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thebowerypresents · 9 months

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The Strokes Get Nostalgic at Forest Hills Stadium on Saturday

The Strokes – Forest Hills Stadium – August 19, 2023

It’s hard to tell if it was a fake-out or not. Julian Casablancas, early into the Strokes’ set on Saturday night in Queens, was singing the praises of our “fair metropolis” (his words, sort of) and said it would be “a great place to end it all.” Granted I’d been (lovingly) duped one set earlier. Angel Olsen, the soulful North Carolina folk-rock goddess, had already pulled a typically goofy bait and switch: “I’ve been so inspired,” she said, adding that her travels drove her to write a new song just a night earlier. “You guys know it, right?” she asked her bandmates. They smiled and launched into “Shut Up Kiss Me” (My Woman, 2016), the torch-rock banger that largely put her on the mainstream map.

So back to Casablancas: I nervously laughed, we moved on. How couldn’t we? The night was genuinely perfect, created-in-a-lab perfect for the Strokes’ much-anticipated hometown show — and their second of only two in the U.S. this year. “Sorry to talk about the weather,” he deadpanned at one point. (He bantered often and oddly, as is canon for him.)

The crowd was huge, every other fan sporting merch, new and old. They erupted from the first notes of “Is This It,” the set opener and title track off their first LP turned rock standard. But the crowd lost it from every first note of every song. Why wouldn’t we? The boys are near mascots to legions of elder millennials, having soundtracked a good portion of their impressionable alt-rock youths. The hits hit: “Someday,” “Reptilia,” “Meet Me in the Bathroom.” And the newer tracks landed, too, “Ode to the Mets” (The New Abnormal, 2020) in particular. Casablancas’s voice — that pitched-down and notable blend of New Wave crooner and Jim Morrison — and Albert Hammond Jr.’s singular rhythm guitar work are still, impressively, it to me.

The return of “Modern Girls & Old Fashion Men” — the Strokes’ 2004 single with Regina Spektor — was among many special moments. “It only took 20 years but look who showed up,” said Casablancas as she took the stage to join him, the crowd roaring. Another incredible surprise: For the first time in 17 years, they played “15 Minutes,” off First Impressions of Earth (2006), a low-key favorite of mine with something of a too-long-at-the-pub vibe. By the encore’s end, and after a deeply fun, singable night of nostalgia to the face, we were back at the beginning, with the frontman’s original tease — although it sounded a bit different this time. “This might be our last show in New York,” he said. The crowd booed, the music began and “Last Nite” hypnotized everyone into briefly not caring whether he was bluffing. A dangler of an end but a blast nonetheless. —Rachel Brody | @RachelCBrody

Photos courtesy of Dana Distortion | distortionpix.com

#Albert Hammond Jr.#Angel Olsen #Dana Distortion #Fabrizio Moretti #First Impressions of Earth #Forest Hills Stadium #Jim Morrison #Julian Casablancas #My Woman #Nick Valensi #Nilolai Fraiture #Photos #Rachel Brody #Regina Spektor #Review #Strokes #The New Abnormal

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aleasesrestaurant · 10 months

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#flickerstick #josh dodes band #albert hammond jr #bokante #korpiklaani #music #music review #i love music

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mxdwn · 10 months

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ALBUM REVIEW: Albert Hammond Jr - Melodies on Hiatus

#album review #albert hammond jr #melodies on hiatus

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dreaming-about-the-lions · 5 years

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2018 In Music.

Let’s wrap up another fantastic year of music!

My favorite albums that were released this year are, in no certain order:

God’s Favorite Customer by Father John Misty

Dying Star by Ruston Kelly

Francis Trouble by Albert Hammond, Jr.

isaac gracie by Isaac Gracie

Beyondless by Iceage

Virtue by The Voidz

Swell by Tiny Moving Parts

Pray for the Wicked by Panic! At The Disco

Sweetener by Ariana Grande

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corporatemagsstillsuck · 6 years

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The Strokes- Blender- 2003

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dougwallen · 6 years

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Albert Hammond Jr review for The Australian

#Albert Hammond Jr #album review #The Australian #The Strokes #music

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messias-indeciso · 7 years

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Resenha: The Strokes - Is This It (2001)

Em 2001 a mídia focava seus holofotes numa banda desajeitada que pra eles iriam “salvar o rock”. O primeiro EP (com apenas 3 músicas de produção caseira) deixou os críticos em estado de alerta para o que estava por vir. O Strokes conseguiu toda a atenção pois eles conseguiram fundir elementos de bandas como Ramones, Velvet Underground, e o pior ruído do Television, misturados ao downstroke das guitarras de Albert Hammond e Nick Valensi, a apática voz de Julian Casablancas, ao imóvel Nikolai Fraiture que é o novo John Entwistle e ao ritmo de Fab Moretti que é o cigarro com café da banda.

Esse álbum foi lançado numa época fantasmagórica onde não existia mais o grunge, o punk revival estava virando pop e o new metal era moda, época conhecida como os anos 2000. O álbum serviu de partida para o Indie Rock, que com o tempo se concretizou como um verdadeiro clichê. Esse é o Is This It.

