band seems intent on throwing the listener off with tricky time signatures, forcing careful listening. Vocalist Chino Moreno barrages you with guttural screams and then effortlessly slips into a sing-song moan.

Like Kurt Cobain, Moreno soulfully wrenches out abstract and mysterious lyrics, with enough passion to make you believe every word. His melodies are keyless and ever-changing, suggesting he doesn’t want you to sing along, but rather listen closely. This is music that refuses to be put in the background.

“Deftones” has the potential to draw in new fans, without alienating those who have always been. On songs like the grandiose “Minerva,” Stephen Carpenter’s dense, dissonant guitar implements are as ugly as they are beautiful and Abe Cunningham reminds us he is one of the most creative drummers in rock. Although the album is guitar-based, tracks like the Portishead-esque “Lucky You” and the new-wave inspired “Anniversary of an Uninteresting Event” show the band’s ability to create rich tracks.

Although this album is not perfect (tracks like “Bloody Cape” get repetitive), “Deftones” proves that metal can be both intelligent and artistic. The Deftones’ new effort is a raw, emotional composition that dares you to shut up and listen.

— Casey Jones

Pat Metheny “One Quiet Night”

Compare to: Lyle Mays, Steely Dan, Nancy Wilson

Rating: 7

My congratulations to Pat Metheny, a musician who accomplishes his modest intentions of producing an articulated, homemade album with “One Quiet Night.” This is a feat with success that reigns with little doubt.

This album is a soundtrack to an evening isolated in the imperfection and subtlety of Metheny’s confident solo baritone guitar.

“One Quiet Night” is a relatively even mix of somber and upbeat moods. The album begins with the title track, a tune of vibrant delicacy — a mood that resembles a musical rendition of a gentle breeze flowing across a field of overgrown grass.

Metheny’s occasional flaws are apparent in this track as well as throughout the album, a reflection of himself — a humble, bushy-haired musician — carried into his music that brings a relaxed, hum-friendly pleasure.

The second and third tracks, “Song for the Boys” and Norah Jones’ “Don’t Know Why,” respectively, are substantially more chipper and fresh than most of the songs of the disc. “Don’t Know Why” is a perfect example of taking a song that many know and turning it into a nuanced, classy guitar solo.

Though Metheny’s sound is an undoubtable talent, his album has a blandness that unfortunately shades the final product.

Later tracks, to no surprise due to the usage of a single instrument, begin to sound the same and lack transitions of mood.

Many tracks reflect the sound of Nancy Wilson in her post-Heart scores to films such as “Jerry Maguire,” “Almost Famous” and “Vanilla Sky,” all of which are directed by her husband Cameron Crowe.

The improvisational nature of her music is an ode to a moment, much alike Metheny’s desired frame of mind for this album, an attribute that enhances both of these artists’ work.

Metheny’s album is an hour-long satisfaction, a mix of sound, feeling and heart that lives up to its title.

— Ryan Curell