Why would a comeback from one of the most-talked about ock acts of the 2000s arrive just after the holidays, when the music industry is usually still hibernating (or hung over)? Optimistically, they could be taking advantage of holiday money and gift certificates burning holes in the pockets of their fan base. Less charitably, they may be trying to avoid tougher competition later in the year -- or worse, just trying to bury the album altogether. With the Strokes and First Impressions of Earth, it's difficult to tell exactly what the motivation was, but by releasing it so early in 2006, it ends up not being just one of the year's first albums, but one of its first disappointments as well. To be fair, First Impressions starts out strong. "You Only Live Once" is everything a fan could want from a Strokes song, with a joyful melody, skipping rhythm, and cheerfully snotty lyrics. "Juicebox," meanwhile, moves from a bassline nicked from the "Peter Gunn Theme" to ragged grunge before landing on a soaring, plaintive chorus. Love it or hate it, the song has a boldness and creativity that is in short supply elsewhere on First Impressions of Earth. On the other hand, the similarly experimental "15 Minutes," a shambling mess of a allad that eventually ignites into a rocker, is so odd that it ends up being more surprising than disappointing. That honor goes to the songs that sound like the band is just tracing over its own work -- and not especially well. Waiting for memorable hooks and lyrics to emerge from "Heart in a Cage," "Electricityscape," and other half-formed songs is a lot more depressing than the occasional failed experiment. Indeed, depression is a big theme on First Impressions of Earth; while jaded and bruised lyrical territory is nothing new for the Strokes, now they sound boring instead of just bored with everything around them. On "Ask Me Anything," an otherwise pretty allad, Casablancas repeats "I've got nothing to say" so often that the listener has no choice but to believe him. There are a few bright moments: "Ize of the World" and "Razorblade" channel the bite of the band's older work without rehashing it entirely. At just under an hour long, First Impressions of Earth is nearly the length of the Strokes' first two albums combined. They used to be impeccable editors, both in the length of their songs and which ones ended up on their albums. Is This It was a debut album so solid that it felt like a greatest-hits comp; hints of eggae, soul, and '80s pop flavored Room on Fire without overwhelming it. Here, the Strokes indulge their every whim, and the result is their weakest album yet. It seems that less really was more with them, and now more is simply too much.
Okay, so I feel like this song is extremely overlooked by the general population. I know many who are familiar with The Strokes only because of the song "You Only Live Once," probably because of its memorable lyrics and catchy sound, but I really think the following lyrics have got to be some of the best. A bit of social and political commentary for ya. How SCARY! ;) At least you moggers can a...
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Okay, so I feel like this song is extremely overlooked by the general population. I know many who are familiar with The Strokes only because of the song "You Only Live Once," probably because of its memorable lyrics and catchy sound, but I really think the following lyrics have got to be some of the best. A bit of social and political commentary for ya. How SCARY! ;) At least you moggers can a...
More >
What a disappointment to be pushed around by some hundreds of scrawny mid-teen guys and girls at the Horden Pavilion last Friday night.Yet I was soon to be put in a much better mood when I saw Thom stroll across the stage as a smirk came across my face whilst Kirin, Jules and Ash (collectively Mercy Arms) soon followed suit and started one of the best live sets I've seen in recent times, which ...
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one word..amazingcomment
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...that I have listened to the song _Razorblade_ by The Strokes 75 times. And that's only good for fourth place! Yeah I got it bad.
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ARTIST: The StrokesALBUM: First Impressions of EarthVERDICT:New clear, sharp vocals against the same old riffs with. but damn they do work well together. I think they are growing up. Danceable as ever. LISTEN TO: 7- Ask Me Anything
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'08 saw the Strokes taking a break form being the Strokes and trying new outfits. Drummer Fabrizio Moretti headed west and found acclaim with his new side-project Little Joy. Bassist Nikolai Fraiture decided to front his own little band called Nickel Eye. But frontman Julian Casablancas has kept a rather low profile. Casablacas did, however, branch out in a completely different way.... into co...
