The Strokes
albums
attention, and they had a great debut to back it up. Ever since the debut, their hype has been increasingly
negative, BUT their work has all the marks of a great band. They evolve, they have great melodies, they
have stayed together as a group, they are accessible while being great, and so on. Hammond Jr. and Nick
Valensi are two guitarists that interplay very well: one plays chords, one plays riffs. Julian Casablancas
has a very seductive voice; it is rough but soothing at the same time. The rhythm section is phenomenal
with Fab Moretti and Fraiture leading the way behind all the show offs. But they have every right to show
off, their retro attitude is also lined with a futuristic viewpoint that never makes them sound stale. As far as
there first decade in, the band has shown great resilience in the face of being popular and good, and that
is harder than it looks. It is also hard to stand ground in the face of crap, and in 2001 when The Strokes
came out, the radio was all crap (boy bands and rap metal), and this band changed everything since. Like
Nirvana before them, they (by simply being there) helped popular taste be decent again, and these days it
is a cool thing to be 'indie rock'. Without The Strokes, this resurgence in good music probably never would
have happened. Truly one of the best and most popular bands to come out of the 00's.
Band Members: Julian Casablancas - Vocals
Albert Hammond Jr. - Guitar
Fabrizio Moretti - Drums
Nikolai Fraiture - Bass
Nick Valensi - Guitar
Best Album: Is This It
Biggest Influences: Iggy Pop, The Clash, Elivis Costello
2001
Is this It - 8/8
Is this it? Is it what? An actual good band in this lousy year of 2001, yes it is. A good debut album, yes it
is. The best album of all time? Well, no, but that's ok. It is a very good start for a band, that sounds a lot
like a garage band from the late 60’s, 70’s, whenever. To have that retro sound is not a bad thing at all,
because every good band has influences, and some of them always show through. Songs like "The
Modern Age", "Last Nite", "Hard to Explain", and "Someday" just rock pure and simple, though in an Iggy
Pop "Lust for Life" kind of way. What this band sounds like is simple, good rock n' roll, played without
inhibitions or expectations. This kind of carefree sound is best exemplified in "Last Nite", pretty much the
bands anthem, that states in a language everybody gets, "People they don't understand/ girlfriends they
don't understand/ spaceships they don't understand/ and me I ain't ever gonna understand". The album
goes beyond having stand out singles though, and songs that are obviously album tracks like "Soma",
"Alone Together", "When it Started", and "Take it or Leave it" keep the album going all the way through.
The only time the album halts is maybe when the sound gets too retro, like on "Trying your Luck" or the
chorus of "Hard to Explain". The great thing about the band is their music sounds timeless already, and
this album is among the great masterpieces of rock. It does what all great albums do: grab you off guard
and make you stand in awe. Kudos to the Strokes, for making a great solid first album in a year where
there are not many good albums from bands that get any press at all. - Trevor e.y.
1.is this it- 4
2.the modern age- 4
3.soma- 4
4.barley legal- 4
5.someday- 4
6.alone together- 4
7.last nite- 4*
8.hard to explain- 3
9.when it started- 4
10.trying your luck- 2
11.take it or leave it- 4
2003
Room on Fire - 6/8
It took me a long time to assimilate this album, but I knew that was not necessarily a bad thing. Fact is,
while there are not many outright bad songs on here, there are not many great ones either. The first four
tracks are by far the best, and while the band tries this format out, it is not like Is this It where the rest of
the album tracks are as strong as the singles. "Meet me in the Bathroom", "You Talk way too Much", and
"Under Control" are all substantial, but they don't stand up to the glory of "What Ever Happened?", the
driving, perfectly Strokesian "Reptilia", or the light but great "12:51". Order matters heavily here, and the
whole album seems less than the sum of its parts because the bad songs "Between Love and Hate", "The
Way it is", and "I Can't Win" are mixed in with the pretty good songs. A late highlight does come at "The
End has no End", which is one of the better songs the band has done, and the album is nowhere near a
"sophomore slump", but it is a disappointment after the great Is this It. Almost too retro sounding at times
(where as the first one was just enough to be charming), scatterbrained, though for the most part,
moronically enjoyable. - Trevor e.y.
1.what ever happened- 4
2.reptilia- 4
3.automatic stop- 4
4.12:51- 4
5.you talk way too much- 3
6.between love and hate- 2
7.meet me in the bathroom- 3
8.under control- 3
9.the way it is- 2
10.the end has no end- 4
11.i can't win- 2
2006
First Impressions of Earth - 8/8
The Strokes third album needed to be monumental for the band to sustain it's reputation of a band of
quality. To say that expectations were high is besides the point, because everyone expects something
different out of the band. The only thing that is rational is to expect them to make good music, and there
is plenty of stuff to love here on First Impressions of Earth. The band evolves, but in two directions: they
add some metallic sounding guitar solos that rock out beyond control, and at the same time they have
more calm, sleepy sounding songs on here then ever before. There are many great songs on here, a
couple of good songs, and no bad songs. It could be argued that yes, some of the songs could have
been cut, but if you say that, the band would not have grown at all, and it is hard to pick a song to cut
when ALL of them are at least good. The songs on here are forward looking too, with many futuristic
touches as well as, surprise, some retro tendencies.
As far as songs go, the band does some of the best they have ever done. "Heart in a Cage" is a
driving anthem that has a unique ending and rocks in traditional Strokes style; "Ize of the World" has a
brutal and rhyming chorus, complete with repetitious guitar riffing to go along; "On the Other Side" is
about a yearning for death that is touching while also being energetic as hell. The band also gets a touch
experimental in relation to their past history: "Ask me Anything" has no percussion or guitar; the pace
changes in the middle of "15 Minutes"; guitar solos are way more out of control than usual in many
rocking songs. Of course the Strokes have their own take on rock music present on every song on here,
but the ways in which they branch out help. Their influences range from current bands to older bands,
with "Razorblade" sounding like Barry Manilow, "15 Minutes" ending like Neutral Milk Hotel's "Ghost", and
"Killing Lies" sounding like The Walkmen.
The past two records have had 11 songs each, so when a band tries something different, everybody
bitches. I am sure The Clash had their negative critics also, but the fact is that band are what The Strokes
most resemble. Is this It is the harsh debut; Room on Fire is the mixed sophomore album; and First
Impressions is the London Calling, where the ambition kicks in (though obviously there are no jazz or
reggae songs on here). So why do people complain? They don't listen to an album or give it time. As of
January 2006, I have seen exactly one good review of this record, but oh, in say ten years? This will be a
monumental album that really "changed things when it came out". Released in the exciting month of
January, the band obviously is not in this for the money or the egos, they are in it for the art of making
albums. There aren't many albums as good as this one, so quit believing the hype (this time negative)
surrounding the band. Though yes, the first side is much stronger than the second, its all good, and to try
and tamper with an album this close to perfect is kind of missing the point. In short, it proves what Room
on Fire made doubtful, that the band has staying power. - Trevor e.y.
1.you only live once- 4
2.juicebox- 4
3.heart in a cage- 4*
4.razorblade- 4
5.on the other side- 4
6.vision of division- 4
7.ask me anything- 4
8.electricityscape- 3
9.killing lies- 4
10.fear of sleep- 3
11.15 minutes- 3
12.ize of the world- 4
13.evening sun- 3
14.red light- 4
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