The Strokes - Is This It
RCA/Rough Trade
The New York five-some introduced themselves to the world of music on this day in 2001. And what an introduction it is/was. It can be looked upon as one of the finest debut albums of the 2000's and some might say of all time.
Nothing necessarily new or groundbreaking will be found on Is This It. No new sounds or rhythms. The lyrical content has been covered and the tones in which the material is performed through had already made it to earth at that stage. In some cases years before. Lou Reed is exorcised through Casablanca with a contemporary twist and The Pixies make their presence known through the bands performances but the slight Strokes twist is enough to render it a revival instead of a caricature. The Strokes serve enough fresh air and re-invigoration of a specific sound nonetheless. Coming under the 'revival' umbrella you can expect tropes and cliches, they're a given. But for them to be executed so well is what separates the found from the profound.
Valensi and Hammond Jr.'s partnership is a thing of sheer beauty. They play guitar on the same plane of existence, come from the same school of musicians so to speak. They're the type to finish each others sentences, or solos. They bounce off and wrap around each other with seeming ease. All it takes is a little push in a particular direction and they're on their way. Wind them up and watch them go! It's made to look and sound easy but meeting someone on the same frequency musically is the reason why the best of the best are few and far between. If you're into guitar work this album is a must have. You'll find rhythms inside of rhythms and melodies inside of melodies. Like a musical Russian doll. The gift that keeps on giving wrapped in a rough and rugged rapport.
Is This It is the sound of summer condensed into 3 minute bursts. This album really couldn't have been released at a more fitting time. The album was released at different times around the globe but was first released on the 30th of July in Australia. The US CD release date, originally set for September, was pushed back to October due to the events of 9/11. The Stateside release of the album doesn't feature 'New York City Cops' which was pulled from the US version after 9/11.
Favourite Track: Hard To Explain
July 30th, 2001.