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howaminotinthestrokesyet · 3 years

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Behind The Album: First Impressions of Earth

In January 2006, the Strokes released their third studio album via RCA Records. The release was completed over a 10 month period the previous year with producer David Kahne, who previously worked with artists like the Outfield, Sublime, Paul McCartney, and Tony Bennett. Initially, the band had the intention of continuing to work with producer Gordon Raphael, while Kahne would be brought in to collaborate with him on the record. Many looked upon this album as the band’s attempt to achieve commercial success in the mainstream because so many of their contemporaries had surpassed them in terms of record sales. Quite a few critics would look upon the decision to hire Kahne as their producer as a move to almost make the public forget about Room on Fire. For the most part, that album is seen as a classic today, but a large percentage of people believed that it sounded too much like their debut album. The overriding criticism was that they made the same album twice. For this project, the band wanted to make sure that they did something completely different. Fab Moretti would say, “This is like our second second album. It’s our chance to be born again.” The Strokes envisioned themselves in terms of success like the Killers and White Stripes. They were no longer content to be in the same tier of bands like Franz Ferdinand, Jet, Interpol, and the Yeah Yeah Yeahs. Nick Valensi would comment, “It sucks when you’re supposedly this almost mainstream band, and K-Rock is playing your song, and you’re really excited, but then Foo Fighters come on and they sound massive and you sound tiny. There were many conversations along the lines of, “I think our songs are better than ‘Mr. Brightside’ by the Killers, but how come that’s the one everybody’s listening to? They recorded it a different way. They promoted it a different way. We could be that big!” Such a statement might seem a bit arrogant, but the Strokes had a right to say such things as they were seen as quite influential in the development of many of those bands. Alex Turner of Arctic Monkeys would talk about that lasting influence in an interview. “To be honest, The Strokes were really a big deal for us. That was a gateway to a lot of other music for me. There is always that one band that comes along when you are 14 or 15 years old that manages to hit you in just the right way and changes your whole perception of things. I don’t know what band is doing that for kids right now.” Band members really saw Kahne as a man that could open up their commercial potential. The decision to have Raphael and Kahne collaborate with each other presented issues almost immediately. Both men offer up different accounts of those early sessions. Gordon would say this of the arrangement. “Julian, I don’t really like this scene. I want to go.” And he said, “Please stay.” “Why? I’m not doing anything.” “Well, because if you leave, we’re going to fire Dave Kahne because we don’t know how to talk to him. But we think he’s onto something with our sound, and we need you to stay in case we need you to explain what we mean.” Kahne had a much different account of how things actually occurred at that time. “[The band] had been making demos [with Raphael] and they were sounding like something they didn’t like. Julian is so detailed, you can end up working on a high-hat sound for four hours, which is maddening. So I think Gordon wanted help. We did a couple of songs together over about two months.” Eventually, Casablancas would dismiss Raphael when he felt a bit more comfortable talking to Kahne. Prior to the release of the album, the former would make this prophetic statement about the record and his dismissal. “They wanted this record to be really serious and big and pro. They think that’s what held them back in America.”

The first single for the record “Juicebox” would be leaked in October 2005, almost 3 months ahead of its scheduled release. This sent RCA records scrambling to shoot a music video that would eventually air in November of that year. The song could be downloaded immediately, but the CD single would not be available until December. The reaction to the single from fans was that it sounded nothing like the Strokes whatsoever, while the song itself did not have any redeeming qualities. A second song would leak “You Only Live Once,” which fared much better, remaining one of their best tracks ever. Three more songs would leak including “Razor Blade,” “The Other Side,” and “15 Minutes of Pain.” This led many to question what was actually going on within that record studio that the songs were being leaked one after the other. The decision to pursue more commercial success really worked for the first week as the record debuted at number one in the UK and number four in the United States. Unfortunately, this brief success did not last; sales for the album went off a cliff almost immediately. Music chart analyst Chris Molanphy would make this observation about such early success. “Initial sales of an album, particularly a blockbuster, are a referendum on the public’s feelings about the act’s prior album, not the current one.” Nick Valensi would talk about one of his big worries about releasing a more polished album as they did with First Impressions of Earth. “My worry is that the album won’t age well. You know how you listen to certain albums from the ’90s and they just sound so ’90s? That’s the problem in going with state-of-the-art, cutting-edge technology. The top of the line shit always gets dated because there’s another trick that comes out in a couple of years.” For the most part, he was quite correct in this assessment, but one must also qualify it with the fact that some of their best tracks ever appeared on this album. One of the things that really hurt this record in quite an ironic sense is that now fans wanted their album to be Room on Fire.

The mixed reactions of critics upon the album being released did not help the sales of it in any way. Heather Faris of Allmusic would label it as the band's weakest album. Drowned in Sound would have this to say about the record. “Cast away the politics and the last twenty minutes and you'll still be left with two or three top tunes to add to your daily playlists, but it was never going to be ground-breaking or innovative." Paste would give it a score of six out of 10. “By the time they're through brandishing quotations, The Strokes don't have much of their own to say here." Popmatters gave it an even lower score with a five out of 10. “While it might be easy to point to the industry guy behind the boards, the album speaks for itself, and the Strokes managed to write a flop all by themselves." Not all the reviews were so negative as Will Hermes of Entertainment Weekly said that the release was actually an improvement over Room on Fire. Play Louder gave it the best score with 4.5 stars out of five in their review. “Turns out what the world was waiting for really was those that saved guitars finally making a record that truly reaped the rewards of their efforts." Retrospectively, the harshest critics of the album turned out to be the Strokes themselves. Nobody really liked it as time passed. Julian Casablancas thought the production was much too slick in trying to hide how weird the music was throughout the album. Albert Hammond Jr. thought that much of the sound on record seemed too heavy. One of the other legacies of First Impressions of Earth was that it started to show major cracks in the relationships between band members. They would not make another studio album for seven years illustrating the tension and hard journey of recording it. Everything changed after this album as each member began to work on their own projects, as well as starting families throughout the next few years. The Strokes indeed got older, and they were no longer that gang from 2001. Nikolai Fraiture would later say about the record. “The certain thing that makes bands great — the communication, the focus — was starting to recede.” 10 years after the recording of the LP, Casablancas would say in an interview. “A band is a great way to destroy a friendship.”

