Number 27
'Elephant' by The White Stripes
Trotter’s Top Ten position : 8 in 2003
UK Chart high : 1 in 2003
For a start, this is Jarvis Cocker's album of the noughties. Do you need any more justification? If you do, then starting an album with 'Seven Nation Army' should be justification enough, surely the riff of the decade, hands down. The other singles from 'Elephant' should just about cement its place on here too, especially coupled with the seminal visuals of 'Seven Nation Army' and the genius of 'Button' from Michel Goundry. With this album the White Stripes hit that sweet spot when bands start to inhabit their own universe, start to sound like no-one else on earth and then bring everyone else on board with them. While it's true that it suffers a bit from being a tad too long, you can't deny the quality of this Elephantine beast - at times hard, harsh, caustic, sweet, innocent and charming and sometimes all of them at once. Jack White certainly did plenty more this decade but he never hit as many home runs than on here. Despite the limitations deliberately placed on the music in terms of the instruments and technology there's such a huge soundscape on offer to the listener that there's never a chance of being bored by repetition. Kate Moss' pole dancing probably did no harm either.
Look at Seven Nation Army ; The Hardest Button to Button ; I Just Don't Know What to Do with Myself
Number 27
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