- Artists:
- The Strokes »
- Label:
- Rough Trade »
Ever since music has been a contributing factor to the happiness of your life, the perplexity of just why you like that combination of sound waves has probably played on your mind at one time or another. Sometimes it's clear-cut: maybe a pleasing guitar sound or a rowdy drum beat stirs something deep inside you. It's when the reason isn't so forthcoming that sleepless nights will occur. Sadly, an all-too-common basis of opinion stems from the thick smoggy stigma that engulfs a band before you've even seen a picture or heard a single note. This shroud of hype has been The Strokes' greatest ally and also their biggest foe. Patience is running short and the band know it.
At least, those with instruments in their hands know it. The rhythm section is tighter than ever, laying down concrete foundations for Nick and Albert to throw wanton guitar lines at like paint at a Pollock. The inter-weaving notes at the start of 'Heart In A Cage' shimmer around like a ribbon dancer whilst Fab lays down gunshot drums and Nikolai's bass stands sturdy. The underlying problem is, and always has been, Julian's lyrical ability: he sounds like a sixth form poet who's just watched The O.C. for inspiration and frequently relies on repetition to try and prove that the words coming out of his mouth mean anything at all. Now working without a vocoder to hide his immature rambles behind, he manages to bring down even the best sonic tapestries the rest of the band construct with his barely-formed musings. On the lo-energy 'Ask Me Anything' he intones “Don't be a coconut, God is trying to talk to you” before repeating: “I've got nothing to say” no less than 16 times. Still, even if his lyrics don't always make sense, his sense of melody usually makes up for it.
Recent single 'Juicebox' and 'Vision Of Division' fill the Rock quota for another album with the former's Batman-on-the-run bassline and the latter's spell-binding musicianship and dancing guitar solos. 'Red Light' is a decent closer but unfortunately the album runs out of steam long before at the half hour mark with every other song after 'Electricityscape' a sad exercise in stretching the formula as far as humanly possible.
Is This It was a treasure trove of indie classics and this album sounds like an earnest bid to prise themselves from the hype that's been bringing them down ever since they released Is This It Pt. 2 to worryingly tepid reviews. This is The Strokes trying to mean something; their second chance at a First Impression, and if they weren't so damn concerned about it all, they might've just pulled off a great album. Thing is, The Strokes' thing was always how aloof and cool they were for not caring, and this new-found feeling doesn't really suit them.
I hope you all decide to sweep aside all previous opinions and Steve Albini essays and give this album the chance it deserves. Cast away the politics and the last twenty minutes and you'll still be left with two or three top tunes to add to your daily playlists, but it was never going to be ground-breaking or innovative.
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- Mark Bowen of Wichita's tribute to Rough Trade
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- Stroking up: Pharrell begs Julian Casablancas for Strokes production role
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Share on Facebookthis review is absolutely spot on.
May The Strokes be just a distant memory before long. I don't think that many people were fooled by the hype.
Not many real people anyway.
i thought
Is This It was a great album
oops
This Is It?
It Is This?
Is It This?
What Is This?
Ho Is Wut?
I've only listened to it once
But I quite liked it. First impressions are that it's a bit less Strokes-by-numbers than the last two, but also a bit less good. But, then I hated Juicebox on first listen, but I really like it now. Maybe it's a grower. Either way, it's not a big surprise that they aren't living up to Is This It. (Hype or not, it's a great album)
Well........
I believe its much better than this review suggests. By that im not necessarily saying its a bad review, but i disagree that the album ran out of steam by the half way mark; and would encourage people to listen to 'Fear Of Sleep' and 'Ize Of the World', the latter perhaps being one of the best Strokes' songs yet. It seems as though The Strokes are in a lose - lose situation with the critics; the first two albums were regarded as lazy and many suggested their indifferent posturing lacked any depth or talent. Their reply is to produce an album that even Fisher's review suggests has the band at their best, and the general consensus amongst critics is that theyve become try-hards or self indulgent. Id say that this is the album that shows the quality of The Strokes musicianship, whilst retaining the great songwriting abilities Casablancas has displayed in the previous 2 albums. Furthermore, it seems unbelievable that albums such as that of Franz Ferdinand, the Kaiser Chiefs and Hard - Fi receive the positive reviews they do when compared with this album - patriotism gone too far? sorry it must be the quirky humour in the lyrics, so observant of modern British culture, whatever that means. Oh and if you want lyrics that really are straight out of the OC, check out Stars new album, its like the high school i never went to....
really great review
but how can you not mention You Only Live Once? SO great.
The big problem
I've always had with this band is Casablancas' vocal. He just sounds so constipated whenever he sings, like someone who is really trying to force one out.
Whatever...
Does anyone else think the bass hook out of Juicebox is a big rip off of 'The Gullible And The Appetite' by Midget? No, cos you've probably never heard it...
Don't knock
Stars, they are good at what they do... As for the Strokes new one, I thought it was a bit rubbish on first listen and it has only grown on me slightly since. I agree that they may well be a distant memory prety soon
.
but only in comparison to their original superstardom. they'll carry on pulling in huge crowds to concerts and so on, there will just be less of a bias towards them in the media. which is good.
