It's been a while since I've reviewed a new disc in a while, so I guess I'm overdue. Either that or I really haven't come upon an album that's warranted a listen or a purchase. Is it a sign of a stagnant market, a lack of radio listening, am I not close to the pulse of the market, or just too lazy to go out and get some new music? Whatever it is, I actually have one that I'm listening too right now that could be worthy of a few more listens.
If you have been living in a cave and under a rock, you may not have heard the most recent single from the boys from New York, The Strokes. "Juicebox" as it's called is itself a good introduction to what is a remarkably different sound than their last two LPs before. First Impressions of Earth isn't the "more of the same" disc that Room on Fire was, nor is it the refreshingly retro post-pop-punk that was first blasted through in Is This It? First Impressions happens to be the band stretching out it's very relaxed legs and shaking off their sophomore slump for an added shot of aggression to their already polished sound. Polished not in the sense that the music is covered by a glossy sheen, but polished in a sense that it almost sounded mass-produced. Although personally, I don't find their music to be atrociously as monotonous as others might, this record is a marked improvement on what would have been a disappointment had they repeated themselves.
Still intact are the falsely innocuous lyrics that Julian Casablancas drawls from song to song. Leathered over more complex melodies and less stringent guitars, these songs really show how much the band has grown from their debut to become one of the more memorable groups of the modern rock era. Expanded to an astonishingly marathon 52 minutes (about 60% longer than their other releases) each track is a taut production. The acrobatics of "Vision of Division" are a prime example. Halfway through the disc, the guitars leap over each other frenetically before launching into the quaint synth cello of "Ask Me Anything," a welcome breather from the already packed first half. It marks what could be considered the slow portion and really shows a maturity that's a long-time coming in their songwriting and production.
What's most significant for me is that this album is my first online purchase from the monster that is iTunes. Being that this album itself is very satisfying makes the purchase all the more sweet. Definitely recommended for any fan of their music and even further recommended for the curious, First Impressions is a welcome intro to the new year in music.
Let's hope the Strokes make it to Coachella this year. Lineup to be announced next week so stay tuned!
If you have been living in a cave and under a rock, you may not have heard the most recent single from the boys from New York, The Strokes. "Juicebox" as it's called is itself a good introduction to what is a remarkably different sound than their last two LPs before. First Impressions of Earth isn't the "more of the same" disc that Room on Fire was, nor is it the refreshingly retro post-pop-punk that was first blasted through in Is This It? First Impressions happens to be the band stretching out it's very relaxed legs and shaking off their sophomore slump for an added shot of aggression to their already polished sound. Polished not in the sense that the music is covered by a glossy sheen, but polished in a sense that it almost sounded mass-produced. Although personally, I don't find their music to be atrociously as monotonous as others might, this record is a marked improvement on what would have been a disappointment had they repeated themselves.
Still intact are the falsely innocuous lyrics that Julian Casablancas drawls from song to song. Leathered over more complex melodies and less stringent guitars, these songs really show how much the band has grown from their debut to become one of the more memorable groups of the modern rock era. Expanded to an astonishingly marathon 52 minutes (about 60% longer than their other releases) each track is a taut production. The acrobatics of "Vision of Division" are a prime example. Halfway through the disc, the guitars leap over each other frenetically before launching into the quaint synth cello of "Ask Me Anything," a welcome breather from the already packed first half. It marks what could be considered the slow portion and really shows a maturity that's a long-time coming in their songwriting and production.
What's most significant for me is that this album is my first online purchase from the monster that is iTunes. Being that this album itself is very satisfying makes the purchase all the more sweet. Definitely recommended for any fan of their music and even further recommended for the curious, First Impressions is a welcome intro to the new year in music.
Let's hope the Strokes make it to Coachella this year. Lineup to be announced next week so stay tuned!
3 comments:
ah yes ... a fellow iTunes convert! I'm also getting into their new album. They had me from that first track "You Only Live Once" ... little bit of that spit and polish you were talking about.
I've learned something from iTunes: my Zen is incompatible with the .m4p format! BS!!!
Looks like I'm either having to go with Rhapsody or MSN Music from now on. Any suggestions?
Yeah it looks like you'd have to go with another service. The only way around this is if you were to burn a regular CD from iTunes with the Strokes album, and the rip it back onto your computer with iTunes or windows media player or something. That's an extra 17 steps, though, and isn't really worth it.
We're sorry to lose you, Mark. We had a good run
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