The Strokes - The Modern Age EP
(XL)
The Strokes - Is This It
(RCA)
As part of the back-to-basics rock de-evolution revolution, the Strokes
have become the UK's favo(u)rite rock band without ever releasing an
album. With so much publicity, it's pointless for anyone to attempt to evaluate
the merits of the band. Adoration is seen as giving in to the hype, and
distaste is seen as a reaction against the hype. The truth, as always,
is somewhere in the middle.
The comparisons to Velvet Underground that have been plastered over every
magazine are, just about, dead on, however, when I first heard the band's
debut single, "The Modern Age," the first artist that came to mind was
actually Buddy Holly. What
better way to go back to basics than to ape Buddy Holly? "Last Night,"
the best song on the single and the best song on the album, Is This It,
uses a jumpy, persistent rockabilly beat and a pure early R&B guitar
bridge, sounding like primal and pure rock and roll.
Songs like "The Modern Age" and "NYC Cops" (the latter of which, since record companies
"ain't too smart," was removed from the U.S. version) have more to do with bringing
about the Velvet Underground comparisons. The band has that edge to their
sound that good rock bands from NYC always seem to have. However, while
some NYC bands relate that sound to a bunch of dirty bohemian
artists, the Strokes relate it to a bunch of dirty models primping
and preening for all the ladies. That's not a bad thing, though, as
lead singer Julian Casablancas at times
sounds like Mick Jagger, if Mick Jagger was always tied to a 5 foot leash.
The only truly negative thing to be said about The Strokes' Is This
It is that it is inconsistent. All five songs taken from the band's
two singles ("Hard to Explain" and "The Modern Age") are of good quality,
and all five of these songs (some re-recorded) appear on the album. The
other songs on the album, however, are quite hit-and-miss. Title track,
"Is This It," is a thrown together ballad with a music-box-like guitar
part. "Soma" plods along at a moderate tempo, trying to sound angrier and
angrier towards the end of the song (however, like models, the band sounds best
when they sound somewhat disinterested). The sound also suffers when the
tempo gets too high, like on "Take It or Live It," which backs a lyrical
bad pun with jumpy guitars that border on annoying.
The Strokes' main (and perhaps only) asset is that they are likable,
which perhaps makes them the fitting "hot" rock band for the George W.
Bush presidency. Those looking for artful music, a broad knowledge
of chords and a skilled use of the instruments, will be disappointed.
The Strokes are just a rock band. With so much hype surrounding such a
simple band, opinions on The Strokes, including this one, are fairly
worthless. If you are so inclined, borrow the album from a friend
or download it so you can form your own opinion. However, despite
how likable they are, The Strokes' music is not so essential that you
should feel bad for staying happily uninformed.
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