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Track List
01) Is This It
02) The Modern Age
03) Soma
04) Barely Legal
05) Someday 
06) Alone, Together
07) Last Nite
08) Hard to Explain
09) When It Started
10) Trying Your Luck
11) Take It or Leave It
01) Is This It
02) The Modern Age
03) Soma
04) Barely Legal
05) Someday
06) Alone, Together
07) Last Nite
08) Hard to Explain
09) When It Started
10) Trying Your Luck
11) Take It or Leave It
2:35
3:32
2:37
3:58
3:07
3:12
3:17
3:48
2:57
3:27
3:16
Data Complete
90%
Total Rating
90%Total Rating
(2 users)
Back Cover
CD Art
3D Case
3D Thumb
3D Flat
3D Face
3D Spine
First Released
2001
Indie
Enlightened
Rock/Pop
---
Medium
Album
0 copies
Album Description
Available in:
Is This It is the debut studio album by American indie rock band The Strokes. Recorded at Transporterraum in New York City with producer Gordon Raphael, the album was first released on July 30, 2001 in Australia, with RCA Records as the primary label. The record entered the UK Albums Chart at number two and peaked at number 33 on the U.S. Billboard 200, going on to achieve platinum status in several markets. "Hard to Explain", "Last Nite", and "Someday" were released as singles.
For the album, The Strokes strived to capture a simple rock sound that was not significantly enhanced in the studio. Building on the work of their 2001 debut EP, The Modern Age, the band members molded compositions largely through live takes during the recording sessions, while songwriter Julian Casablancas continued to detail the lives and relationships of urban youth. Following the completion of Is This It, The Strokes embarked on a promotional world tour before its release. The album's cover photograph courted controversy for being too sexually explicit and was replaced for the U.S. market. The American track listing was also amended in light of the September 11 terrorist attacks.
Promoted by the music press for a melodic pop-influenced sound, The Strokes garnered critical acclaim and commercial attention. Is This It was praised for its charisma and rhythm, which often referenced the works of 1970s garage rock bands. The record is considered crucial in the development of other alternative bands and of the post-millennial music industry. It has featured in several publications' lists of the best albums of the 2000s and of all time.
User Album Review
You have to laugh. Being a New Yorker myself, I can only stand back and snigger when I see the music press proudly proclaiming how amazing New York is suddenly only to watch two weeks later as they then shout "New York? That was so last week - it's Detroit now!" What's going on here? New York has always been chock full of great bands (as has Detroit, by the way) and let's be honest - it's always been a rock and roll town (hip-hop notwithstanding by the way because we all know about that scene!). Now then, let me set the record straight. Just because some music journalist decides that New York is super hip this year does not mean that suddenly tons of great bands just popped up where there were none before. Rudy Gulliani may have clamped down hard on the club scene, but then again putting The Strokes in the same league as club kids at Twilo wouldn't really work now, would it?
But that's all academic.
At the centre of this big mess of NYC coolness are our good friends: The Strokes. Undoubtably, one of the most over-hyped bands of this year, if not the past five. Now I'm someone who firmly believes that where there's smoke, there's usually fire. And where there's fire, I feel it's usually best to have a fire extinguisher in hand, ready to smother any flames of hype before they get too big and begin hurting innocent bystanders.
The problem with the Strokes is that overhyped or not, they really are worthy of great praise. Formed around 1995 or so, they spent a few years playing the tried and tested Manhattan club circuit until finally coming up with a 3 track demo. That demo eventually made it to the offices of Rough Trade, where, well, the rest is history, innit? Everything about the band - from the songwriting (Taking all the best elements of The Stooges, Television and The Velvet Underground not as theft but as influence) to the lyrics ("New York City Cops" - enough said) to the production (as raw and indie as you can get) is just fantastic. There's no real pretence (ok, they're all privileged white kids, but nobody's counting) or ulterior motive. They just do what they do and my God, do they do it well, in this really weird Warhol-esque way.
Listening to Is This It reminds me very much that The Strokes could have been in an episode of Star Trek where Captain Kirk and company find a record that's been transported back from the back shelves of a record store in the early 80s to the future (read: 'Bleeker Bobs' or 'It's Only Rock and Roll' all you newly converted NYC aficionados). Then Kirk turns to Spock and remarks on how it perfectly captures the spirit and sound of the city during that time. That's only logical - that record comes from that time and place, Spock would say.