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experiencia123 · 4 years

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Cenas 123

HeadLiner On the Moon é uma rubrica de análise de trabalhos discográficos elaborada por João Tavares do blogue Man On the Moon no qual são originalmente publicadas. Nesta parceria os álbuns lançados nas últimas semanas terão um olhar sempre atento e uma audição sempre sagaz!

Já chegou aos escaparates ‘The New Abnormal’ o tão anunciado sucessor de ‘Comedown Machine’, um álbum com atitude e cheio de melodias rock com riffs imparáveis, que em dois mil e treze colocou os The Strokes de Julian Casablancas, Nick Valensi, Nikolai Fraiture, Albert Hammond Jr. e Fabrizio Moretti novamente no caminho certo rumo ao pódio do indie rock e ao espantoso legado sonoro que ajudaram a criar a partir do longínquo ano de dois mil e um com o memorável Is This It.

‘The New Abnormal’ é o sexto disco deste coletivo nova iorquino ainda fundamental no universo musical indie punk rock e tem um alinhamento de nove canções, produzido por Rick Rubin e com a chancela da Cult Records.

Imagem de apresentação da performance ao vivo para o dia 11 de Julho no NOS Alive

‘The New Abnormal’ solidifica e tipifica com ainda maior clareza a filosofia interpretativa deste projeto nova iorquino que depois de ter começado a carreira com um formato sonoro claramente balizado, foi apalpando terreno noutros espetros, atingindo o auge dessas derivas no festim sintético que banhou ‘Angles’ há já quase uma década. A partir daí, nomeadamente em ‘Comedown Machine’, este projeto que é dos melhores do mundo a trabalhar em estúdio, voltou a fazer marcha atrás, algo que se saúda porque os The Strokes estão, sem dúvida, mais confortáveis a explorar os recantos obscuros de uma relação que se deseja que não seja sempre pacífica entre a mágica tríade instrumental que compõe o arsenal de grande parte dos projetos inseridos nesta miríade sonora, o baixo, a guitarra e a bateria.

‘The New Abnormal’ tem, então, esta espécie de dupla identidade, porque além de culminar com elevado esplendor um regresso ao punk rock como trave mestra da maioria das composições do disco, aquele rock mais enérgico, direto e incisivo a que nos habituámos no dealbar deste século e que nomes tão influentes com os Franz Ferdinand, Radio 4, LCD Soundsystem ou The Rapture repicaram com astúcia, permite que este modus operandi seja adornado por uma mescla entre a típica eletrónica underground nova iorquina e o colorido neon pop dos anos oitenta.

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“At The Door”, o primeiro single de ‘The New Abnormal’

“Brooklyn Bridge To Chorus”, uma composição que carrega no seu dorso melódico e instrumental a melhor herança do glam rock oitocentista, espelhado num sintetizador retro bastante incisivo, nostálgico e que casa bem com a voz de Casablancas, que, já agora, em todo o disco volta a evidenciar elasticidade e a capacidade de reproduzir diferentes registos e dessa forma atingir um elevado plano performativo, é, talvez, o melhor exemplo do álbum desta duplicidade. No entanto, “Bad Decisions”, um exuberante tratado de indie rock, festivo, luminoso e dançante, mais consentâneo com a herança do grupo, já que assenta no famoso efeito metálico metálico das guitarras, que é uma imagem de marca inconfundível dos The Strokes, a faustosa ode aquele experimentalismo psicadélico luminoso que conduz “Why Are Sundays So Depressing” e, em “Selfless”, o irresistível swing da guitarra que no refrão se torna particularmente buliçoso ao resvalar para um riff épico e de maior exaltação, são também instantes cativantes, joviais e harmonicamente exemplares do alinhamento e que carimbam com maturidade, força e honestidade esta revisão e enriquecimento de todo um percurso de duas décadas.

Já a batida sintética abrasiva e o baixo imponente que desfilam pela insinuante “The Adults Are Talking”, assim como “At The Door”, uma longa canção, algo anormal nos The Strokes, assente numa melodia sintetizada de forte cariz retro, são a outra face mais visível desta moeda chamada ‘The New Abnormal’, repleta de sons, tiques e detalhes disponíveis para a descoberta em audições sucessivas, um álbum que ensina que nunca é tarde para recomeçar e que os anos podem passar por uma banda, mas o seu espírito pode manter-se amplamente jovial e criativo. É esta, de certo modo, a melhor descrição que se pode fazer destes renovados The Strokes como entidade.

Espero que aprecies a sugestão…

Capa do álbum ‘The New Abnormal’ Tracklist:

The Adults Are Talking

Selfless

Brooklyn Bridge To Chorus

Bad Decisions

Eternal Summer

At The Door

Why Are Sundays So Depressing

Not The Same Anymore

Ode To The Mets

Avaliação pelo HeadLiner:

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

(7 numa escala máxima de 10)

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Review escrita por João Tavares.

### Autor do blogue Man On The Moon no qual publica, desde 2008, análises bem pertinentes às bandas e artistas mais interessantes do momento. Sem dúvida uma das leituras mais aconselháveis sobre música indie e alternativa em português de Portugal. ### Outras análises musicais em: stipe07.blogs.sapo.pt/

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#fixed on top

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headlinerportugal · 4 years

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The Strokes – ‘The New Abnormal’ | HeadLiner On The Moon #3

Imagem de apresentação da performance ao vivo para o dia 11 de Julho no NOS Alive

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“At The Door”, o primeiro single de ‘The New Abnormal’

Espero que aprecies a sugestão...

