RobMCFC
Well-Known Member
I know nothing about them, it just came back on a Google. Not sure about the producer having produced some of the albums we've reviewed but I'll let you fill us in on the details.
The Album Review Club - Week #191 (page 1286) - Harlequin Dream - Boy & Bear
- Thread starter RobMCFC
- Start date
Got to be
BlueHammer85
Well-Known Member
- Joined
- 13 Oct 2010
- Messages
- 40,536
Know it very well and close to nominating it before- I never followed much on The Strokes after this album - they were cool.
Oh, people – they don't understand.
Oh, people – they don't understand.
FogBlueInSanFran
Well-Known Member
The Album Review Club – Week #154
Is This It -- The Strokes (2001)
Selected by FogBlueInSanFran
Cover worldwide except the US
Cover in the US because we are afraid of nudity here
I admit it -- I am still suffering from RDS (Radiohead Derangement Syndrome).
I wanted to find a record that was considered just as much of a critical musical “change point”, but in a radically different way.
Back when The Strokes’ Is This It came out I was in my mid-30s, married, my wife and I working a lot, and certainly not delving into new music with the cares of the world hard upon us.
But then somewhere along the line, I heard “Hard To Explain”, this record’s first single.
And I absolutely loved it, which led me to the rest of the record. Is This It is now comfortably in my top 100 records of all time, one of only a handful of albums released post-2000 to enter those hallowed halls.
Even though most popular music was passing me by in the early 2000s, it was heartening to know that tried-and-true, simple punk-ethos, two-chord, New York-based, Velvet Underground/Feelies-ish guitar bands were coming back to the fore of popular consciousness, especially after The White Stripes (who I always felt were a bit overwrought) started pouring gasoline on the airwaves.
What I didn’t realiz(s)e was that Is This It had created almost as much of a watershed for the next generation of middle-class white Americans as Nevermind, or to lump in you older British lot, Sergeant Pepper, or Never Mind The Bollocks.
I’m sure some younger readers here (if there are any) can attest to this; to me, that wasn’t important nor did I even know it was happening!
For me, it was simple joy at hearing something new that had so much of what I’ve often liked sonically: clean, fast, sparse, jumpy, sardonic, off-the-cuff and unpretentious – and without having to look for it, since The Strokes were omnipresent pretty much instantly.
The music here is so simple it’s almost childish, but it echoes The Velvets (and another band I love – The Feelies) distinctly, only it’s hookier, quicker and more consistent.
As an 11-song, 35-minute record, it’s over before you know it, but I don’t think there’s a single weak track here (and only one “okay” one).
The big hits you’ll probably know: “Someday”, “Last Nite”, and the aforementioned “Hard to Explain”. But I also love the “The Modern Age” and “Barely Legal” particularly, and really like the title track, “Soma”, “Alone Together”, “When It Started” and the closer.
On my (American version of) Spotify, “When It Started” replaces “New York City Cops”. The record was unfortunately released on 9/11/01 in the States and “NYCC” was quickly removed on U.S. versions out of respect. Musically I like “When It Started” better, but whatever.
Also in true stupid American fashion, the “risqué” original cover was replaced.
Originally supposed to be by Gil Norton, who also produced Pixies’ “Doolittle” and Echo and the Bunnymen’s “Ocean Rain” but instead produced by some other guy, there’s no deeper message here, nor any forgery of feelings (ahem, Thom Yorke, ****). Pretty much every song is about a lonely young men looking for love, errrr, sex, errrr, well, both maybe. The topics at hand don’t concern me – I’d already aged out of them when I heard this.
If you want to fall over yourselves talking about what a skinny-jean revolution this was way back then, be my guest – everything old is new again, and if it’s an “important” record to the evolution of pop/rock music as so many claim, all the better.
But all I know is it sounds great even still, and if you’re still in your seat whilst listening to Is This It, you better check to make sure your shoes aren’t cemented to the floor.
Simple can be – and often is – best.
Happy listening!
Is This It -- The Strokes (2001)
Selected by FogBlueInSanFran
Cover worldwide except the US
Cover in the US because we are afraid of nudity here
I admit it -- I am still suffering from RDS (Radiohead Derangement Syndrome).
I wanted to find a record that was considered just as much of a critical musical “change point”, but in a radically different way.
Back when The Strokes’ Is This It came out I was in my mid-30s, married, my wife and I working a lot, and certainly not delving into new music with the cares of the world hard upon us.
But then somewhere along the line, I heard “Hard To Explain”, this record’s first single.
And I absolutely loved it, which led me to the rest of the record. Is This It is now comfortably in my top 100 records of all time, one of only a handful of albums released post-2000 to enter those hallowed halls.
Even though most popular music was passing me by in the early 2000s, it was heartening to know that tried-and-true, simple punk-ethos, two-chord, New York-based, Velvet Underground/Feelies-ish guitar bands were coming back to the fore of popular consciousness, especially after The White Stripes (who I always felt were a bit overwrought) started pouring gasoline on the airwaves.
What I didn’t realiz(s)e was that Is This It had created almost as much of a watershed for the next generation of middle-class white Americans as Nevermind, or to lump in you older British lot, Sergeant Pepper, or Never Mind The Bollocks.
I’m sure some younger readers here (if there are any) can attest to this; to me, that wasn’t important nor did I even know it was happening!
For me, it was simple joy at hearing something new that had so much of what I’ve often liked sonically: clean, fast, sparse, jumpy, sardonic, off-the-cuff and unpretentious – and without having to look for it, since The Strokes were omnipresent pretty much instantly.
The music here is so simple it’s almost childish, but it echoes The Velvets (and another band I love – The Feelies) distinctly, only it’s hookier, quicker and more consistent.
