The Strokes

First Impressions of Earth (RCA)
by Tim Den

The Strokes, very obviously, need no introduction, so let’s get right to the meat and potatoes: First Impressions of Earth, the band’s long-awaited third full-length. Very much the logical extension of Room on Fire, the band are trying to outgrow their rag-tag image here, stuffing 14 songs into over 50 minutes and pulling together their best “we are grown up, take us seriously” musical ideas. Does it work? For the most part, yes. The band always possessed an uncanny ability to effortlessly pen mighty tunes, so tightening the reign around the looseness of their past identity isn’t such a tough feat. Granted, a bit of the fun factor is lost amidst the newfound “serious” tone – fame, lies, yearning, etc. – but it achieves what the band aim for: A more “adult” personality that demands your full attention. That’s not saying that, at almost an hour, the sheer concentration it takes to fully absorb First Impressions of Earth is all peaches and cream. I found myself, multiple times, wishing they’d eased off on the overload, but when the payoff comes, you’re glad you bore the burden.

The most obvious growth here, as with every album these guys put out, is the guitar work. Having already proven their virtuosity-disguised-as-slackerisms on past albums, Nick Valensi and Albert Hammond Jr. again surpass expectations by ripping the shit out of dueling lines, never forgoing taste and/or appropriateness while hammering out delicious runs that nestle in every nook and cranny of the chord progression. Check “Heart in a Cage” at just over the minute mark (and again toward the end of the song)… is that a tribute to Iron Maiden’s “Running Free”? How ’bout closer “Red Light”? Goddamn, them are some well-arranged trade-offs. Opener “You Only Live Once,” perhaps the most evenly-written and enjoyable tune on the album (fantastic vocal hooks), also employs some absolutely zesty, fluid bending and sliding. Stylish and fitting, Valensi and Hammond Jr. are quickly becoming the most reliable elements of The Strokes.

But, of course, most of the attention is/will always be lavished upon frontman/songwriter Julian Casablancas. Will he able to pull another “Last Nite” or “Under Control” out of his brain? Not quite, but the results aren’t too far off, either. If anything, the failure of First Impressions of Earth to produce an “easy hit” such as the aforementioned staples is because Casablancas has shown us he can do more. The jazzy chorus of “Evening Sun” shows musical knowledge that belies his rock ‘n’ roll vocabulary, “Razorblade” (my favorite track on the record) has a slippery melodic turn toward the end of the song which shows his register control, and the second verse of “Ize of the World” (a song otherwise weighted down with a monotonous repeating chorus) is completely astonishing as he squeezes a squiggly, seemingly-erratic-but-really-brilliantly-planned vocal line into a fairly standard chord progression. Instant radio and MTV hits? Probably not. But that’s why the band have put together an album like First Impressions of Earth: The goal isn’t popularity. They’ve already climbed that mountain. The goal is to push the band’s capabilities as far as they can go without losing their foundations. It still sounds like The Strokes – carelessly charismatic – only carelessly smarter too.

However, as I mentioned earlier, sometimes you wish they’d lessened the gifts in order to highlight the stand-outs. For every “Razorblade,” there’s an “On the Other Side.” Stretched-out verse melodies that don’t go anywhere, fumbling for a steady line to rest its feet on. It’s as if the band wrote and recorded the music without Casablancas, only to have him come in during recording and just make up something lazy over it. “Ask Me Anything” is about as worthless as they come. Between 1800 repetitions of the line “I’ve got nothing to say,” Casablancas talks about god and coconut, in the same breath. Granted, lyrics have never been The Strokes’ strong point, but this is ridiculous. Not to mention the music itself is flatlined the entire time. Thankfully, “Vision of Division” precedes it, flushing your ears with so many different shades of AWESOME that not even “Ask Me Anything” can bum you out. The racing beginning, the double-picking during the pre-pre-chorus, the energetic vocals during the chorus, the strange melody turn in between the fourth and fifth “how long must I wait?”s, not to mention the fiery performances of Valensi and Hammond Jr. (these guys can serious play for a prog band)… and. I’m. Spent.

First Impressions of Earth, though kind of a labor to get through, succeeds in its mission to take The Strokes to the next creative plateau. Maybe not the next commercially viable “career move,” but it shows that they’re a real band trying to create art on their own terms. Personally, I don’t think such an intentional growing up is necessary if you continue to write great songs with great guitar work (no prob there), but the (mostly) clueless world demands change for change sake, paying more attention to aesthetics than the actual substance contained in the music. First Impressions of Earth will satisfy such nonsensical mentality, but also those of us who pay close attention to the details in the songs.
(www.rcarecords.com)