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Be still my joyous, beating heart! The Strokes are returning in 2009! For three weeks the information has quietly idled on the rockers Web site. Realizing the looming question in some people's minds, the band posted this:QUESTION: When are the Strokes coming back?ANSWER: The guys are set to get together and get back at it early 2009. Guitarist Al Hammond Jr, whose been out and about with arm c...
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Reviews don't get much more honest or alcohol infused than this....but I saw the Strokes tongiht for the first time...and I enjoyed the show...but I have never had to see a band try less hard in my life...its like they were annoited rock stars and they just went through the motions....First of all i have a problem with shows that start at 9:15....i no I am old...but really, should any decent ro...
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Julian Casablancas is playing every Friday in LA over the next month. If you're anywhere near LA, I'd definitely recommend getting down there to check him out. Last night at The Palace, Julian kicked off the string of shows. Although very little footage has surfaced of the event, heres a solid video of [...]
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...that I have listened to the song _Razorblade_ by The Strokes 75 times. And that's only good for fourth place! Yeah I got it bad.
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another great product from the underground of new york to bad cdgb's is no longer
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Mog and my second life...I think given what I just had to do, the next spate of songs is pretty appropriate...Some rocking cathartic music to purge the hell out of my aggravation!
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In four days the Strokes will finally relaunch their Web Site, www.thestrokes.com. To mark the relaunch an alternative video for “You Only Live Once,” directed by Warren Fu will be premiering.Today the band made an announcement via MySpace saying they will be taking a break from touring and the studio.The bulletin, according to NME.com read: "The band are still enjoying some much needed 'off
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What a disappointment to be pushed around by some hundreds of scrawny mid-teen guys and girls at the Horden Pavilion last Friday night.Yet I was soon to be put in a much better mood when I saw Thom stroll across the stage as a smirk came across my face whilst Kirin, Jules and Ash (collectively Mercy Arms) soon followed suit and started one of the best live sets I've seen in recent times, which ...
More >
Okay, so I feel like this song is extremely overlooked by the general population. I know many who are familiar with The Strokes only because of the song "You Only Live Once," probably because of its memorable lyrics and catchy sound, but I really think the following lyrics have got to be some of the best. A bit of social and political commentary for ya. How SCARY! ;) At least you moggers can a...
More >
Well I have no idea what happened with that last post about Ize of the World, but I guess I should post that song again because I don't think it showed up.Maybe that worked? If not, here's the link...http://youtube.com/watch?v=1XJTxOfQ6ZU
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Okay, so I feel like this song is extremely overlooked by the general population. I know many who are familiar with The Strokes only because of the song "You Only Live Once," probably because of its memorable lyrics and catchy sound, but I really think the following lyrics have got to be some of the best. A bit of social and political commentary for ya. How SCARY! ;) At least you moggers can a...
More >
one word..amazingcomment
More >
ARTIST: The StrokesALBUM: First Impressions of EarthVERDICT:New clear, sharp vocals against the same old riffs with. but damn they do work well together. I think they are growing up. Danceable as ever. LISTEN TO: 7- Ask Me Anything
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Does anyone else think this album has gotten an unjustly bad rap from the indie press? I seem to remember a Pitchfork news feed about the video for "You Only Live Once" with an opening sentence that read something like this: "Once again proving that they left their sophomore slump for their third album..."what's up with that!? i think this album rocks. sure, they could have left off 2 or 3 t...
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| Title | Lyrics | Buy |
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| 1 You Only Live Once |
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| 2 Juicebox |
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| 3 Heart in a Cage |
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| 4 Razorblade |
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| 5 On the Other Side |
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| 6 Vision of Division |
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| 7 Ask Me Anything |
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| 8 Electricityscape |
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| 9 Killing Lies |
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| 10 Fear of Sleep |
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| 11 15 Minutes |
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| 12 Ize of the World |
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| 13 Evening Sun |
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| 14 Red Light |
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Click to purchase…
© 2006-2009 Mog Inc. All Rights Reserved
 "First Impressions of Earth")
