The Strokes, Is This It (BMG) 9+
What would happen if members of The Velvet Underground, The Stooges, and The Voidoids were thrown together in a small room to collaborate? Probably the bloodiest catfight in pre or post-punk history. It would take the youthful exuberance of some early twenty-somethings to approximate the world-devouring lust for life those bands fleetingly had. On the strength of a series of shows in New York and the UK, and the fact that the Is This It was released three months previously in the UK, The Strokes' notoriety precedes the release of their US debut. It's tempting to write off the hype, but this time it's totally justified. The rabid passion (both positive and negative) inspired by those touched by The Strokes is something all too rare in the days of niche marketing and bloodless trends in new metal. The arty intelligence of the band comes across without the usual pretentiousness of other locals. It's a nice surprise, when you expect a band that is high in irony and low in humor, and instead wake up the next morning with liquor-breath, a hickey and a rugburn.
Anyone who denies this New York band's influences is high. Especially on the tightly-wound Robert Quine and Ivan Julian guitars on "Barely Legal" and "Alone Together" (courtesy of the talented Valensi & Hammond Jr.). It's true that the Television connection is a bit off. But the Voidoids homage is undeniable. "The Modern Age" sounds like a great lost hit single from the formerly lost fourth Velvets album, VU. It's probably the best extrapolation of a New York moment since The Feelies' classic 1980 debut, Crazy Feelings. Julian Casablancas' vocals are distorted and mixed a bit low, providing one of two things in common with equally celebrated garage rockers The White Stripes (the other being a smidgen of Kinks influence). At points he sounds so much like Lou Reed it gets almost uncomfortable, and there's certainly room for growth here.
Elsewhere, the sounds are pure Strokes. "Someday" is the kind of insanely catchy ditty that you haven't heard since the days of, well, insanely catchy ditties ("Walking On Sunshine" anyone?). Not to trivialize it -- "Someday" is probably their greatest song, and just might make The Strokes as big as Michael Jackson. Well, maybe not. The lyrics are not exactly great poetry, but they're no sillier than say, Stones lyrics. The Ramones did just fine by not being Bob Dylan, and The Strokes' lyrics are perfect in their rock 'n' roll cool context. They may read awkward, but with the music you can feel the emotions bubbling beneath "i see alone we stand, together we fall apart/yeah, i think i'll be alright." Just try not to sing along with "Barely Legal" - "i didn't take no shortcuts/i spent the money that i saved up/oh, mama, running out of luck/they like my sister don't give a fuck." The aforementioned songs, plus "Last Nite" and "Hard To Explain" are tirelessly catchy. The remaining six songs are 'merely' great. But all is forgiven when you can't stop pogo-ing, air-guitaring and running red lights. You know it's an immediate near-classic if you try to pick a song to put on a mix tape and want to dub half the damn album. Awesome.