Capa do álbum ‘The New Abnormal’ Tracklist:

The Adults Are Talking

Selfless

Brooklyn Bridge To Chorus

Bad Decisions

Eternal Summer

At The Door

Why Are Sundays So Depressing

Not The Same Anymore

Ode To The Mets

Avaliação pelo HeadLiner: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

(7 numa escala máxima de 10)

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Review escrita por João Tavares.

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#headlineronthemoon #TheStrokes #TheNewAbnormal

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musicgoonmail · 4 years

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Some Things Never Change

Feature Article: How to Rejoice in Suffering

I featured heavier articles this month, and this week was How to Rejoice in Suffering. I give 3 reasons from Romans 5. We can rejoice in our suffering because God is good, and sovereign over all of our circumstances.

I delivered my Children's Worship sermon on How to Give Thanks in All Circumstances to my 11th and 12th grade Sunday School class in the form of a special lesson. This Thanksgiving holiday, I hope you can find your rest in Christ. In every scenario, situation, and circumstance - he is God and he is good.

Bulwark Ministries: Sunday Tapes

Our Sunday Tapes setlist included Psalm 62 (My Soul Finds Rest), Lord From Sorrows Deep I Call, and Psalm 23 (Surely Goodness, Surely Mercy). Our Lord’s Supper song was My Faith Has Found A Resting Place. Our offering song was Yet Not I But Through Christ In Me (special thanks to Aaron Ma for the video). You can also step into our rehearsal for fun.

This was our first time playing My Faith Has Found A Resting Place in the Sunday service. I've been singing this song for a long time with the church youth and I think it's time to test it out. I plan to sing it again in December for Lord's Supper, but next time we'll try it with only the strings and maybe piano. I hope to record it sometime next year as an original song for Bulwark Ministries.

SoundWords Podcast: LiveJournal with Hannah Chao

In our latest episode, I spoke with SOLA Editor Hannah Chao about Soojin Park’s article A Letter to My Complementarian Brothers, what it takes for an article to become popular, Hannah’s older articles, and what God has been teaching us this month. I believe it's a bit more focused than my previous podcasts with Hannah. I wanted to center our conversation around her writing and editing background and I think it's a good common ground for us as we move forward with more episodes.

It has been interesting to see how this podcast has changed over time. First, it was a solo podcast for me to just get comfortable speaking. Next, I brought in my worship leading friends so we could talk shop about music. Now, it's a way for Hannah and me to talk about SOLA and the work we're doing together. I do want to bring back my worship leading friends, but I need to find the right production schedule balance. I'm excited to see where the podcast will take us next.

Book Review: Impossible Commands

How can I obey Christ completely when his commands seem so impossible? This review was for The Good Book company, and it was a solid read. The Good Book Company sent me two copies of this book, so I'll be using my extra copy to run a giveaway sometime soon.

Book Review: Adorning the Dark

An excellent book on being an artist and the mystery of making. It was a fun review to write since it was a book on art. This is the book I am going to recommend to artists who are interested in growing in God. I believe this one was my favorite from B&H publishing this year.

Bible Review: Manuscripts' The Gospels

I contacted Manuscripts on Instagram and was pleasantly surprised to receive these for a special review. I have been wanting a gospel set for quite some time and this is the perfect gift. I really do recommend this for a Christmas present for you or your loved ones.

Extended Play

We watched Frozen II over the weekend. Jess thought it was scary, but I enjoyed it. The music is more like a musical, and I think Idina Menzel and Kristen Bell are singing better than before. The pop versions of the character songs are pretty fun. I like Kacey Musgraves' voice, Weezer is perfect, and Brendon Urie's voice is ridiculous.

Food: Ox Tail Soup for Thanksgiving

Movie: Frozen II

TV: Bizaardvark on Disney+

Book: Grace to the City - Studies in the Gospel from China

Article: English as the Anchor - An Interview with Pastor Albert Ting

Song: Some Things Never Change from Frozen II

Coming Soon

In December, my blog will feature articles that revolve around the Christmas themes of light, babies, and stories. My feature article next week is Let Your Light Shine. I shared some of it in a previous newsletter and decided to turn it into a short article. It is a quick addendum for They Do All Their Deeds to be Seen By Others. I'll share more book reviews next week and they will all be for The Good Book Company.

I have acoustic versions of My King Has Crushed The Curse Of Death to share soon, and you can expect a new track from my band, Earth to Jupiter, around New Year's.

Weekly Review

SOLA: Korean Baptists Partner with IMB to Advance Gospel Work, 9 Things I've Learned in 9 Years Of Theological Education, Book and Bible reviews, and Is It Sinful to Watch Sin on a Screen?

Thank God it's Friday: Carly Rae Jepsen: Tiny Desk Concert, Yet Not I But Christ Through Me, Panic! at the Disco – “Into the Unknown” Video, and Is It Sinful to Watch Sin on a Screen?

Bulwark Ministries: Sunday Tapes

SoundWords Podcast: LiveJournal with Hannah Chao

Bible Review: Manuscripts' The Gospels

Book Review: Adorning the Dark

Book Review: Impossible Commands

Feature Article: How to Rejoice in Suffering

Recommended Reading: There Are No Extraordinary Means, The Digital Revolution Reformation, Albert Hammond Jr. of the Strokes on Being in a Band With Staying Power, and AirPods Pro is just the start of Apple’s audio-processing revolution.

