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Is This It
RatingCustomer rating is 4 of 5
BrandSTROKES
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  • Track: 10: Trying Your Luck,
  • Track: 11: Get It Or Go away It,
  • Track: 1: Is This It,
  • Track: 2: The Modern Age,
  • Track: 3: Soma,
  • Track: 4: Barely Legal,
  • Track: 5: Someday,
  • Track: 6: Alone Mutually,
  • Track: 7: Last Nite,
  • Track: 8: Hard To Give details,
  • Track: 9: New York City Cops
    Media Type: CD
    Artist: STROKES
    Title: IS THIS IT
    Street Open Date: 10/09/2001
    Domestic
    Genre: ROCK/POP
    		•
    Together with all the media hype this dogged the Strokes before the open of their debut album, it's rather apt this they chose the title Is This It. On the strength of just five songs released on two singles, the Strokes were being hailed as everything from the saviors of rock & roll to the Savior himself. Surely, few bands could exist up to the impossibly high standards set for this young five-piece, but the band needn't have worried: Is This It is one of the much exciting and energetic debut albums to spring from New York's long-dormant club scene. In fact, the Strokes are a New York City band throughout and throughout; like the Velvet Underground, these are a bunch of uptown artsy types stylishly slumming downtown to the tried and tested themes of sex, drugs, and rock & roll. Their singer-songwriter, the fantastically named Julian Casablancas, brings his lyrics together with a weary nonchalance this belies his age on songs like the title track, "Soma," "Hard to Give details," and the altogether wonderful "Barely Legal." And the band recalls the likes of Television and the Stooges on "Last Nite" and "The Modern Age." Let's hope this sexy, trendy, and undeniably cool band is the future of rock & roll. --Robert Burrow

    Customer Reviews
    Customer rating is 4 of 5  Great   2010-02-27
    By Tom (USA)
    Picking favorite tracks from The Strokes' famed debut 'Is This It' is a tremendously difficult task. Partly because every single one is so damn good, and partly because they all sort of sound the same. Julian Casablancas' melodies are absolutely beautiful, which sounds strange considering the garage rock guitars backing him, but it's true. Disappointingly, questionable production makes the album harder to listen to than it should be, but chances are you'll be singing along with the incredibly infectious songs too loud to notice.

    Standout tracks: Someday, Last Night, Hard To Explain
    Customer rating is 3 of 5  The Lemmings of Rock   2010-01-24
    By Moo Moo Paradise (Philadelphia)
    The music of the late 90's was so depressingly and crassly bland, it seemed that people were so desperate for something, anything remotely expressive or authentic, that the smallest artistic effort of bands in the early 00's felt like a godsend. When the Strokes "Last Nite" first aired on MTV2, I admit to feeling that their nod to Iggy's "Lust for Life" was a breath of fresh air. But that was just because the alternative to "Last Nite" was "Outside" by Staind, "In the End" by Linkin Park, "Just Like a Pill" by Pink, etc.

    But when people started hyping the Strokes as the Saviors of Rock, I got annoyed. This wasn't just an indier-than-thou rock snob indignation (although back then, that did play some role in my assessment); the dearth of energy and creativity in music during this time had left a gaping hole in my soul (and reduced me to goth rhymes), and these rich kid fly-by-nights were doing nothing to fill that void.

    Thankfully, a wave of bands making creative, exciting, and challenging music came to my attention starting in early 2004, and my spiritual wounds were eventually healed. Years later, I can go back to "Is This It," and find some things about it to enjoy.

    Many critics of the Strokes paint them as derivative of better bands like the Velvet Underground, the Stooges, the Feelies, Television, etc. Most notably, singer Julian Casablancas vocals sound like Lou Reed singing through a nifty mic filter. But, while I certainly made such charges at this band (and others) when they first came out, my criterion for music theft is now more forgiving. First, we all must acknowledge that no one creates art in a vacuum, everyone takes from someone, creativity is the art of concealing one's sources, and all that. My rule of thumb is to ask myself if I could ever confuse any song by a band in question as actually being by some older band. Would anyone really think that "Soma" is a Velvet Underground song? I highly doubt it (for comparison, play "Little Animal" by the Raveonettes and tell me that it's not the Jesus & Mary Chain!) The influences of the Strokes may be obvious, but they do blend them in a way that makes their sound pretty easy to recognize.

