Is This It

by: bill aicher

One of the hardest things for a band to overcome is a lot of undeserved hype early in their career. What's even more difficult to overcome is when this hype hits before your album actually does. It's easy to dismiss a band as hype and nothing more - to ignore them for as long as you can.

But this time, believe the hype.

Is This It marks the debut of New York City rockers, The Strokes. It's an album of pure, rough rock 'n' roll ala 1970s Velvet Underground. With clangy guitars reminiscient of rock heroes including The Pixies (see the title track, then listen to the Pixies "Where Is My Mind?" for proof) and the brawly, telephone-muted vocals of lead singer Julian Casablancas (aka Lou Reed), Is This It truly does bring back memories of the rock long considered dead.

For albums which are basically a collection of edgy/raw pop songs, it's rare that you find one solid through-and-through. It is rather unfortunate that, in the wake of September 11, the song "New York City Cops," one of their best tracks, had to be pulled from the album (check for an import to find it). Yet, with tracks including "Soma," "Someday," and the leading single "Last Nite" this group of six spoiled kids from Manhattan prove what is possible when you just simply love the good old rock 'n' roll.

They've been referred to as the Saviors of Rock 'n Roll. I wouldnt' go quite that far... but if they just happen to be, you won't find any complaints from this corner. 12-Feb-2002 5:30PM