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corporatemagsstillsuck · 7 years

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The Strokes- New York Magazine- 2003

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rockdadca · 5 years

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Review: The Strokes at Budweiser Stage

Band: The Strokes

Venue: Budweiser Stage (formerly the Molson Amphitheatre)

Date: May 20, 2019

At a time when rock's greatest had let us down, a band of overprivileged, bored misfits from New York saved rock & roll from its ever-eminent demise. Between 2001 and early 2007, The Strokes dominated the indie rock revolution with a string of solid albums that channelled the angst all jean-wearing rockers — young and old — felt at the time.

In 2006, they stopped in Toronto twice to play Ricoh Coliseum in April and Olympic Island in September. Fourteen years since their last show in The Six, they finally returned to kick off the shamelessly corporate Budweiser Stage Opening Night 2019: a celebration of overpriced canned piss (with a dash of rice, for the Bud cicerones out there).

The Strokes are known for their dry and ironic sense of humour and only waited one song to point out Budweiser's shameless and excessive obsession with their lame beer. But I am getting ahead of myself here...let me back up to a warm day in March.

When The Strokes announced their return to Toronto back in March, I knew this was a show I had to drag my wife out to. See, rushing to put the kids down, driving through suburbia into a poorly-planned city to stand for three hours while draining our life-long savings on shitty beer isn't her idea of fun. But. There is a but...The Strokes are her favourite band. So, we did it.

And sure, before the show started, she swore this would be her last concert ever (The opening band didn't help my case. ROMES sound like the birthchild of the Jonas Brothers and Maroon 5). Thankfully, a few notes shredded by the stylish Albert Hammond Jr. and a glimpse of Julian Casablancas' awkward mullet was all it took to change her entire outlook on life.

Allow me to tell you all about it.

Bright 80's-TV-inspired pixels on a giant screen lit up to introduce the night's featured musicians: Julian Casablancas, Albert Hammond Jr., Fabrizio Moretti, Nick Valensi and Nikolai Fraiture performing as "The Strokes." Very quickly the retro screen was replaced by even brighter strobe lights, and the explosive riffs of "Heart in a Cage" overloaded the speakers of the ageing venue.

The first five songs would have been enough to allow the casual fan to die happy. Typically a song reserved for the encore, "You Only Live Once" was the second song of the night. That was followed by "Ize of the World," "The Modern Age," and "Hard to Explain."

Speaking of which, I do find it hard to explain why the next song on the setlist ("Happy Ending") was the one everyone chose to go to the bathroom when the one that followed was..."Meet Me In The Bathroom." One would have thunk that the lyrics of the latter would prompt the beer drinkers to run to the bushes.

The trend of hits (sprinkled with a dash of rarities and a cover) continued. Standouts included the anthemic "What Ever Happened?," "Reptilia" (first time played in 5 years) and of course, "Last Nite."

Let's backtrack a little. Earlier in the show, Julian told the story of their experience at the Raptors game the night before. As Nikolai, Fab and Nick were Instagramming pictures of themselves enjoying the jaw-clenching game of ball, Julian was assuring Albert that the last five minutes of any basketball game are the only ones that matter. But when they showed up to the Scotiabank Are three minutes before the game ended, security reprimanded their tardiness by not allowing them in.

Julian dedicated "New York City Cops" to those security guards.

I only bring this up to illustrate the sort of banter that intertwined in the performance. Awkwardly delivered critiques of corporate greed (Budweiser! Get the hint!) and stories of misguided assumptions about basketball balanced the near-perfect delivery of the nineteen songs.

I may have also decided to bring it up to insert my own rent-a-cop story. Security was more relaxed than usual at the venue (or perhaps they were busy managing the first cannabis-friendly show at Budweiser Stage), so instead of hearing about the show second-hand from our general admission section at the very back of the venue, we enjoyed it from the comfort of a nook closer to the stage. In the past, that sort of defiance would result in constant requests from security to return to the back. But last nite they didn't say anything.

The crowd was what you would expect from almost any Toronto show, apologetically enthusiastic — frozen at times. But this time they had an excuse to be frozen, as the temperatures were nearing the ungodly range that night.

The encore was short but dance-worthy: "Is This It" and "Someday."

And with a sky glittering with fireworks, Marissa and I held hands as we walked a thousand miles to the car, reflecting on my wife's self-proclaimed last show on earth (until Belle and Sebastian in the summer. She forgot about that one.). In my opinion, the night was perfect. Well worth the $150.

Setlist

Heart in a Cage

You Only Live Once

Ize of the World

The Modern Age

Hard to Explain

Happy Ending

Meet Me in the Bathroom

I Can't Win

On the Other Side

Reptilia

New York City Cops

What Ever Happened?

12:51

A Little Respect (Cover)

Razorblade

Soma

Last Nite

Is This It

Someday

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jenksy · 5 years

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Best of 2018 a.k.a. Give me your tired, your poor, your female solo artists and frontwomen

