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THE STROKES
"First Impressions of Earth" (RCA;
2006)
Reviewed by Jeff Rogers
Well, I finally got around to listening to The Strokes. Guess I should have done this sooner but I just wanted the hype to die down until I got on board. The guitar sounds really good and they've got some bite to a few songs. The vocals are interesting; sometimes I think Ric Ocasek from The Cars is singing and then singer Julian Casablancas can sound totally different, like Bono.
There are some weird sounds coming out of the guitar at times but it's cool sounding so you don't think too much about it. Each track has some guitar on it, heavy one minute and light and poppy the next. Different Strokes for different folks I guess. The lyrics are pretty clever in spots. The enclosed booklet is about as thick as a paperback novel; each song has the lyrics printed with a picture or cartoon drawing as the background. There are a couple of drawn nudie pics to keep you glued to the insert. I guess after their first album cover they had to keep with the theme. Individual band member photos index the last of the 31 pages.
This disc from The Strokes is the first to feature (for lack of another word) the "Tipper" sticker. I really couldn't hear too many cuss words; maybe it was because of the booklet art work, who knows.
"First Impressions Of Earth" is 52 minutes of cool guitar, solid bass and drum work and song friendly vocals. Like I stated before, I should have done this sooner.
Best cuts, "You Only Live Once," "Juicebox," "Heart In A Cage," "Vision Of Division," "Electricityscape," and "Red Light."
The Strokes: Julian Casablancas – vocals; Nick Valensi – guitar; Albert Hammond, Jr. – guitar; Nikolai Fraiture – bass; Fabrizio Moretti – drums.
For more information, check out http://www.thestrokes.com.
Rating Guide:
A classic. This record will kick your ass.
Killer. Not a classic but it will rock your world.
So-so. You've heard better.
Pretty bad. Might make a nice coaster.
Self explanatory. Just the sight of the cover makes you wanna hurl.
Copyright © 2010 by R. Scott Bolton. All rights
reserved.
Revised:
16 Dec 2024 12:46:37 -0500.
