The White Stripes shifting towards the piano should be something to celebrate, maintaining the minimal cool of previous efforts but shifting the sound somewhat and opening themselves up to a host of new possibilities. 'The Denial Twist', however, is not as stimulating as that would sound.

The least exhilarating White Stripes single to date is, of course, not without its merits. Jack's offhand exclamation of 'do the twist' is soaked in a continuing cool, and by the standards of others it would rank as a highly passable effort. It's of their own doing that we have come to expect more than a rather stodgy, standard piece of ivory pummelling and unintelligible words flying into our ears, even if the energy of their delivery is the one saving grace.

It's not to say that all is lost, or that we should be writing anybody off. Consider their last two excursions into the charts - arguably their finest, no? There are apparently a whole host of radically altered live versions of this one floating around. Our faith in the continuing relevance of Jack & Meg White allows us to beseech you to go find some of them. Chances are, that at least one will have a little bit more spark.