I usually seem to find an accidental theme in my listening habits over the course of a calendar year. In what may best be described as a precarious couple of years for women's rights in the United States (and, of course, much of the world), female musicians have certainly been making their voices heard. Art tends to reflect the political climate of the day, and the "Me Too" movement that began toward the end of 2017 made its way into music studios in 2018. Whether it's as subtle as a punch in the face with lyrics, like Courtney Barnett ("I wanna walk through the park in the dark/ Men are scared that women will laugh at them/ I wanna walk through the park in the dark/ Women are scared that men will kill them" - "Nameless, Faceless") or simply the fact that more women are writing and recording their own music, it's clear that current events have laid the groundwork for a feminist revolution in entertainment, and while this might not be surprising, as the arts obviously tend to swing left, we can only hope this trend continues into other areas of society. Clearly, my accidental theme for 2018 was Female Singer/Songwriters & Bands. By my count, 33 of my Top 50 albums were written and recorded by female solo artists or bands with women in them. But before I get to the list, I'm starting with what has become one of my favourite traditions of the last few years- Calling out an album that I had high expectations for but which completely disappointed me. The Most Disappointing Album of 2018 Jack White - Boarding House Reach I love Jack White, from the White Stripes to the Raconteurs to his solo work... but this album was not good. Pick a genre, dude. I usually include some of my favourite EPs, etc. at the beginning of my list, but there were so many this year that I gave them their own post. Click here if you missed it. Top 50 50. I'm With Her - See You Around "Game To Lose" 49. Alkaline Trio - Is This Thing Cursed? "Blackbird" 48. Poliça and s t a r g a z e - Music for the Long Emergency "Fake Like" 47. Eels - The Deconstruction "Today Is The Day" 46. We Hate You Please Die - Kids Are Lo-Fi "Melancholic Rain" 45. Rainbow Kitten Surprise - How to: Friend, Love, Freefall "Mission to Mars" 44. The Voidz - Virtue "All Wordz Are Made Up" 43. The Magic Numbers - Outsiders "Sing Me A Rebel Song" 42. St. Paul & The Broken Bones - Young Sick Camellia "Apollo" 41. The Fratellis - In Your Own Sweet Time "Starcrossed Losers" 40. Black Joe Lewis & The Honeybears- The Difference Between Me and You "Culture Vulture" 39. The Midnight - Kids "America 2" 38. Miss World - Keeping Up With Miss World "Diet Coke Head" 37. Middle Kids - Lost Friends "Please" 36. The Joy Formidable - Aaarth "Cicada (Land On Your Back)" 35. Our Girl - Stranger Today "Being Around" 34. Sunflower Bean - Twentytwo in Blue "I Was A Fool" 33. Thunderpussy - Thunderpussy "Speed Queen" 32. Gaz Coombes - World's Strongest Man "Wounded Egos" 31. Gunship - Dark All Day "Dark All Day" 30. Caroline Rose - Loner "Soul No. 5" 29. Franz Ferdinand - Always Ascending "Huck and Jim" 28. Skating Polly - The Make it All Show "Long Ride" 27. Albert Hammond Jr. - Francis Trouble "Harder, Harder, Harder" 26. Lake Street Dive - Free Yourself Up "Doesn't Even Matter Now" 25. Kurt Vile - Bottle It In "Bassackwards" 24. Parker Millsap - Other Arrangements "Other Arrangements" 23. Liza Anne - Fine But Dying "Panic Attack" 22. Wye Oak - The Louder I Call, The Faster it Runs "It Was Not Natural" 21. Arctic Monkeys - Tranquility Base Hotel + Casino "Four Out of Five" 20. Death Cab for Cutie - Thank You for Today "I Dreamt We Spoke Again" "Summer Years" 19. Beach House - 7 "Black Car" "Dark Spring" 18. U.S. Girls - In a Poem Unlimited "Pearly Gates" "M.A.H." 17. Anna Burch - Quit the Curse "Asking 4 a Friend" "With You Every Day" 16. Lucy Dacus - Historian "Night Shift" "Yours & Mine" 15. Superorganism - Superorganism NPR Tiny Desk Concert: "The Prawn Song," "Night Time," and "Something for Your M.I.N.D." 14. Dream Wife - Dream Wife "Let's Make Out" "Fire" 13. Now, Now - Saved "Drive" "SGL" 12. Gregory Alan Isakov - Evening Machines "San Luis" "Dark, Dark, Dark" 11. Soccer Mommy - Clean "Your Dog" "Wildflowers" 10. Mitski - Be the Cowboy "Lonesome Love" "Me and My Husband" 9. CHVRCHES - Love is Dead "Graffiti" "Graves" 8. Tancred - Nightstand "Reviews" "Something Else" 7. Snail Mail - Lush "Pristine" "Heat Wave" 6. Courtney Barnett - Tell Me How You Really Feel "Nameless, Faceless" "Need A Little Time" 5. The Beths - Future Me Hates Me "Little Death" "Not Running" "Happy Unhappy" 4. Slothrust - The Pact "Double Down" "Birthday Cake" "For Robin" 3. Metric - Art of Doubt "Now or Never Now" "Underline the Black" "Risk" 2. Tash Sultana - Flow State "Cigarettes" "Seven" "Mystik" 1. Screaming Females - All at Once "I'll Make You Sorry" "Soft Domination" "Step Outside"

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howaminotinthestrokesyet · 3 years

