The White Stripes have been my favorite band for at least the last six years of my life. I discovered them in 8th grade, but it wasn’t until my freshman year of high school that I actually started appreciating them. But now that the Stripes are no longer making music, I’m short a favorite band.
Don’t get me wrong, the White Stripes have been, are, and will most likely forever continue to be my favorite band. But it’s weird not having a favorite band that’s still actually making music. So I’ve been trying to figure out who my “favorite working band/artist” is, and it’s not an easy task.
Regina Spektor’s the front-runner. Her career shows almost as much range in style and feeling as The White Stripes, and her talent is unquestionable, just like my love for her music. But there’s also She & Him, whose upbeat and sunny lyrics and melodies always feel right, good mood or bad. And what about Ra Ra Riot, the first band I ever saw live (and I’ve seen them thrice since then). How about Matt & Kim? Or The Black Keys, who are probably stylistically the closest to the grungy modern blues of the White Stripes? Or MGMT, who had my favorite album of 2010? And then there’s The Raconteurs and The Dead Weather, the obvious successors since they’re both Jack White-driven projects?
I think at the end of the day, it’s impossible for me to pick a favorite working band. It’s a title that’s been so firmly and confidently in the hands of the Stripes for so long that giving it to someone else almost feels like cheating. I’m not saying there will never be another White Stripes, but right now there isn’t.
Jack, Meg… I miss you guys.
