There’s a specific time and place that I can remember listening to each of the four albums that changed the trajectory of my musical journey (and honestly probably my whole life). Summer of 2021, I remember being at the family computer and playing some game, listening to “IGOR” by Tyler, the Creator, feeling astonished at what I was hearing. A new world was unlocking for me and I wanted to listen to more albums in full. A few weeks later, within the same day, I listened to “Abbey Road” by the Beatles on my sunroom couch and “The Low End Theory” by A Tribe Called Quest on my bed, having my mind blown by perhaps two of the greatest records ever recorded, back to back. These albums opened my eyes to completely different genres, yet they all set me onto paths I am still exploring today. The fourth record I had actually listened to some time in between “IGOR” and the other two, sitting in my newly finished basement, late at night, tired, and craving new music. This album was of course “Is This It” by The Strokes.
I had been recommended a few songs by The Strokes on YouTube, however, the singer’s voice was harsh and it put me off quite quickly. Yet in that moment, something just compelled me to try and sit with this album. So, that’s what I did. I emptied any expectations and preconceived notions about what I was about to experience and I just let it play. Now this album sits as one of my favorites of all time. In the following weeks, I looped this thing. I vividly recall sitting by my Aunt’s pool, in my sunroom, and in the car playing it. There have even been times throughout the last couple of years when I was listening to this album and I can clearly picture it in my mind. I don’t know if that’s a testament to this project in particular or the power of music in general and its ability to leave its mark on us forever, taking us back in time. Or maybe all of these recollections are just a statement on how important music is to me personally. Aside from the significance that this record has for me, it also had a profound impact on the musical world at large.
“Is This It” is the debut album from New York rock band The Strokes, composed of lead singer and songwriter Julian Casablancas, two guitarists with Nick Valensi and Albert Hammond Jr., drummer Fabrizio Moretti, and bassist Nikolai Fraiture. It was first released on July 30, 2001 by RCA and Rough Trade Records, and came at a time when rock was, to put it bluntly, dying in the modern music scene. The simplicity, composition, and performances from not only this record but the band in general catapulted them into the position of the hottest band in New York at the time. This in turn created a lasting effect on the sound and future of indie rock that would come out throughout the 2000s and 2010s, even still influencing rock bands today. The way all of the recording was done, the iconic vocal style of Julian, the melodic-ness yet raw nature of the tracks, it’s all so unique. With the band setting up in a poorly-lit studio, they hooked up two guitar amps, a drum kit, a bass amp, and a vocal mic to some software and got to work. Julian and Albert had composed most of the parts for this thing and honestly even though it’s a pretty rudimentary rock record in terms of instrumentation, the intricacy of the interlocking guitar parts, the melodic and warm basslines, the crispy drum parts, it all comes together into something extremely impressive. On a track like “Alone, Together,” you have the back and forth from the searing main guitar riff to the chugging chords beneath Julian’s singing eventually coming together, with the descending bass and driving drums pushing the whole thing along from the start. Not to mention the bubbling crescendo into the explosive chorus and probably my favorite guitar solo on the entire tracklist. Or take “The Modern Age” for example. A steady drum beat that sounds like a train, with these off-beat guitar chord hits and eventually this suffocating wall of fuzz that just really scratches my brain, all building into the chorus that feels like letting out a deep breath. The melody of the chorus is also one of my favorites on the whole album, with Julian’s vocals switching from intense in the verses and sweet for the hook. It’s moments like that where I realize why this thing had such an impact on me. There’s something captivating about the way you can create such textured, melodic music from the simplest of instruments.
This level of musicality is maintained from tracks one to eleven. It’s a short album, clocking in at only 35 minutes, yet there’s not a single wasted second. On the opener and title track “Is This It,” the rewind noise that kicks off the album feels like some sort of time travel machine, taking the listener to wherever and whenever this album is to them, leading right into the reflective song, with its vintage sounding riff and somber chorus. The dueling guitar riffs on “Soma” make it one of the most satisfying tracks, combined with a very sassy delivery and pretty… suggestive lyrics, culminating in Julian’s growly outburst at the end of the song to cap it all off. “Someday,” one of the band’s most popular songs ever, primarily relies on the use of shimmery chords and has a very nostalgic feeling. The entire song, with Julian kind of describing “the good old days,” feels like someone looking back to a summer in which they were having the time of their life, and questioning where it all went. Another hit off of the album, “Last Nite,” has an iconic, cinematic build-up into the brash shout of “LAST NIIIIGHT, she saaaiiiddd…” and is the most straightforward storytelling track, with Julian reflecting on an argument occurring the night before. It’s important to understand that lyricism isn’t the primary focus here. In all honesty, the themes of this record are quite straightforward. Most tracks are about city life as a young adult. They focus on ideas like promiscuous relationships and coming-of-age type stories. Again, it’s simplistic but it just works so well. It’s catchy, and at times it’s moving. The moody and intense “Trying Your Luck” encapsulates the feelings of confusion when two people are chasing after the same person. Julian sings “I’ve lost my page again” in what I think is the most powerful chorus on the whole record, as the plucky bass and fuzz-drenched guitars sync up. Both “Barely Legal” and “Hard to Explain” are pretty fluid tracks, with metronomic chords and infectious choruses, and both utilize this cool compression on the drums to make them sound like a drum machine, even though they were played live.
Quickly I should touch on Julian’s vocals, why I hated them at first, and why I absolutely love them now, even though I understand that they are quite rough. To put it simply, I hadn’t grown accustomed to different types of vocal styles. I just hadn’t listened to enough music yet. Hearing his singing and its megaphone-esque distortion was just something I needed to get used to. But as time has gone on, it makes the record feel so authentic, a little jagged, and emotive. I can understand why someone might not enjoy his delivery, but to me, it’s what gives the album such a distinct personality. And ultimately, that’s what this album represents to me: time and how music affects it. This can be taken literally in terms of the album’s sound, the way it pulls from many eras of rock, and the general nostalgic feel of the music. In general, though, it also means how music “decorates time” and brings our mind to different memories. Or, as shown with my thoughts on Julian’s vocals, time can allow us to develop our perception of music as well. This album has become so essential to me. All the “time” stuff is just my weird thoughts, but objectively I feel like this album is a good example of how much can be built off of the simplest of instruments and recording methods. Sometimes, the most impressive things are when the most basic tools are shaped into something grand. Do I think this album is anything groundbreaking? No, not really. But, I do think this album is exactly what it needs to be. It’s short, fun, well put together, musically pleasing, lyrically simple, and it has influenced over two decades’ worth of rock music.
