Is this it for The Strokes?

Fighting the genre to become something new
by Rob Todd | 05.16.2004

Everyone hates a copycat but the world is doomed to repeat itself in an age when many philosophers agree that history may have tragically come to halt. Despite the fact that new generations will be born and new technological advances will multiply, our children’s children will make the same mistakes and the ebb and tide of mundane history continues without a foreseeable conclusion. Just as the ‘90s were, in many ways, a neo-‘70s, the new millennium has begun repeating it’s twenty-year-old cousin; the ‘80s.

Generally speaking, about every decade or two fads, fashions, and trends evolve into something different and, unfortunately, something formerly popular. The true test of things is whether or not they can successfully bridge the gap between those generations. One major problem with the pop culture that currently exists is that good music suffers and fades alongside all other elements of culture. But, every so often a band or musician bursts onto the popular scene and dares defy the nature of pop culture (performers such as the Beatles, Madonna, Nirvana, Metallica, U2 just to name a few) and achieve what some would consider an immortal status.

Just as Nirvana made grunge cool everywhere and showed the world that there was something better out there than what the industry was shoving down their throats, The Strokes helped make that mid ‘70s-style alt rock famous again. A few years ago The Strokes became the catalyst that gave the world the “the’s”; The White Stripes, The Vines, The Doves, and the list goes on.

The band took form during the members’ high school years, as rock bands commonly do. However, while most rock musician hone their guitar, drum, bass, and song writing skills in a junk-filled garage, these guys grew up in the busy life of inner-city upper-middle class New York. In the face of “making it” in New York as a rock band (not an easy task) the band found hope on the other side of the pond. After only a year and a half of becoming the band known as the Strokes they received their first big break by signing with the newly resurrected English indie-rock label: Rough Trade. Following two very successful tours of United Kingdom, the Strokes awakened America to pure, refined rock-n-roll. The kind that isn’t afraid to show its primal sophistication in which only instruments and voices are needed to gain fans and sell records - no computers or mixers needed. The band stayed true to their personal aspirations of simply rocking, and not selling out, by signing with RCA, which was the only major label who would agree to the Strokes wishes of never producing a video. “The idea of lip-synching to songs on a film just seems retarded to me,” says Julian Casablancas (vocals) in an article for Penthouse.

The Strokes first major release, Is This It, succeeded in making a name for the New York, neo-punk, new wave, five-man ensemble with enough radio play to keep them carelessly content. In keeping with the Strokes style of ‘80s era rock, their melancholy attitudes and dangerously similar beats can easily be overlooked as a watered down copy of their gifted predecessors but the Strokes image and lure goes beyond the actual music and infiltrates the very being of a carefree life. Casablanca’s bla-bla lyrics coupled with Nick Valensi and Albert Hammond Jr.’s fuzzy guitar playing added with Nikolai Fraiture (bass) and Fabrizio Moretti’s (drums) relaxing yet predictable head bobbing beats put the listener in a carefree state of mind where nothing maintains its importance.

In an effort to defy the present pop music industry the Strokes have only proven one thing with their sophomore effort, they’ve stayed the same. Room On Fire sounds much like what could be disc two of Is This It. This leaves the Strokes in one of two categories: either they’ve simply stayed true to their musical inspiration or truly “this is it”. Where most bands have trouble topping a huge breakout album, the Strokes have simply duplicated their success of Is This It. However in the process they show no signs of significant maturation in their musical talents.

A deeper look at the Casablanca’s lyrics also presents a daunting aura about the Strokes. The first track from Room On Fire, “What Ever Happened?” opens the album with, “I want to be forgotten, and I don’t want to be reminded.[…] You don’t miss me, I know.” This seemingly careless attitude about the future carries on throughout the album. For example, track five,(“You Talk Way Too Much”) ends with some unsure foresight; “It’s only the end as you know it […] Is this how it ends?” The same casual, lackluster pose of fearlessness of whatever happens next persists in “Under Control” and “The End Has No End”.