    No, my main problem with this album was the fact that it just sounded lifeless. Formulaic, mechanical, plodding, dull. Creators of Elevator Rock, perhaps, but the Saviors of Rock? Seriously? Can anyone actually "rock out" to this stuff? At best, it makes me want to bounce my head like Peppermint Patty from Peanuts. Their song "Hard to Explain" actually reminds me of the music for the Lemmings video game (play it and see!).

    Which, perversely enough, is now the appeal. Who else makes rock 'n' roll worthy of a Lemmings game? The robotic lounge rock approach actually is pretty charming. The songs are catchy, Julian's vox have an interesting balance of being pained and bored at once, the bassline of the title track is so hammy it's worthy of early Shonen Knife (this being a very high compliment), and it provides a nice soundtrack to doing household chores. Not exactly the description of The Album That Changed It All, but...c'mon, does anyone really think that anymore? Really?

    Not the worst derivative drivel some say it is, and not the best of, really anything, probably. I used to think "Is This It?" when I listened to this album, but now I just bounce like Peppermint Patty while reaching for the next pot to scrub.
    Customer rating is 4 of 5  Eight years later...   2009-10-30
    By Nate A
    Yes, 2001 was quite a long time ago, and I almost forgot about all the hype surrounding the Strokes first release. Now that the Strokes are out of the spotlight, I took some time to rediscover this album which used to be one of my favorites. Completely disregarding whether the album was worth all the hype or whether the Strokes were the saviors of rock and roll or just a played up commercial band, I found this to be a very good album that I listened to again and again. With a more critical musical ear than at the time of the release, I found the rhythm and lead guitar blended together quite nicely, and the drum beats, while not very varied and lacking fills, provided a steady foundation and gave a good feel to each song. The bass lines gave another rhythm to mix with the guitars, so overall solid and catchy instrumentation (all the songs are quite fun to play with a band.) The vocals, although kind of repetitive and in the same style, still sounded fresh and interesting. As for lyrics, not too diverse, but still, I like many of the songs. Among my favorites are Barely Legal, The Modern Age, Someday, and When It Started. Overall a cool album, still one of my favorites, even after the Strokes' peak.
    Customer rating is 5 of 5  I'd say this album is a five!!!   2009-08-17
    By ibuyanything (Glendale, CA)
    I like to rock out to this album in my brand new car. Buy it!!!
    Customer rating is 5 of 5  IGNORE ALL THE ONE STAR REVIEWS   2009-07-12
    By John M. Heller
    Well i've litterally listened to this album over hundreds of times and it never gets old. I think all the people who gave it one star are just butthurt that their favorite bands are labeled as the saviors of rock. or that they hold the fact julien casablancas used something to digitally inhance his voice or sometihng. Well listen to them live there just as good. He doesnt have the best sining voice like lets say Regina Spektor does, but this is a rock band! You don't need the best voice. In my opinion they lived up to all the hype and compared to the killers whos the most popular rock band right now that the strokes are the savoiors of rock. Don't get me wrong the killers are alright but are they really rock n' roll or just another pop band. Also they bag on them for not being telented enough on the guitar???? They came up with some sick guitar solos and the constant strumming of the same few chords is part of their sound! Go listen to weezer and alot of other bands who are like that they are amazing too. I do agree Last Night is the weakest track though, but most bands release a super catchy song to sell the album to lil girls. Atleast it was just one of the 11 tracks. All in all this album is amazing and a breath of fresh air in this day and age. Get this album for sure. Theres no bands that really that make me think damn saviors of rock except for this band, anything on the label park the van, Fleet Foxes, and the Dead Trees (probally left alot out). The Strokes are on par if not better then any of those.


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