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On the Shelf 208: The Strokes
Apr. 30th, 2020 03:24 pmThe Strokes seem to be the band most caught in the vortex of "We hate you when you change" and "We hate you when you stay the same".
A classic case of "Too much too soon", the Strokes will never be able to live up to the success of their first album. Derided with comparisons to the Cars and Blondie, they never were in an atmosphere where they could transition to the mainstream as their idols had.
The first album is great, and their second is nearly a carbon copy. "First Impressions of Earth" was slammed with the "Difficult third album" label. It's unfair. 15 years later, I would as soon as listen to it as any Strokes album.
Angles is a fine record, too, though, it feels like only the diehards were still around. The trend continued on Comedown Machine- with the band feeling like a generic (but competent) version of themselves- which is a perfect match for the album cover. All along, Julian Casablancas was trying to tap into his creative side with The Voidz. The Voidz aren't my favorite band ever, to put it mildly, but I often found their work interesting, and the experimental elements started to seep into Comedown Machine- falsettos, synths.
Which brings us to The New Abnormal which seems to be right along the path of what has come before. Initial reviews seemed to savage it, which coupled with the fact that the Psychedelic Furs (Butler and Butler) and Generation X (Idol and James) had to be given co-writing credits.
What's going on? Well, a quick listen to early single "Eternal Summer" does sound too much like "The Ghost In You" (Why country hitmakers Lanco never had to pay for ripping off "Love My Way" goes unanswered.) I didn't necessarily hear "Dancing With Myself" in "Bad Decisions" though it does sound like every 80s band ever. And what about "Ode to the Mets" which has even less to do with the Mets than Belle and Sebastian's "Piazza New York Catcher."
It was easy for me to just ride this album off. I am glad I didn't. Indeed, now I read more reviews, some are glowing. Allmusic awarding Four and a Half Stars.
On repeated listening, I am willing to give it a benefit of the doubt. The band has always been seeped in the 80s like a Ready Player One homage. You can see the Basquiat cover and the Voidz influence melting in. What the band had been missing in some time was not good music, but "singles". I think that is the point where they are overreaching.
But Bad Decisions does feel like a classic Strokes single. and we havent had many of those in awhile. Another plus is that for every nostalgic 80s song, there is a song that stays in the band style. Ode to the Mets and Why Are Sundays So Depressing seem to tap into classic Casablancas. Brooklyn Bridge to Chorus seems to be where they best balance all of those elements.
Where did I eventually land on the new Strokes album? I am not sure. I had been quick to dismiss it, but that was rash. I would say it's not as good as Angles, which I do rank highly. However, it's not a bad album either. and seems like more songs hit their mark than not. For me, I think that is probably good enough. Still a Strokes apologist, then.
A classic case of "Too much too soon", the Strokes will never be able to live up to the success of their first album. Derided with comparisons to the Cars and Blondie, they never were in an atmosphere where they could transition to the mainstream as their idols had.
The first album is great, and their second is nearly a carbon copy. "First Impressions of Earth" was slammed with the "Difficult third album" label. It's unfair. 15 years later, I would as soon as listen to it as any Strokes album.
Angles is a fine record, too, though, it feels like only the diehards were still around. The trend continued on Comedown Machine- with the band feeling like a generic (but competent) version of themselves- which is a perfect match for the album cover. All along, Julian Casablancas was trying to tap into his creative side with The Voidz. The Voidz aren't my favorite band ever, to put it mildly, but I often found their work interesting, and the experimental elements started to seep into Comedown Machine- falsettos, synths.
Which brings us to The New Abnormal which seems to be right along the path of what has come before. Initial reviews seemed to savage it, which coupled with the fact that the Psychedelic Furs (Butler and Butler) and Generation X (Idol and James) had to be given co-writing credits.
What's going on? Well, a quick listen to early single "Eternal Summer" does sound too much like "The Ghost In You" (Why country hitmakers Lanco never had to pay for ripping off "Love My Way" goes unanswered.) I didn't necessarily hear "Dancing With Myself" in "Bad Decisions" though it does sound like every 80s band ever. And what about "Ode to the Mets" which has even less to do with the Mets than Belle and Sebastian's "Piazza New York Catcher."
It was easy for me to just ride this album off. I am glad I didn't. Indeed, now I read more reviews, some are glowing. Allmusic awarding Four and a Half Stars.
On repeated listening, I am willing to give it a benefit of the doubt. The band has always been seeped in the 80s like a Ready Player One homage. You can see the Basquiat cover and the Voidz influence melting in. What the band had been missing in some time was not good music, but "singles". I think that is the point where they are overreaching.
But Bad Decisions does feel like a classic Strokes single. and we havent had many of those in awhile. Another plus is that for every nostalgic 80s song, there is a song that stays in the band style. Ode to the Mets and Why Are Sundays So Depressing seem to tap into classic Casablancas. Brooklyn Bridge to Chorus seems to be where they best balance all of those elements.
Where did I eventually land on the new Strokes album? I am not sure. I had been quick to dismiss it, but that was rash. I would say it's not as good as Angles, which I do rank highly. However, it's not a bad album either. and seems like more songs hit their mark than not. For me, I think that is probably good enough. Still a Strokes apologist, then.