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Behind The Album: Angles

The fourth studio album by the Strokes was released in March 2011 via RCA Records. The band had been on hiatus since the end of their tour for promotion of First Impressions of Earth. The group had actually recorded 18 demos for the record before they even entered the studio. In 2009, every member except for Julian Casablancas went to start the project with producer Joe Chiccarelli. A couple of things became immediately evident during those initial sessions. First, their new producer’s quiet style of working did not impress them, while at the same time the absence of Casablanca’s really caused a rift. The only track to emerge from these early sessions was “Life is Simple in the Moonlight.” Nick Valensi talked about why this set up never worked from the beginning. "I won’t do the next album if we make it like this. No way. It was awful– just awful. Working in a fractured way, not having a singer there. I’d show up certain days and do guitar takes by myself, just me and the engineer." He would also say that the singer had merely emailed all of his vocals separately to the band with absolutely no directions on how to proceed making it even more difficult. Casablancas decided to do things this way in order to give the rest of the members of the band room to offer their own input. He would tell Pitchfork, “When I'm there, people might wait for me to say something. I think it took me being a little mute to force the initiative.” He was trying to give up a bit of control over how the albums were recorded, which represented something very unique to a lot of popular bands. For the most part, the lead singer does not usually wish to let go of any control. This process began major growing pains for the band trying to completely restructure the way they record their albums. Many reported that the entire LP had been created from start to finish without the singer, but those reports have been untrue. The entire group sat in the same room to write all of the songs on the release. As Casablancas would later explain, “The funny thing about Angles is there was all that weird talk about recording it separately. We just had dinner in L.A. and we were all talking about it. And they forget that we sat in a room in a studio and were writing songs forever. That's where we did the whole record. All the parts, the songs, in a room, together. We recorded them with two mics, and that was the foundation, and then we were going to go track the official recording. That's when they went and recorded stuff, and when the 'Julian wasn't there,' BS or whatever [started]. That was just because logistically, we'd never done a record like that.” Another issue that hindered those early sessions came in the fact that Albert Hammond Jr. was struggling with drug problems and a breakup causing him to miss some of those early sessions. All of the tracks would be eventually completely reworked with Gus Oberg at Albert Hammond’s studio in upstate New York. The unique aspect about the producer's work with the Strokes came in the fact that he also set up their sound for each date on the tour promoting the release.

The music on Angles was described by Nikolai Fraiture as a “return to basics.” He would say that he thought it sounded a lot like their debut record Is This It. “Sonically, I feel it's the album which should have been made between Room on Fire and First Impressions of Earth.” In contrast to those early records, the group began to fully experiment with different production techniques like the use of MIDI’s. The previous two records had used a very minimal style with Gordon Raphael. Despite wanting to use MIDI technology, the band never liked the way that it sounded, so instead recorded each part by itself, while at the same time adding more keyboards. They also utilized many more guitar pedals than at any other time. During the tracking sessions, producer Oberg re-recorded them onto a tape machine before transferring them back to digital. The reason for this move was that by doing so the sound seemed much more analog before mixing began. Other new techniques included overdubbing guitars, more backing vocals, double tracking, and louder harmonies. The most notable example of this on the record is probably best represented by “Undercover of Darkness.”

Most critics thought the album illustrated a good return to form for the band. Unfortunately, the retrospective reviews that happened a few years later did not look upon the album as kindly. At the time, Rolling Stone’s David Fricke found a lot to like about the album. The “first step away from the sound of their instant-classic debut. Instead of the rigid purity of 'Is This It,' the new album nods to the more expansive sound of the Velvet Underground's 1970 record, Loaded." New Musical Express would say that the album “did live up to its name.” Time would call it a “10 song exercise in rock precision.” A more realistic and honest comment on the LP came from Entertainment Weekly calling it “accordingly fractured and often inscrutable, but (with) returns to form." As other writers looked back on the release a few years later the consistent comment about the album was it seemed very uneven and there existed an overwhelming lack of coherence to the record as a whole. Such a perspective connects quite well to the narrative that the Strokes embodied a lot of dysfunction at the time. The band had wanted to work with producer Rick Rubin on this project, but he declined after listening to the demos they had sent him. He would eventually work with the band on The New Abnormal. Commercially, Angles would reach number four on the US charts, while becoming the band’s first number one release in the country of Australia. By 2012, the album had sold 213,000 copies.

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the-toxic-radio · 7 years

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Julian Casablancas in the Media

Julian Casablancas is the frontman of the rock band The Strokes and Julian Casablancas + the Voidz. He is also the founder of New York record label Cult Records, a label committed to bridging the gap between old and new pop music ideas.

In 2001, The Strokes represented a rebirth of ‘cool’. The Strokes’ nu-retro brand of guitar rock cut through the overproduced, overcooked musical stylings of radio-rock like Nickelback, and stale alternative rock bands like Creed, and Limp Bizkit. The Strokes, led by Casablancas, bore the torch for of rock and roll at the start of the 21st century, followed by like minded bands such as The White Stripes, and the Yeah Yeah Yeahs. The Strokes represented the new rock movement, and Casablancas was its leader.

Julian Casablancas is my favourite musician, and The Strokes are the band which ignited my passion for music to begin with. To me he represents a number of dichotomous ideas: He is carefree, but passionate. Sexy, yet ugly. Strong and resolute, yet fragile and sensitive. Cool, but goofy. Casablancas is many things to me, but at the end of the day I respect him most for being the musician who wrote a bunch of my favourite songs.

Julian Casablancas was born into a life of comfort, being the son of Jeanette Christensen, who was Miss Denmark in 1965 and John Casablancas, founder of modeling agency ‘Elite Model Management. Despite his relatively privileged upbringing, Casablancas fell into alcoholism at an extremely young age, and was sent to a private boarding school in Switzerland called Institut Le Rosey, the most expensive school in the entire world.

It was there that he met Albert Hammond Jr., who would later become one of two guitarists of The Strokes. The two became close friends, and returned together to New York to recruit the remaining future Strokes members.

Starting out in the NYC club scene, The Strokes evoked an older style of New York cool epitomised by Lou Reed (a musician Casablancas has, and will always be compared to in the media), The Ramones and other musicians of their ilk. Casablancas, with his leather jacket, and side swept, greasy hair, embodied an outdated idea of New York grit. At least, this is how the media portrayed him.

