SWEET TEASERS

Get yourself acquainted with Jack and Meg White. "Let’s Shake Hands," the A-side of this, the duo’s first recorded foray, is a raucous invitation to do so. The crunched-out, Cramps-worthy riffage that the song is built upon is segmented by Jack White’s plaintive, natural-as-breathing falsetto and the crashing waves of Meg White’s cymbal, snare and bass drum punctuating the tender ruckus. In stark contrast, "Look Me Over Closely" finds the Whites bending show-tune convention to their own specifications. Jack sings as though possessed by an aging Hollywood diva. It’s eerie and fascinating in the sort of Sunset Boulevard kinda way! The tale of cautious nuptials takes an air of menace as built around the White Stripes skeletal piano, guitar and drums framework before the requisite grand "big finish." The White Stripes leave ’em (or you or me) wanting more, but this is a fine get-acquainted gathering.