Nickel Eye
The Time Of The Assassins
Release Date: Jan 27, 2009
Genre(s): Indie, Rock
Record label: Rykodisc
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Album Review: The Time Of The Assassins by Nickel Eye
Acceptable, Based on 5 Critics
Based on rating 7/10
Being a member of the Strokes other than Julian Casablancas must be frustrating. True, you’re in one of the coolest bands in the world—and you had a hand in creating the album that’s pretty much defined the decade. But since the hype and suspense that followed the release of Is This It in 2001, you’ve had to sit back and wait for your frontman to come up with his next set of garage-rock gems, your own creative thoughts and lyrical ideas rebuked by a singer seemingly almost in complete creative control of every song.
Based on rating 7/10
Being a member of the Strokes other than Julian Casablancas must be frustrating. True, you’re in one of the coolest bands in the world—and you had a hand in creating the album that’s pretty much defined the decade. But since the hype and suspense that followed the release of Is This It in 2001, you’ve had to sit back and wait for your frontman to come up with his next set of garage-rock gems, your own creative thoughts and lyrical ideas rebuked by a singer seemingly almost in complete creative control of every song.
Based on rating 6/10
There was a time not so long ago when pandemonium would have ensued - among both fans and critics alike - if an album featuring a member of The Strokes, Nick Zinner and Regina Spektor was released. Now, that album has been released and almost instantly bypassed, like some backhanded drug deal in an alleyway. Opener 'Every Time''s bouncing bass riff sounds like some warped cross between Rage Against The Machine and, um, a porno soundtrack.
Based on rating 2/5
Nickel Eye is the side project of Strokes bassist Nikolai Fraiture (get it? Nickel Eye/Nikolai?). Bad puns aside, there's a reason he's not the singer in his more famous band. He's definitely not a strong or even charismatic singer. Unfortunately, his songwriting isn't much better, which is surprising given the catchy, melodic bass lines he's consistently laid down at his day job.
Based on rating 2.5/10
Among the more serious charges leveled at the Strokes following their rise to fame on the backs of the garage-rock revival was that they were New York dilettantes who, instead of the rock ‘n’ saviors they were pegged to be, were actually just rich college kids giving music a shot before moving onto a desk job. Given the “Hey, I just got a guitar and a four-track, listen to me” vibe of Strokes guitarist Albert Hammond’s two solo albums, and the laid-back, “I’m in this band, but I’m just trying to chill out, bro” attitude of drummer Fab Moretti’s Little Joy, that notion certainly has begun to gain credence. If you toss in bassist Nikolai Fraiture’s Nickel Eye project, then it start's to feel like a bona fide fact.
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