Prior to releasing their 2001 debut album, ‘Is This It?’, The Strokes were hailed as the saviours of rock by excitable rock mags like Rolling Stone and NME and were riding an immense wave of hype in the United States and United Kingdom. The Strokes had gained a reputation for their good looks, cool clothes, and care free attitude, but little was known about their music other than what was gathered from hype-inflected editorials. The truth is, The Strokes had reached their peak popularity before anyone had even heard any of their songs.

Is This It? Was eventually released to rave reviews, and for a short while The Strokes lived up to the hype, but record sales and radio coverage was relatively low. Eventually, The Strokes’ would be surpassed in popularity by scene contemporaries like The White Stripes and The Killers, but their influence on guitar music had already been felt.

In 2017, guitar music has faded into the background as hip-hop and radio friendly pop continue to take the limelight, and in this climate, it’s hard to say exactly what Casablancas represents. In recent years, he has worked closely with his record label Cult Records as a platform for exposing acts which he considers important, or deserving of more popularity. He also used the label to release his Julian Casablancas + The Voidz project, titled ‘Tyranny’, an abrasive, acid-trip into 80s-style glitched out Black Flag inspired punk, and world music influences. The Voidz points toward a more politically conscious Casablancas in today’s day and age, also reflected by the emphasis on political discussion found on the Cult Records website, an area where Casablancas shares articles on topics he finds relevant and important either socially or politically.

The main lense through which we see Julian Casablancas is through his music. He is media shy, perhaps exacerbated by alcohol issues, and when making comment his words are often meandrous and quizzical, as if he is thinking aloud something he hasn’t worked out how to say yet.

There’s a perceptible intelligence behind his responses though, he clearly puts thought and consideration into everything he does, and is by all accounts an absolutely astute believer in ‘the details’, however we still get a clearer image of him through his music, than we do through his words.

Barring the scattershot experimentalism of The Voidz, everything Julian Casablancas touches is imbued with a mathematical precision. The Strokes sound is built off of angular, duelling guitars, and an almost inhumanly accurate rhythm section. Gordon Raphael producer of ‘Is This It?’ has gone on record describing the painfully drawn out recording sessions of the album, citing a specific occasion when Casablancas demanded they spend hours and hours finding a specific ride cymbal sound, and the tension of working closely with a perfectionist in that situation.

It’s been widely reported that during The Strokes’ early years Casablancas ran the show with an iron fist. I believe that the majority of the comments on this topic are fuelled by a lack of information. I believe Casablancas was the band leader and driving force behind the band, but moreso, he wrote the entire album, every instrument and every lyric.

The idea of Casablancas as a dictatorial band leader pervaded throughout the band’s career. Around the release of their 2011 record ‘Angles’, an album which broke a five year hiatus for the band, a time peppered with various solo albums and spin-off acts. Upon ‘Angles’’ release, the media picked apart claims that the band had recorded the album from different states, exchanging ideas and song parts via email. It was widely discussed that this was in part due to Casablancas being unwilling, or unhappy with having to act collaboratively, harkening back to the same criticisms made of him a decade earlier.

On the lead single from Angles, ‘Under Cover of Darkness’, Casablancas woes that “I’ve been out around this town, everybody’s been singing the same song for ten years”. At the time, as a huge Strokes fan, it was nearly impossible to hear that lyric and not relate it to the media hype that has always surrounded the band. Almost everything written about The Strokes from 2001, til 2011 would touch upon their world-breaking climb to fame, the pressures of following up a seminal debut, and the fractures of the band that may or may not have resulted as a consequence.

The Strokes, it seems, do not have a great deal of control over their media image a lot of the time, but it also seems like they don’t really care. Following the release of their latest album, 2013’s ‘Comedown Machine’, The Strokes had finally relieved themselves of their longstanding five album record deal with label RCA. This, coupled with the fact that the band did absolutely zero marketing or press for the record, and the (true) rumours that Casablancas was starting a new band, and simply that the album was titled ‘Comedown Machine’ led many to believe that the record signalled the end for the band.

For ‘Comedown Machine’, The Strokes didn’t even elect to use any cover art, the album is simply a red square with ‘RCA’ written in huge letters, and ‘The Strokes’ written in smaller letters beneath. I believe that the circumstances and way the album was delivered, indicates the band’s intent to let the music stand for itself, an attempt to separate art from artist and hype from genuine enthusiasm. The album, and it’s art (or lack of), could also be seen as a vaguely passive aggressive parting shot at RCA, which many critics have suggested, due to the public, and longstanding mistrust between Casablancas and label executives.

It’s for this reason I believe The Strokes decided to release their latest music, a three song EP titled ‘Future. Present. Past.’ on Casablancas’ own label, Cult Records. There, The Strokes would have the freedom to release their music at their own pace, in their own style, in whatever fashion they please. ‘Future. Present. Past.’ is, as a Strokes fan, a tantalisingly suggestive title. And sure enough, the three tracks present in the EP do seem to sonically point toward their possible future, their current state, and their past selves. The EP serves as a document of The Strokes’ career so far, and the potential future as well. The EP is a good example of The Strokes taking control of their image for once, and telling their own narrative - even if it’s an easily consumed, media friendly one.

Throughout my research on Casablancas recently, and throughout my life, my opinion on him has morphed continuously as I learn more about him, and consume more of his art. I believe the media’s portrayal of Casablancas sometimes obscures his true character, often opting to either idealise, or demonise him. The Strokes always suffered from being overhyped, but Casablancas and Co. always simply focused on what really mattered: the music. I believe Julian Casablancas’ impact on pop, and guitar music will be felt for many years to come, and his Cult Record label will continue to influence the ever evolving tastes of modern audiences.

#The Strokes #Julian Casablancas #Music #garage rock #indie rock #RCA

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