The StrokesTitle: First Impressions of EarthLabel: RCAReleased: 2006.01.03Rating: * * 1/2Resembles: Interpol, Spoon, Razorlight, The Hives, Longwave, Jet
The Strokes returns with its first album since 2003’s Room on Fire and third in its RCA catalogue. However, with First Impressions of Earth the band has further distanced itself from the garage rock movement it defined with 2001’s Is This It?
In 2001, The Strokes restructured modern rock music by returning the genre to its gritty, rebel roots. It was an expression of crunchy guitars, thick, melodic bass and raw vocal presentation flattened by treble-heavy percussion. But with Room on Fire, Julian Casablancas and company introduced more production, which in turn increased the band’s commercial value but inevitably decreased the group’s indie appeal.
The Strokes is not a band to stand down in the face of impending commercial success; it merely does what the members do best: Make music. First Impressions of Earth further introduces the listener to a commercial side of The Strokes. Much of the distortion usually found in Casablancas’ voice is missing and many of the bass licks are softened in favor of more chipper guitar riffs.
Whereas The Strokes often came off as bored on its preceding albums, First Impressions displays the band as just plain boring. Tracks such as “You Only Live Once,” “Killing Lies” and “Evening Sun” are nearly carbon copies of “Last Night” and “12:51.”
Although the track has gone mostly unfavored by fans of The Strokes, the first single “Juicebox” is one of the few on First Impressions that stands out as truly unique and bold. “Ask Me Anything” also stands as a highlight of the otherwise mediocre album. The track has an initial facade that makes it come off as a nice ballad, but Casablancas’ lack of something to say leaves the listener wondering whether he really has “nothing to say.”
The problem with First Impressions lies not in the band’s talent — the members certainly have that — but rather the lack of material; despite the fact that the album is nearly as long as the first two albums combined. There is a faltering in the quality of the material when the majority of the album’s tracks would be more suited for b-sides or extra tracks on overseas editions.
The Strokes doesn’t need to take a step back to its garage rock roots because the members’ talents are shining through the gritty production even more with every record, but Casablancas needs to evaluate whether he wants to continue being the boring guy or go back to being the guy bored with everything — because that’s what’s really cool.
