The Strokes - Is This It


THE STROKES
Is This It

Can The Strokes justify all the hype? After listening to this album, you will agree that they easily surpass all of it, and that's a lot of hype. How is this possible? Sure, they're good enough tunes, but give it a few listens and you see that the music and vocals are not trying to be noticed separately - they all have their part to play and are blended so perfectly that nothing is wasted. Check out the pause in the middle of ‘Hard To Explain’ and scratch your head trying to think of something better to put in its place. If there is a gripe, it's that Julian Casablancas' vocals are too low down in the mix, which I think is intentional. It's only thirty minutes long, but is still value for money - it's a lot better than many albums twice its length. Believe the hype, for once.

Chris Stanley

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