Ah, The Strokes, already heralded before their debut albums release as ‘the best band in the world ever ever ever’ by much of the music press. And surely no album could stand up to such hype – surely they’d have to release a cd without a bad track on it to avoid criticism that they were just the latest appetising but ultimately flawed flavour of the month.
But they have. And it feels so good to be able to write that for once. So/Too many promising bands of late have released powerful debut singles, only to follow with an album utterly disappointing, more often than not 12 retreads of the first single. And that The Strokes have made an album with such panache, passion, style, and fun, well that just makes the whole event the more joyful.
The album opens with Is This It, which almost begs jaded hacks to take a pop at the band – but this lo-fi offering is one of the best on the album, touchingly sensitive, and a sign that whilst the upbeat rockier tracks are what they’re best
However, it’s the fast, thoughtful but fun tracks that work the best, and so when The Modern Age is thrust upon you everything makes sense – and anyone who fails to smile when hearing Casablanca’s passionate plea “Oh in the sun sun having fun, it's in my blood, I just can't help it, don't want you here right now, Let me go, wooooooooo, Darling let me go go go go go go go go,” has never endured pointless but fun relationships. The unlucky fools.
Last Nite will get even your grandparent’s feet tapping, even if they are no longer with us, and whilst New York Cops may have been taken off the US tracklisting, UK fans benefit from not being quite so over-sensitive, and the central refrain of “New York City cops, they ain’t so smart’ is the kind of honesty hardly ever found in rock music.
Okay, so some tracks aren’t as instantly captivating as others, and perhaps Soma is a little weak, but if it had been released by, say, The Bluetones or Shed Seven, it’d instantly become the best song they’ve ever written. So weak’s probably not the best word to use. Less strong then.
It’s not just the unnaturally gravelly voice that young Julian Casablancas possesses that makes the band so special, though that certainly helps, but lyrically there’s just too many great lines which cant fail to make you emote, and this is the first ‘alternative’ album you can dance to without embarrassment in years.
Much compared to The White Stripes, they’re so much the better band. Whilst The White Stripes have released an entire album which sounds like a very early Rolling Stones demo tape, here we’ve got the finished, polished, and beautiful end product which is far more attractive. They know not to drag a song out for too long too, with most tracks barely making it to the three minute mark, and more importantly, there’s a real sense of fun on this album, and whenever I feel the need to smile a little more, it’s the first album I reach for and with each further listening I find myself falling one step further in love with the band.
And maybe that’s why I like it so much, as it’s the first debut album in all too long to get me truly excited about a band, one which I crave to see live, one which shines with promise, and one which has released not just one of the best albums of the year, but ever. If you don’t buy this and love this, then you have shit taste in music. It’s that simple.
Alex Finch.
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