365 – New Music Daily

Some of you may be surprised that I have never listened to not only this album but anything from The Strokes. However, I don’t expect any surprise in response to my loving this record, given how much alternative rock this blog has featured and praised.

This album from the strokes is super fun, groovy, catchy rock with great compositions, great lyrics, and great performances from Julian Casablancas (the guy who did that Daft Punk song), who I did not know was their lead singer. The multi layered guitars, the edge vocal mixing, all of it comes together to be a fucking fantastic listen.

It can get a bit poppy but I seriously fucking love this record, easily one of my favorites from the 200 that I’ve listened to thus far and inspired me to listen to another Strokes record right after this. Two other takeaways:

1. This sound that the Strokes sort of brought into the mainstream greatly affected what popular music sounded like for a while. You remember that song Everybody Talks by the Neon Trees? Listen to the Strokes, then listen to that shit. All of the rhythmic guitar based songs that you heard in popular music really came to the forefront of the music scene with the help of The Strokes. Segue…
2. It is fucking mind-blowing how influential Velvet Underground is. They literally influence those that influence. Go listen to I’m Waiting For My Man and then something like The Modern Age from this record – the connection is fucking uncanny. I’ve also heard that The Ramones influence this sound a lot – from what I know by The Ramones I can see it – however I will have to check that out. There was a bar in Malaga called the Jamones with the same logo, in case you were wondering.

This album also has elicited an amazing reaction that not many have which is the holy fucking shit I love this song so much I just want to listen to it on repeat until I absolutely ruin it with overdoing it – and it’s done that on multiple songs! I have really loved a lot of albums this year but Is This It has really fucking captured me and is certainly going to be in contention with favorite album I’ve listened to this year. I will have to do some superlatives. I am a huge Strokes fan now.

Favorite songs: The Modern Age, Barely Legal, Someday, Alone, Together, Last Nite, Trying Your Luck, Take It or Leave It