If you haven't listened to my album, read this BEFORE, not during the album. And if you are that listener coming to the Strokes' 2001 debut album, Is This It, for the first time, that is perfectly ok. The Strokes are America's favorite 5-car garage band (they were really wealthy, and talented). One of the most challenging aspects about this album might be understanding why this album rocketed to platinum success despite the band's recently waning popularity. The album doesn't display Joe Satriani-esque guitar technical proficiency, the guitar isn't reminiscent of Jimi Hendrix innovation. The Strokes took a different approach Instead, of reinventing the genre, The Strokes and producer Gordon Raphael paired the best aspects of garage rock and veiled lyricism to create an album with universal acclaim.
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Is This It (I'll stop itallicizing it below) is sparse in memorable guitar riffs and the bass usually holds the center of attention as ugly, pretty-boy Julian Casablancas sings or yells his veiled lyrics. The truth of the matter is that even while Gordon Raphael recorded the Modern Age EP, he admitted to thinking The Strokes weren't dissimilar to the dozens of other bands he was recording at the time. Yet, he stuck with the band and promoted them to a British record label which crafted a simple, 3 song EP titled Modern Age. The hype was practically immediate and sold-out each U.K. venue the band played at. Their first EP directly transitioned into a full fledged, RCA-backed, stepping stone into the American Market.
Listen to Is This It and one thing you'll notice is how perfectly simple and rehearsed everything sounds. Albert Hammond Jr.'s background vocals and simple chords on his Fender Strat never overpower the songs, yet the carefully signature AH Jr guitar, focal point on the bass, and unique vocals immediately signal exactly which band you are hearing. Although Julian cites Bob Marley as a huge influence, it's really the influential Lou Reed that comes across most in his songs. And influence aside, his sound is uniquely, noticeably Casablancas.
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It's not the Lou Reed sound that draws and keeps critics and novice listeners. Of course it was Lou Reed's flit from sex, to homosexuality and drugs with the taboo candor of a child and that kept young Casablancas mesmerized. "The way Lou Reed wrote and sang about drugs and sex, about the people around him — it was so matter-of-fact," Casablancas mentioned in a Rolling Stones interview. Much of the ether of Is This It arises from its vague discussion of love and promiscuity with the brevity of a punk song. Purposefully ambiguous, Julian makes it obvious that this album is meant to harmonize; it's intended to be non-confrontational and rooted in pop-rock. In retrospect, it's hard to argue with his decision to take the suburban-rock in the direction he did. Peaking U.K. and Australian charts at #2, the U.S. charts in the low 30's is nothing compared to the generation of rock artists the Strokes paved the way for.
Is This It represented a band fully aware if their trajectory. Unlike its similar predecessors of the 70's, this album was reserved regarding the album's prevailing topics. Certainly this would have acted as the band's Achilles heel 30 years prior to the album's release. With reviews such as - "the most lauded New York rock record since the late '70s", Is This It represented rock perfection. Yet certainly, as with many things in life, timing is key. The release of this album shortly after the September 11th attacks on the U.S. acted as an emotional buffer for world wide suffering and provided something New Yorkers could embrace. Well, minus the only song deleted from the U.S. release in light of the September 11th attacks. Few occassional Strokes listeners know about the song below:
New York City Cops, arguably the weakest song on the record, was removed from the U.S. album release and the cover art altered to appeal to a larger audience and not offend, well, new york city cops. Talented photographer Colon Lane, had an impromptu photoshoot with his then girlfriend after she showered, leading to the iconic, nude woman with a glove photograph. The hand-in-glove photo seen in above videos, a bit to imprudent for the American market, was replaced with the orange and blue tracing of colliding particles and became synonymous with The Strokes in its own right:
Simply ending with a discussion of album aesthetic would suffice but to overlook the tangible effect this album had on stereotypes, fashion, and future acts does a grave injustice to the affect this music had on so many listeners and bands such as The Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Kings of Leon, The Artic Monkeys, The Killers, Hot Hot Heat and the like. This album re-inflamed passion for converse, fitted jeans and coffee dates and fixie bike rides through the urban New York cityscape. Is This It finds a way to give an exclusively city vibe reminiscent of Hemingway's rainy nights, in one-night cheap hotels, with women you'll only let down. It's as close to romantic as New York's hustle bustle, rocker-life allows and for 30 minutes, the audience fucks, sucks, sips, smokes, bikes, daydreams, their way through love's meandering alleyways. _________________ http://www.last.fm/user/ptaylor1989
Last edited by ptaylor1989 on 05/05/2013 00:43; edited 1 time in total
my love, in the future, there shouldn't be a question mark at the end of the album title Is This It
the band was against the use of it cuz aesthetics _________________ http://www.last.fm/user/ptaylor1989
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