Today's modern music consists of a number of genres: pop, rap, heavy metal, techno, etc. But there is one genre that we haven't been hearing much from lately. That genre is rock and roll. Sure, there are bands like U2 who have been making records for decades, but there haven't been many newcomers to the scene in years. Enter The Strokes.
The Strokes began to come together in New York City in 1998, while some of the members still were in high school. By early 1999, the band finalized its lineup and were ready to take on the world. The Strokes began playing clubs around New York, creating a huge buzz in the underground rock scene. Word of mouth spread, and after a gig at the Bowery Ballroom, the band was picked up by a small record company that wanted to release an EP of their material. "The Modern Age," a three-song EP was released in January of 2001.
Now that The Strokes' music was out for all to hear, a huge bidding war erupted in both the U.S. and England for who would release their debut album. "Is This It" was released in England in August of this year to rave reviews all throughout the British press and was scheduled for a U.S. release in September. One song, however, "NYC Cops," had to be pulled from the album in light of the Sept. 11 tragedy. A new song was added, and the album finally found its way into our record stores.
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The Strokes are a traditional five-piece rock and roll band: vocals (Julian Casablancas), two guitarists (Nick Valensi and Albert Hammond Jr.), a bassist (Nikolai Fraiture) and of course a drummer (Fabrizio Moretti). The band's music absolutely is amazing and sounds nothing like anything else out there today. The Strokes dabble in both punk and indie rock, but the best way to describe them is just to call them rock and roll.
Within five minutes of the music hitting your ears, you'll feel transported to an entirely different time in music. No longer is it the year 2001; instead we are revisiting the '70s in a whole new way. Casablancas' voice immediately evokes memories of Lou Reed and the Velvet Underground, but the band's sound finds itself in every decade from the '50s to the '80s.
"Someday" sounds almost like a Buddy Holly song with much darker vocals. It's perhaps the album's most catchy song. It's almost danceable.
The album itself works the songs together into a full album, instead of just a bunch of songs put together randomly. From the opening title track, "Is This It," a light yet melancholy ballad, the album begins to build, and the band's sound gets fuller as the songs progress.
Following it up is one of the album's strongest tracks, "The Modern Age," which starts very muffled. About halfway through, the song opens up into a melodic tune with a great chorus and a memorable old-school guitar solo.
The album reaches its first climax with "Barely Legal," as the band finally reaches it full sound. The song allows you to hear what all five members have to contribute to the band, and it doesn't hurt that's it's quite catchy and has a great guitar riff.
After that, the album levels off for a few songs, but reaches a second peak in "Hard to Explain," perhaps the best song on the album. It's just your basic rock and roll song that will leave you begging for more when it ends.
The album ends on a high note as well with the fast-paced, angry "Take It or Leave It," in which the singer gives his girlfriend an ultimatum about the future of the relationship.
These five ordinary guys, none of whom is older than 23, have created an album that almost single-handedly revives rock and roll. They strayed from the standard formula, stepped back 30 years and then added a modern twist. The final result: one of the best albums of the year.
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