First Impressions of First Impressions Of Earth
Julian Casablancas pretty much sums up the new Strokes CD in the chorus of "Fear Of Sleep" – "you’re no fun/you’re no fun/you’re no fun/you’re no fun". That’s not to say this is a bad record, it is merely a good record from a great band. First Impressions is the sound of a band stuck in second gear, either unsure or unable to take it to the next level.

Admittedly, their first CD, Is This It, sets a high standard. On multiple occasions, on multiple continents, throwing that disc in the stereo has resulted in an apartment of folks – not all of whom had high hipster quotients – all getting up and shaking their asses. You can’t listen to "Someday" or "Last Nite" and remain stoic and motionless in a chair or on a couch, it’s just not possible. Room On Fire didn’t necessarily match those heights, but it came damn near close. The new record, however, is deficient on the ass-shake scale. The first two tracks, "You Only Live Once" and the first single, "Juicebox", register slightly, but it’s downhill from there.

Too much sounds like stuff you’ve heard before. That opening track is a Cars rip-off. "Razorblade" features a Barry Manilow-esque chorus and a Beatles guitar riff. The guitar riff from "Electricityscape" is almost note for note like the opening riff from Garbage’s "Special". And yes, for the most part these aren’t magnificent sources to be mining.

Too many of the tracks change tone abruptly. It sounds like they slapped together fragments of incomplete songs to get some whole ones. And it doesn’t really work, most notably in "Evening Sun".

Lyrically, it all comes down to the chorus of "Ask Me Anything" – "I’ve got nothing to say". "On The Other Side" is droning, whiny, and repetitive – you just want Julian to shut the hell up. Too many songs have the same simple lines repeated over and over and over. There’s nothing earth shattering on this record.

Whether they’re forcing it or just coasting, First Impressions is not a step forward for The Strokes. It’s a record you’ll play for a little while, but in a few months, when you’re in the mood for a Strokes CD, you’ll go and get Is This It off the shelf, or maybe Room On Fire if you want to hear "You Talk Way Too Much" or "What Ever Happened?". There are far worse things to happen to a band than to make a good record instead of a phenomenal one. But in their case, it means The Strokes have released a disappointment.
- posted by Liebs @ 12:20 PM