Where They’ve Been: The Strokes

Where They’ve Been: The Strokes

By: Christian Hagen

There’s been a distinct void in the music scene since The Strokes took an extended break following 2006’s ambitious but critically and commercially unsuccessful First Impressions of Earth, an album that has been more of a consistent favorite of mine over time than their previous releases, despite its flaws. Aside from the stellar riffs and improved production quality, the songs on First Impressions benefit from a fresh take on the group’s lounge punk sound culling electronic instrumentation more than they had in the past and generally taking their whole sound a step forward, albeit in no specific direction.

It’s been tough not having the band, or really any band quite like them, around. Seriousness hangs over indie rock (or whatever we’re supposed to call it now); the biggest bands of the last few years are all either sleepily grand (Grizzly Bear, Death Cab, Fleet Foxes, Bon Iver), grandly weird (Animal Collective, Passion Pit, TV on the Radio), or just generally grand (Arcade Fire). Other than that, people have been forced to sift through straightforward pop or experimentation that’s at once interesting and alienating. The Strokes were that rare mix of fun and musically energetic, with a sound they claimed as their own and a style that said, “This is it. What were you expecting?” They were the closest approximation to Pavement after the breakup of Pavement; they got to the new indie sound before the rest and didn’t seem to care. They made being a tight semi-punk outfit seem easy and glamorous.

Since the difficulties the band faced on First Impressions, they have splintered off, with four of the five members taking time to chisel out side projects and expand their individual talents. Now, before we review their long-in-the-making return album, Angles (look for that review tomorrow), let’s take a look at what they’ve been up to in the meantime:

Julian Casablancas, Phrazes for the Young

The Strokes’ singer’s debut solo LP was divisive, but not without some preparation. The album was heavily 80s-influenced, lit by neon and gilded with keys. This was a direction one could see him following since First Impressions’ soft electronic deluge “Ask Me Anything,” not to mention his collaboration with Santigold and Pharrell Willams, “My Drive-Thru” for Converse’s 100th birthday. But few likely expected the extent to which Casablancas could actually survive with just his electronic constructions; regardless of the divided critical reactions to the music, it was undoubtedly full, as though he’d never needed a band to back him up in the first place.

The album also gave Casablancas a chance to extend his range a little. “Left & Right in the Dark” was a beautiful encapsulation of a city holding in and then releasing the promise of the young of the album’s title, while “4 Chords of the Apocalypse” was an oddly refreshing attempt at gospel. Most importantly, the album showed that Casablancas could hold his own in a very musically skilled group without embarrassing himself. The most recent of the band’s side projects, it was arguably the most divergent, avoiding comparisons to the band that made him famous by simply being different.

Little Joy, Little Joy

One of the finest summer albums to come out in years, Little Joy’s debut album was also the only Strokes side project in which the Strokes member in question takes a backseat to another singer. This is significant, because while I have no idea whether Fabrizio Moretti can sing, it’s well documented that the man can drum. Even better, he lets the spotlight shine on Los Hermanos singer Rodrigo Amarante, whose vocal work carries both a graspable worldliness and a warm sweetness. This is pleasant beach pop that doesn’t have the dirty edge of Moretti’s main band but has the upbeat fun in spades.

Whether the album succeeds as well in the colder months is debatable. It’s certainly peppy enough to make someone’s day a little brighter, but without a little sun in the sky, it’s hard to decide whether the mood is infectious or insistent. Though standout track “Keep Me in Mind” is a year-round pleasure; it’s the closest the band comes to approximating the classic Strokes sound, while they still retain the pleasure of their romanticism. It’s hard to say which of the Strokes’ side projects is the best, but for sheer pop bliss, it’s hard to beat Little Joy.

Albert Hammond Jr.

With two impressive albums since the band went on break, Hammond has been the most consistently busy member of The Strokes since 2006.  That year’s Yours to Keep

opens with a building lullaby on “Cartoon Music for Superheroes” and only gets better from there. Hammond may easily be the band’s most talented member; his songwriting sensibilities are neither too heavy-handed nor too loose. He has a strong grasp of his pop style, and an even stronger grasp of the guitar. Sadly, there is little shredding on his albums, and his voice isn’t as powerful as the rest of the instruments at his disposal.

Still, Hammond gets by in his solo work with a little help from his friends, frequently collaborating with the likes of Sean Lennon and Ben Kweller. But even on his own, Hammond provides some solid songs. “101” and “Hard to Live in the City” are virtual opposites sonically, one large and cleanly produced while the other is soft and grainy, but each has a similar earworm quality, built equally on solid guitar and memorable melodies. What Hammond lacks in voice, he certainly makes up for in songwriting, though even this didn’t save his second full-length, Como te Llama, from flying under the radar for many fans and critics in 2008.

Nickel Eye, The Time of the Assassins

Nikolai Fraiture’s bass presence was undeniably essential to First Impressions of Earth, which may have made it hard for him when the album failed to live up to many people’s expectations. It must have been even harder for him when his side project Nickel Eye (a play off his first name) was mostly met with indifference upon release of their debut, The Time of the Assassins. There could be several reasons for the less-than-wowing reviews: A title that’s both bizarrely aggressive and unintentionally silly, a fairly flat voice around which to base a band, and lyrics which were reportedly based on a road trip when the singer was only 19 (usually a rough age for budding lyricists, to be sure).

But the main reason Nickel Eye wasn’t praised as roundly as the other Strokes side projects is that it’s dull. It has a classic rock vibe without an apparent rebellion around which to focus his classic rock swagger; that is to say, Fraiture has payed tribute to his idols without a proper understanding of why they made the music they were making. This isn’t unusual in modern music; lots of artists will try to take on the sounds of the heroes who cam before them without truly evoking the spirit of them and making the music their own. And in this vein, Nickel Eye isn’t especially poor. But it’s disappointing that a member of a band as unique as the Strokes would make something so bland.

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If nothing else, the return of The Strokes as a full, cohesive band will be refreshing, a change of pace from a year that’s brought us the ends of several terrific careers in indie as well as a few minor entries in continuing rock sagas.  Whether Angles will serve as a throwback pleasure, a triumph, a sad last-ditch attempt at relevancy, or something in between, be sure to check out our review tomorrow on AudioSuede.