Dum. Dum dum dum dum dum. Dum. Such begins the White Stripes' fourth full-length LP, Elephant. After 3 albums of having no bass, they open their thunderous near-classic fourth album with a bassline (or at least a guitar imitating a bass…). Either way, though, "Seven Nation Army" is the killer first single, and Elephant is one of the most killer albums of 2003… and it was only April when it was released. With White Blood Cells, the Stripes broke out into the mainstream with the hits "Fell in Love with a Girl" and "Dead Leaves and the Dirty Ground." So how did the Detroit rock duo follow it up? Sell out? Attempt to alienate fans? Absolutely not. They pulled out all the stops and made a truly great album which, given time, may prove to be a modern classic.

"Seven nation Army" starts things off with a hypnotic rhythm section keeping the pace as Jack White rants and raves, both with his voice and his guitar. "Black Math" speeds things up with a ferocity found nowhere on White Blood Cells. "There's No Home For You Here" follows, acting as a sequel of sorts to "Dead Leaves and the Dirty Ground" and the effects used on "Aluminum." This powerhouse triumvirate of rock sets the overall mood for the rest of the album when compared to the Stripes' past work: Bigger, louder, better.

Things soften a bit for a little while. A cover of Burt Bacharach's "I Just Don't Know What to Do With Myself" shows Jack's soft side. "In the Cold Cold Night" unleashes Meg as… um… being playfully sexy. She isn't exactly what I would call a vocal force, but a track or two with her singing is good as long as it's not a full album.

"I Want to Be the Boy to Warm Your Mother's Heart" is a plea to a girl and her mother (no, not in the gross way) that is sweet and melodically soothing. "I want to be the boy to warm your mother's heart/I'm so scared to take you away/I tried to win her over from the start/But something always got in the way." It's like the movie Meet the Parents, except in song form and not really funny. And "Keep Her in Your Pocket" is the subtlest song the Stripes have ever produced. It sounds like a sweet love song, but the lyrics are threatening and paranoid with an obsessive, stalker-like quality.

"Ball and Biscuit" is a 7-minute epic of the best type. Seven minutes, but it feels like a 3-minute song. Sexy, cunning and just the right tempo. It doesn't rock too hard, but it doesn't drag. And there's no resisting Jack's crooning. "Let's have a ball and a biscuit, sugar, and have our sweet time about it…"

"The Hardest Button to Button" is the best song on the album, especially lyrically. The rhythm, bass and relatively sparse guitar give way to the tale of a family in 1981. "Little Acorns" features a hilarious spoken-work introduction. Before this album, I would have doubted that anyone could fit the line "Be like the squirrel" into a song without it sounding out of place. "Hypnotize" is at a speed similar to that of "Fell in Love with a Girl," and it's just about as catchy. "The Air Near My Fingers" is great for its catchiness and subtlety. And the last rocker on the album, "Girl You Have No Faith in Medicine" is one last blast of adrenaline.

The album closer, "It's True That We Love One Another" features vocals from Jack, Meg and Holly Golightly. It's a nice, lighthearted way of ending an incredible sonic blast of an album. In the end, Elephant may very well prove to be a classic, given time. The only reason I'm merely giving it a 10 for now is because of this; it's only been out for 2 months. In time, they might release something even better. The songs might grow old. It's too early to judge this album's long-term quality, but for now, just turn on "Ball and Biscuit," get close to someone and have fun with it.