i'd like to briefly talk about the white stripes, currently the best thing going in rock music. nearing two years old, white blood cells has aged incredibly well. this evening brought my first listen to that record in weeks, and it is outstanding.

i also listened today to de stijl, perhaps for the first time since 2002. if any album could possibly be worth the price of admission for just its first two tracks, de stijl, which opens up with "you're pretty good looking" followed by "hello operator," is certainly that album.

i was fortunate to see the white stripes play at chicago's empty bottle in july of 2001. i count it as the third-best show i've ever seen not by a band named guided by voices. (the flaming lips at metro during the summer of '99, before i had heard any of the soft bulletin, is my favorite, while my second-favorite is the polyphonic spree in may of 2001 in austin, texas, as the first of three bands, for which grandaddy was the headliner.)

i'm quite excited for thie white stripes' elephant, due to hit stores on april 1, and due to occupy my subconscious for the first two road trips of the quad city river bandits' season. i've elected not to download, owing to the fact that i'm buying anyway, and waiting will only make me a better person.