But The Strokes are not from 1977 or 1981 or 1984. They are from 2001 and that's what makes them so unique. One listen to "Hard to Explain", and I guarantee you'll be singing it in your head for weeks. The same goes for "New York City Cops", "The Modern Age", "Barely Legal"...let's just say the whole damn album, while were at it, shall we? New York has always had a plethora of fantastic rock bands and you simply can't deny that The Stokes are a hell of a great band. Do yourself a favour and forget everything you read. Forget everything that comes out of the bands mouths. Forget you've even heard about them. Just get this CD as if you knew nothing about them, put it on your stereo, turn the volume all the way up and just........ listen. Don't believe the hype - they really are that good.
External Album Reviews
None...
User Comments
Available in:
Is This It is the debut studio album by American indie rock band The Strokes. Recorded at Transporterraum in New York City with producer Gordon Raphael, the album was first released on July 30, 2001 in Australia, with RCA Records as the primary label. The record entered the UK Albums Chart at number two and peaked at number 33 on the U.S. Billboard 200, going on to achieve platinum status in several markets. "Hard to Explain", "Last Nite", and "Someday" were released as singles.
For the album, The Strokes strived to capture a simple rock sound that was not significantly enhanced in the studio. Building on the work of their 2001 debut EP, The Modern Age, the band members molded compositions largely through live takes during the recording sessions, while songwriter Julian Casablancas continued to detail the lives and relationships of urban youth. Following the completion of Is This It, The Strokes embarked on a promotional world tour before its release. The album's cover photograph courted controversy for being too sexually explicit and was replaced for the U.S. market. The American track listing was also amended in light of the September 11 terrorist attacks.
Promoted by the music press for a melodic pop-influenced sound, The Strokes garnered critical acclaim and commercial attention. Is This It was praised for its charisma and rhythm, which often referenced the works of 1970s garage rock bands. The record is considered crucial in the development of other alternative bands and of the post-millennial music industry. It has featured in several publications' lists of the best albums of the 2000s and of all time.
User Album Review
You have to laugh. Being a New Yorker myself, I can only stand back and snigger when I see the music press proudly proclaiming how amazing New York is suddenly only to watch two weeks later as they then shout "New York? That was so last week - it's Detroit now!" What's going on here? New York has always been chock full of great bands (as has Detroit, by the way) and let's be honest - it's always been a rock and roll town (hip-hop notwithstanding by the way because we all know about that scene!). Now then, let me set the record straight. Just because some music journalist decides that New York is super hip this year does not mean that suddenly tons of great bands just popped up where there were none before. Rudy Gulliani may have clamped down hard on the club scene, but then again putting The Strokes in the same league as club kids at Twilo wouldn't really work now, would it?
But that's all academic.
At the centre of this big mess of NYC coolness are our good friends: The Strokes. Undoubtably, one of the most over-hyped bands of this year, if not the past five. Now I'm someone who firmly believes that where there's smoke, there's usually fire. And where there's fire, I feel it's usually best to have a fire extinguisher in hand, ready to smother any flames of hype before they get too big and begin hurting innocent bystanders.
The problem with the Strokes is that overhyped or not, they really are worthy of great praise. Formed around 1995 or so, they spent a few years playing the tried and tested Manhattan club circuit until finally coming up with a 3 track demo. That demo eventually made it to the offices of Rough Trade, where, well, the rest is history, innit? Everything about the band - from the songwriting (Taking all the best elements of The Stooges, Television and The Velvet Underground not as theft but as influence) to the lyrics ("New York City Cops" - enough said) to the production (as raw and indie as you can get) is just fantastic. There's no real pretence (ok, they're all privileged white kids, but nobody's counting) or ulterior motive. They just do what they do and my God, do they do it well, in this really weird Warhol-esque way.
Listening to Is This It reminds me very much that The Strokes could have been in an episode of Star Trek where Captain Kirk and company find a record that's been transported back from the back shelves of a record store in the early 80s to the future (read: 'Bleeker Bobs' or 'It's Only Rock and Roll' all you newly converted NYC aficionados). Then Kirk turns to Spock and remarks on how it perfectly captures the spirit and sound of the city during that time. That's only logical - that record comes from that time and place, Spock would say.
But The Strokes are not from 1977 or 1981 or 1984. They are from 2001 and that's what makes them so unique. One listen to "Hard to Explain", and I guarantee you'll be singing it in your head for weeks. The same goes for "New York City Cops", "The Modern Age", "Barely Legal"...let's just say the whole damn album, while were at it, shall we? New York has always had a plethora of fantastic rock bands and you simply can't deny that The Stokes are a hell of a great band. Do yourself a favour and forget everything you read. Forget everything that comes out of the bands mouths. Forget you've even heard about them. Just get this CD as if you knew nothing about them, put it on your stereo, turn the volume all the way up and just........ listen. Don't believe the hype - they really are that good.
External Album Reviews
None...
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