Which brings me to the Strokes. When I first heard about them in late 2000, I dismissed them as just another band that was part of the "THE" phenomenon that was sweeping the country at the time (the Vines, the Hives, the White Stripes, etc.). The buzz about the Strokes was they were "bringing back the rock" that had gone missing from alternative music, and the early word was their live shows were a must see in the Bowery and Lower West Side. I'm not going to admit to understanding or claim to be a part of the cool and hip music scene - in NYC, or anywhere else in the world - but after the meteoric hype, rise and subsequent fall surrounding the Artic Monkeys earlier that year, I have to admit I was a little skeptical to dub the Strokes "the next big thing". And when I learned they were all kids of wealthy/famous parents, I was even more doubtful that I could ever like these guys - and I had yet to hear a note from them. Not off to a good start.
Fortunately, I got the opportunity to form a valid opinion in early 2001, when an EP entitled "The Modern Age" found its way into my hands, and at first listen, I was honestly confused as to what all the fuss was about; but after a few more listens, I started to dig "Last Nite" and "Someday". In comparison, there's was not a lot going on in this genre at the time that sounded anything like this, so at the very least, I was intrigued and kept listening. All the while, the Strokes generated more press and were starting to really get popular in the UK. It was only a matter of time before the Strokes were unleashed on the States.
All of the big US rock magazines were in lather with anticipation that summer of 2001, as talks of the Strokes' first full-length album began to swirl. The release date had been set: Tuesday, September 11, 2001.
One would think releasing a CD on such an awful day would hurt potential sales, but in the case of the Strokes, it apparently only fed their growing legend. This wasn't a reason to like them more or less in my opinion, but if definitely was hard to ingnore them after, as they would always be associated with the day - and actually still are. History aside, "Is This It" was a pretty solid rock record, and in comparison to the other CDs in their existing discography, it's still their best. If you like straight out, poorly produced garage rock, this was your band. (That's a compliment, I swear.) With the exception of the title track, the album contains some good tunes: the aforementioned "Last Nite" and "Someday", but also "Take It or Leave It" and "Hard to Explain".
The Strokes quickly followed up with "Room on Fire" in 2002 which, although a tad hurried to the public, still had some solid songs, including "Reptilia", "Meet Me In The Bathroom", "The Way It Is", "Between Love & Hate" and "12:51". The CD was a slight departure from "Is This It" in that it was better produced and slicker sounding, but overall still had that garage rock sound, and I was starting to warm up to this band more and more.
Then, they go and release "First Impressions of Earth" in 2005 and things started to change between the Strokes and I. "Juicebox" was a good start, but "You Only Live Once" and "Heart in a Cage" - while ambitious - was not what I signed up for.
Flash forward 6 years to today: after a much needed break, the Strokes have returned with their new disc "Angles" (you can stream it for free at their website: http://www.thestrokes.com/ - official release date is 3/22/11), and the first single to get airplay is "Under Cover of Darkness" - which resembles the jangly, guitar rock of "Someday" and "Last Nite" but sounds better produced and the band actually sounds as if they've matured somewhat in the 10 years (!!!) since "Is This It" was released.
But could the entire album live up to the first single? I gave the free streaming a try and after a few listens, the word I'd use to best describe this album is: "almost". As in, the Strokes were almost able to re-capture the swagger and fun of their first disc, but unfortunately I find the album to be a little disjointed in places and there's definitely not enough rockers reminiscent of a band that hasn't really let it all hang out in over a decade.
There are some nuggets: "Two Kinds of Happiness", "Gratisfaction" and "Taken for a Fool" all have a poppy, almost new wave feel to them, but sound like castoffs from Gorillaz or The Cars, and try as they might, the Strokes do not manage to make anything that closely resembles "Strokes music" - which I applaud them for trying to branch out, but it's too far of a departure. "Games" and "Macchu Picchu" likewise veer off into realms that seem to be too far off the band's radar for acceptability. Where's the swearing, staggering, unapologetic muster these guys used to serve up? "Call Me Back" sounds as like a bad cover of "The Girl From Ipanema" that wanders aimlessly into a bad U2 homage. I think "Metabolism" is just "Reptilia" played at a higher speed with different lyrics, while "Life is Simple in the Moonlight" struggles as a mumbling recitation on Coldplay, until lead singer Julian Casablancas is rudely awakened to yell out the chorus.
It turns out that - unlike all the previous Strokes albums - Casablancas was not the key songwriter, but instead the entire band contributed the music and lyrics to "Angles" - and it shows. While it wasn't the most diplomatic set up, having one key songwriter and collaborator amongst the band and producer is what made the Strokes work in the first place, and it's also what negatively affected them by their last album in 2005. After such a long break, I just expected better.
Early word however, is that the band is already working on the follow-up to "Angles". Here's hoping they find the middle ground between the two extremes and return with a rock record, and not an homage to Gary Numan or The Velvet Underground. I think the Strokes still have some of that swagger in them, I just hope they can find it FAST an stop resting on the success of that first album.
