First Impressions of Earth - My First Impressions of the New Album

Ok, so I have to give it up to my great friend Cole for turning me onto The Strokes back in 2001, right after their album came out. Since that very day, I have held them in the highest regard. I have given tickets to their shows as gifts (Vince), I have turned other people onto them completely (Richard), and I have placed them in the upper Echelon of bands that I have had the privilege of hearing, let alone seeing live. Suffice to say, The Strokes were a big part of my move to New York City, with exposure to them leading to my discovery(not exactly MY discovery) of the music that comes out of here. With these thoughts in mind, I wish to present my first review, of many, of their new album, which has yet to come out, "First Impressions of Earth." Now, bear in mind that I only have 5 songs off of 14 song L.P., but I just cannot wait to start the hype, as they have dealt with many times before.

I wish to present the five tracks that I have had the pleasure of listening to, in no particular order, since the track order has not been released yet.

"Juicebox": This is the one that I am sure that all of you have heard. NME touts this one as the song that will change rock, as the first Strokes album did. This is heavier than any other strokes song that I have ever heard, and Nikolai shines on bass more than he has ever done before. This acts as the perfect opener to the album, as well as the best choice of the tunes that I have heard so far as the first single. The ending of the song, including the false ones, lead perfectly into the rest of what should be a fantastic album.

"You Only Live Once": This is the song that I have been waiting for The Strokes to come out with since, well....forever. To tell the truth, I did not even know that this was what I wanted until I heard it. Many people may disagree with me, but to me, this may be the strongest song that they have ever put out. The Strokes have never been ones to hide their influences, and on this one, I hear one that I never really considered before. The Cars come out so beautifully in this song, but it maintains the lo-fi quality that have come to be The Strokes' raison d'etre. I have never heard Julian's voice do what it does here...sound clear and actually hit something that could be considered a note. This also is one of the first times that I have ever heard them make an entrance into what can be called meaningful lyrics, whicomplimenttnt what may be the strongest melody that they have put out to date. This song has been on repeat on my iPOD, as well as in my head, for weeks (considering that I started drunkenly writing this post on Nov. 11, this is a good thing), and may be my favorite single, if it is released as such, of the year. True greatness.

"On the Other Side": This really isn't very strong. The lyrics are pretty inane, and the "I hate them all" lines are worthless. Once again the bass comes out in this song more than on the 2 previous albums. This song ends well though, with Jules hitting melodies again. Nothing really special here.

"Razor Blade": OK, this one really not that amazing either, but I can see this song definitely growing on me after a while. This song kind of starts out like a New Pornographers song, until the singing comes in that is. Then they go right back to the old style Television type of song that made them popular in the first place, but something is different. It could be the John Mellancamp type lyrics that kind of make themselves evident in the song, kind of Jack and Diane-ish at one point. Jules does something cool at the end, singing exactly along with the guitar riff, kind of unexpected. Over all an OK song.

"15 Minutes of Pain": This song definitely starts out like it should be the last track of the album, it sounds like something that could progress into an anthem of sorts, a sing-along. After about two minutes or so, one can see this as a recapitulation of the album, speeding up through a transition that one knows will lead to a huge finish, kind of like a coda. This assumes that the album is ordered following sonata form. This song fits right into any groups album, just perfectly done. The lyrics seem to have some sort of questioning in them, whether or not this album and the group will be accepted after this album, after so much prior success.

That is the real question, will this album add to the legacy that they seem to have already cemented? Does it hold up against "Last Nite" and "Someday?" I don't want to say yet, especially after only hearing 5 songs. I was one of few who liked "Room on Fire" better than "Is this It" anyways, so what do I know? All I do know is that I can't wait to hear the rest, and to see them live again. I feel like a giddy 8-year old.