The Strokes
The Strokes After wooing critics and fans alike with their first two albums "Is this It" (2001) and "Room on Fire" (2003) the Strokes are back with their eagerly awaited third album "First Impressions of Earth" (2006). I am generally wary of bands that are the darlings of the critics. Much like their counterparts in the UK, Franz Ferdinand, a band so hyped and praised by Rolling Stone, NME and SPIN can't be that good. While both bands have no doubt churned out some good albums and memorable singles, the hype has deluded their impact. Would Deep Purple, Led Zeppelin, the Velvet Underground and Black Sabbath's catalogue have stood the test of time and be so loved by fans if they had everything handed to them? This brings us to "First Impressions of Earth," an album that most critics probably already wrote a glorious review for before hearing a note. So, do the Strokes prove their champions right? Luckily they do. Unlike Franz Ferdinand, the Strokes actually sound like they took time to write a follow-up, rather than just rehash what worked for them the first two times around. "Impressions" is probably the band's strongest offering yet. It doesn't sound radically different from the band's first two offerings, but it isn't just more of the same either. Rather, the band know what works for them, sticks to their formula, and perfects it for their catchiest, most well written collection of songs, but with a few curveballs thrown in. One thing that really works for this album is that the band mixes it up a bit and stretches their artistic muscle. While this album is straight forward in the vein of their first two releases, the band really gets inventive this time around. The up-beat rocker "You Only Live Once," with its melodic chorus and lush solos gets things off to a great start. The frantic, go-for-the-jugular "Juicebox" with its funky bassline and alternating James Bond-esque chorus and poppy chorus is both exciting and unexpected. "Heart in a Box," sounds like rock-a-billy on speed. The good-but-not-great popish "Razorblade" is effective enough and keeps up the momentum. The ultra infectious funk/danceable "On the other Side" should be a strong contender for an upcoming single. "Vision of Division" throws the listener a curveball with its frenzied intro and chorus, middle-eastern-esque solos, and laid back verses. The striped down-synth "Sweet Child O' Mine" like "Ask Me Anything," comes out of left field and offers a refreshing change of pace. The album gets back in gear with the straight-forward rocking "Electricityscape," which wouldn't have sounded out of place on the band's first two albums. Its dark trimmings and melodic, free-flowing solos make this song really shine. "Killing Lies," with its almost march-like structure is good, but not the album's most memorable cut. "Fear of Sleep" which alternates between a catchy, peppering guitar-lead-in, dark brooding pre-chorus and loose chorus is both captivating and exciting. The brooding sing-song of "15 Minutes" which morphs into a furious, melodic jam offers another entrancing change of pace. "Izle the World" is a pretty straight-forward, better than average rocker that keeps things going. "Evening Sun" sounds a bit a like a sped up version of the Velvet Underground's "Who Loves the Sun," which shows the band's obvious Lou Reed influence. "Red Light" sounds like Gary Glitter's "Rock N' Roll (part II)" meets Lou Reed/T.Rex with a showbiz twist and makes for a good closer. While I liked the Strokes first two albums, I thought they were somewhat overrated and one dimensional. "First Impressions of Earth" shows the band venture out and experiment without letting their ambitions run wild. There really is a lot going on with this album. There are subtleties to this disc, little nooks and crannies that a listener might not pick up on the first time around, this makes "Impressions" good for repeated listens, even though it is instantly addictive. And while guitarists Nick Valensi and Albert Hammond Jr. may not be the next guitar heroes, they definitely come up with some awesome, crunching solos that should please fans clamoring for the return of the solo. Nikolai Fraiture (bass) and Fab Moretti (drums) offer an exciting and dynamic rhythm section that is definitely better than average. Singer Julian Casablancas, while not the most dynamic or gifted singer, is definitely adequate and does justice to the songs. "First Impressions of Earth" really exceeded my expectations and the Strokes should rest easy as they have finally lived up to the hype.