The Strokes - Is This It
Music Album
Publisher: Rough Trade Records
Review by: Werdna Elbee
The Strokes may only be a simple guitar band from New York, but there has been a lot of hype reverberating around this band for months now. Lots of people in the music industry have peen plugging this band to be the next big thing, which is ironic considering their songs wouldn't sound out of place in any past era of music.It doesn't matter how important people say this band is...it's how good they are that counts and from this album I can tell you that they are not half bad. Sounding a bit like British Indie music from the late 80's-early 90's, with an American twist, it's an enjoyable sound. While you can still tell that The Strokes are heavily influenced by many bands from the past they keep a unique sound. The vocals are relaxed and interestingly fuzzed, the bass is powerful and the guitar riffs amusing.
My personal favourite tracks from the album are Hard To Explain and Is This It. Hard To Explain has a nice riff thoughout, but really kicks off well once the chorus starts and you can't help but feel ...erm...bouncy. Is This It is an excellent example of The Strokes work and has all the nuances and qualities the band are known for. Effortless brilliance.
As good as the album is, I can't really say that The Strokes are the future of guitar music. While I can see them being big there is little I haven't heard before. If you get some music by The Smiths, The Cure or even James then you will get similar. It is nice to see that guitar music are being influenced by these great bands though, and it does make The Strokes sound fresh compared to all the bands copying from the late 60's/early 70's. Hopefully they will also open doors for great bands like Idlewild who have similar influences and sounds.
In the bland music of today it's nice to hear something new and fresh (as influenced as it is) and The Strokes are it. In the right place at the right time they should go far and this album is a great start. Like Oasis's Definitely Maybe album in the 90's, This Is It has got people excited and into a new sound, but you should really expect things to kick off when The Strokes release their next offering. Until then have a listen to this album and just enjoy.