As an 11-song, 35-minute record, it’s over before you know it, but I don’t think there’s a single weak track here (and only one “okay” one).
The big hits you’ll probably know: “Someday”, “Last Nite”, and the aforementioned “Hard to Explain”. But I also love the “The Modern Age” and “Barely Legal” particularly, and really like the title track, “Soma”, “Alone Together”, “When It Started” and the closer.
On my (American version of) Spotify, “When It Started” replaces “New York City Cops”. The record was unfortunately released on 9/11/01 in the States and “NYCC” was quickly removed on U.S. versions out of respect. Musically I like “When It Started” better, but whatever.
Also in true stupid American fashion, the “risqué” original cover was replaced.
Originally supposed to be by Gil Norton, who also produced Pixies’ “Doolittle” and Echo and the Bunnymen’s “Ocean Rain” but instead produced by some other guy, there’s no deeper message here, nor any forgery of feelings (ahem, Thom Yorke, ****). Pretty much every song is about a lonely young men looking for love, errrr, sex, errrr, well, both maybe. The topics at hand don’t concern me – I’d already aged out of them when I heard this.
If you want to fall over yourselves talking about what a skinny-jean revolution this was way back then, be my guest – everything old is new again, and if it’s an “important” record to the evolution of pop/rock music as so many claim, all the better.
But all I know is it sounds great even still, and if you’re still in your seat whilst listening to Is This It, you better check to make sure your shoes aren’t cemented to the floor.
Simple can be – and often is – best.
Happy listening!
Attachments
Last edited:
Same. No idea why, re the lack of interest in subsequent albums
FogBlueInSanFran
Well-Known Member
I like "Room On Fire" too -- especially "Reptilia" which might be my favo(u)rite of their songs.
But there's only so much you can do with two notes, unless you're the Ramones.
RobMCFC
Well-Known Member
Great write-up. Will a bunch of young American upstarts be better than their whiny-voiced British equivalents.
(I've left the question mark out in a nod to the album title).
Just a side note, according to Wikipedia, the band scrapped the tracks they recorded with Gil Norton because they sounded "too clean" and "too pretentious". The album was then produced by Gordon Raphael (no, me neither!)
BlueHammer85
Well-Known Member
- Joined
- 13 Oct 2010
- Messages
- 40,536
Surprised if you’ve never heard ‘Last Nite’ before - a lot of play on radio mainly Virgin/Radio X , the Album was pretty big in the UK that year and they featured in NME etc, sure they might have picked up award at the Brit Awards.
FogBlueInSanFran
Well-Known Member
Ha you're right! Even one of my clues was wrong! I was just looking for a few extra clues and scraped that one in there. LOL.
FogBlueInSanFran
Well-Known Member
This record is, I believe, number 2 on the Rolling Stone best albums since 2000 list.
This will be the first time in the, what, three years of this thread that I have picked a record in the Larkin top 1000/RS top 100 from the @BlueHammer85 thread.
Though I assume when RS updates their list, that Chappell Roan record will make it, especially since she won a Best New Artist Grammy.
Black&White&BlueMoon Town
Well-Known Member
I liked this, and I enjoyed The New Abnormal during the pandemic. At least one song from that had made the Playlist thread from where it borrowed musically from, and I don't condsider that a Bad Decision(s).
Cheers to Foggy for nominating the band that has been a musical guest on Saturday Night Live (SNL) 4 times now. I just finished watching the "Ladies and Gentlemen 50 Years of SNL Music" on Peacock, which is a fantastic historical view of most all the bands that have appeared on there, many that got their first exposure from that venue as well.
Stream It Or Skip It: ‘Ladies & Gentlemen…50 Years Of SNL Music’ on Peacock, a doc with props for the music part of ‘Saturday Night Live’
Dave Grohl: “I think live music on TV is important.” He’s not wrong! And Ladies & Gentlemen…50 Years of SNL Music proves it.
decider.com
The Strokes made their musical guest debut on SNL on January 19, 2002, the eleventh episode of Season 27, hosted by actor and comedian Jack Black. They performed two songs "Last Nite" and "Hard To Explain" from this album released the year prior.
I'm sure "Barry" approved of this vinyl too...
BlueHammer85
Well-Known Member
- Joined
- 13 Oct 2010
- Messages
- 40,536
threespires
Well-Known Member
- Joined
- 7 Aug 2019
- Messages
- 8,524
- Team supported
- City
I seem to remember their hair annoyed me, a lot. Then the overplaying of Last Nite annoyed me some more. Then they were on the tele playing Last Nite, with their hair. That was the last straw.
So I welcome the chance to lay to rest my tonsorial prejudices and start over with them.
So I welcome the chance to lay to rest my tonsorial prejudices and start over with them.
The album is a lot better than Last Nite itself as a tune was, imo.
It also came at a time of the brit-indie boom, where lots of bands looked and sounded like that song. And their hair. Which is why I think it was so popular here.
FogBlueInSanFran
Well-Known Member
“Hard To Explain” is quirkier and faster and more original. “Last Nite” is IMO the most “conventional” song on the record.
RobMCFC
Well-Known Member
I don't listen to music on the radio anymore remember? Would Bob Harris have played it?
Anyway, yes, "Last Nite" does sound familiar.
But there again all this indie stuff sounds the same to me:)
GornikDaze
Well-Known Member
- Joined
- 9 Jul 2012
- Messages
- 10,366
I miss the days when we had a scoring system based on the quality of the pick - not additional half points for album covers, how it makes you feel on a wet Monday morning etc etc
Awaits half point deduction because of the bands hairstyle!!