The album opens with the single "Blue Orchid," a scorching garage rocker that sounds like it's played at 78 RPM (the eunuch vocals will do that). The blood-bubbling uniqueness of that song deflates in a hurry when the marimbas float in on "The Nurse," where the distortion and drums stick out like shards of glass as the experiment seethes into a cathartic, piano-fueled jam that is like nothing The White Stripes have ever done before. Then comes the catchiest song of the album, the egg-shaker and piano ditty, "My Doorbell," that would make Little Richard proud.

And we have to take a moment to mention the quaint charm of a chorus that goes "I been thinkin' about my doorbell/When you gonna ring it," in a world of IMs and text messages. But simple clarity is White's stock in trade, as "Forever For Her (Is Over For Me)" clearly illustrates. The rocky piano ballad drips with loss (perhaps this one is for Mrs. Kenny Chesney), as does the haunting "White Moon."

There are a few songs where White shows off the rusty blues work that made him famous, and he's even getting better at that. "Instinct Blues" and "Red Rain" are the rippingest things he's put down since De Stijl, and "Take, Take, Take" could be a b-side to Let It Bleed-era Stones.

Meg White is still the modern day Ringo Starr: she'll never be accused of being technically stirring, but she's a perfect fit for the band she's in.

Ostensibly, being a two-piece band has its limitations. With Get Behind Me Satan, The White Stripes are proving an exception to that rule.

-Michael Coyle

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