I never attach my "Song of the Day" blogs to the forums (for obvious reasons: some would consider it "YouTube Spam"), but this is a special occasion. "Under Cover of Darkness", the first single from the Strokes' new album Angles, due sometime in March, sounds like a more adult version of the group of guys that brought us Is This It? and Room on Fire. Julian's vocals aren't so slurred anymore, so I guess that solo album he put out -- which was mostly forgettable aside from the lead single -- cleared his mind; I dig the rhythm; the lyrics aren't that offensively stupid (a happenstance with Julian); and do I hear harmonizing in the chorus!? THE STROKES DON'T HARMONIZE!!!
Before you guys say anything, I'll be the first to admit that this is more pop rock side than it is the gritty garage the Strokes became known for (say bye, bye drunkenness). But after Interpol's awful comeback record (which made Our Love to Admire look like an art-rock masterpiece), I don't think anyone is going to complain about a more accessible sound from one of the bands that personified the New York rock revival in the early 2000s. The Strokes have certainly noticed their contemporaries (and competition) in the time it's taken for them to get back into the swing of things: Thankfully taking cues from Phoenix as opposed to New Order (Julian's solo album: a synthpop massacre), or whatever the fuck their third album was supposed to be. We all liked the Strokes when they were donning leather jackets and evoking the Ramones while taking riffs from Tom Petty and blatantly stating so, but when "Juicebox" was instantly recognizable as being built from The Clash's "Brand New Cadillac", I had had enough...well, that and the rest of that record -- aside from "You Only Live Once" -- not living up to the standards of even the weakest track on Room on Fire.
I'm not saying that this upcoming album is going to light the rock world ablaze the way Is This It?did, it most likely won't, but 'Under Cover of Darkness" is a good indication that the record could be good. All the hipster indie stuff (Animal Collective, Beirut, etc) I listen to is great and all, but I'd love to get excited about a pure rock record for once, even if it's a bit on the poppy side. And being a New Yorker who grew up on Room on Firewhen he went to High School, I'm pretty excited.
Here's some retrospective Strokes songs for those of you not familiar with the band.
"Someday", from their debut, Is This It?
"Last Nite", from their debut, Is This It?
"Take It or Leave It", from their debut, Is This It?
"12:51", from their sophomore album, Room on Fire
"Under Control", from their sophomore album, Room on Fire
"You Only Live Once", from their third album, First Impressions of Earth
And hell, why not, let's even throw in the single from Julian Casablancas' solo album, Phrazes for the Young. Be warned: the video is retarded. And the song is a great example of Julian's at times asinine writing as well.
So what do you guys think? Does this new single give you hope for Angles? One of their reoccurring criticisms has been that they more or less recreate the same song (almost in a format of sorts) over and over again, so will a more pop-oriented Strokes record break that criticism?
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