6/10
Sums it up for me.
Very very average at the best.
Sugar Ray's producer
I hate to blame it on the producer, but before we write them off as fading out, we should all look at the fact they were probably pressured to work with this very bland producer who is most famous for working with Sugar Ray. Get someone decent behind the producers seat and who knows what may happen. Yes I know that Nigel Godrich had been hired to do their second record, but I mean a producer who specializes in garage rock, not spaced out rock.
well,
i think this is better than room on fire. it's definitely an improvement, but then i wouldn't have given that album the nine out of ten it got on DiS. so it is an improvement and a stand-alone album compared to the other two hype-driven efforts.
whatever, enjoy the good parts of this one and we'll see how they do next time. i look forward to seeing these songs live too..
.
When did the Strokes ever use a vocoder?
hmm...
good to see we can see a strokes review with someone using the H-word..
oh wait..
This album...
...has some great songs on it! You Only Live Once, Juicebox, 15 Minutes of Pain, Ize of the World...
Strokes critics always start by saying that people get carried away by the hype. This is usually followed by said critic getting carried away by the anti-hype themselves and judging the album extra harshly.
This isn't a classic album, but it is better than a 6/10. If it was released by a hip little indie band it would probably get at least 8/10, but unfortunately The Strokes are judged against different criteria.
That said Julian is a shite lyricist...
This review is excellent,
totally well written and completely gives the reader an accurate overview of how the album sounds. Most reviews don't even slightly manage this. Sorry, had to add that as I was just impressed. Well done Jonathan Fisher.
Tip top review. I'd give it 6/10.
Although Heart In A Cage is a sure fire classic.
that is
spot on. it never occurred to me until just now!! i miss Midget :(
vocoder
distortion
same thing, obvs
I agree its bloated
Some songs are slightly boring, like killing lies, also. The first seven songs more than make up for it though.
Juicebox's bass riff is straight from BRMC's Stop though.
P.S. Flackcaptain sounds like an elitist snob to me.
compression.
I 'spose.
I was actually quite hoping they had used a vocoder somewhere.
I'd probably give the strokes....
6/10 in general.
Not heard this album, but I'm really not a big Strokes fan. A lot of my mates were really looking forward to this album and wanted to go and get it the day it came out but I really can't help but be indifferent to The Strokes. The only thing that stops me giving them 5/10 is that they've put out a few good singles like "12:51, Someday, Last Nite and Reptilia." But apart from that I syruggle to have an opinion on them at all.
er, the Juicebox riff
is taken (ie, ripped off/stolen...ideas eh who needs em...) wholesale from the Blues Brothers. the songtitle escapes me temporarily..the Peter Gunn Theme?
It would be nice if anyone who's fucking reviewed this song would actually flag this up, rather than that bollocks Batman comparison/comment that everyone's trotted out & implies some imagination of the band's own in supposedly changing and reappropriating an old theme tune when it's none of the sort. Oh well...fuck this...
*so_fucking_AVERAGE*...
god, BRMC, I'd happily forgotten their very existance too. damn...
pitchforkmedia
Hmmm this review sounds familiar....rather close to the pitchfork review in which it scored 5.9.
just got it today.....
and 1st impressions are fairly 'meh'. the 1st half seems fine, love track 3 (heart in a cage - think its the new single) but track 11 (15 minutes) sounds like the pogues!
Re: Well................
Franz Ferdinand managed 2 great albums, The Strokes 1. I agree with the Hard-Fi and Kaiser Chiefs sentiments, though.
The songs on this album don't seem to fit to me - the band seem, I agree, excellent musically, but they are trying to hard to find a new direction and ending up in a haze of hashed half-ideas. Maybe this should be viewed as a transition album, and their next album (surrounded by less hype) will be a far better prospect.
.
I really liked Room On Fire and prefer it to this or Is This It. Under Control is the best song they have ever done. Is there something wrong with thinking this? I don't know anyone who agrees.
Under Control
my fave strokes song too an absolute tune.
As for the new album i dunno, if this is 'the new sound for the strokes' i think i'll just shrug my shoulders. Heart in a cage is the best song on the album i reckon.
juicebox sounds like eighties matchbox
i think juicebox sounds like eighties matchbox if slightly more commercial.
cause those chumps at radio 1 wouldn't have given it the time of day if it had actually been eighties matchbox. Just a thought.
me
hi boys i want fun with strokes fans, ring me anytime the later at night the naughtier i am, ring me now 07732487466 i am from stoke and i work in a canteen, and ask me about sarah, my kinky girlfriend
Strokes - First Impressions Of Earth
I think it's best to ignore the strokes hype, drunken arseyness, and well i guess everything but the music. Some of it is really good. Opener on this album "You only live once" is possibly the best thing from the Strokes so far.
In Photos: Royksopp @ Shepherds Bush Empire, London
In Photos: Grizzly Bear @ Leeds Metropolitan University
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In Photos: The Wave Pictures @ The Garage, London
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