Throwback Thursday: The Strokes - Is This It

Is This It

The Strokes

Original Release date: 27th August 2001

Available to stream on Spotify - see Spotify player below

The focus of this week's Throwback Thursday is the debut from Indie Rock royalty, The Strokes. 'Is This It' announced The Strokes arrival on the music scene, dripping with attitude and style. Critically it was a huge success. 'Is This It' is repeatedly featured in countdowns and Top 100s. NME made it 'Album of the year' in 2001, beating strong competition from The White Stripes (White Blood Cells), Jay-Z (The Blueprint) and Daft Punk (Discovery). Rolling Stone named it the second best album of the 2000s, beaten only by Radiohead and the magnificent 'Kid A'. Even if you don't read this blog post, you have to listen to 'Is This It'.

'Is This It' was conceived in Transporterraum Studios, New York City. At the time The Strokes didn't have a deal in the USA, but had a principal licensing agreement with Rough Trade in the UK. When you couple this with their partnership with unknown producer Gordon Raphael, producing an album of this calibre and success seems unlikely. The musical arrangements on the album are tight and sound excellent. The lyrics tell of the underbelly of New York and rants of modern life. Julian Casablancas withdrawn vocals add an extra layer of cool to the album.

In 2001, The Strokes were part of a movement which lifted the music industry and Rock music in particular. As you might expect R'n'B dominated the US charts and the music industry in general. Although I referred to The Strokes as Indie Rock, they were part of Post-Punk revival in the early 21st Century. 'Is This It' has all the attributes of Garage Rock, a sub genre of this revival. Stripped down, back-to-basics guitar rock with a 'grungey' edge. Around the same time bands like The White Stripes, The Hives and The Vines all burst onto the scene with popular albums. These bands first rose to fame in the UK, with their success travelling across the Atlantic soon after. The music press claimed this era as the rebirth of Rock music. Other bands soon grew and rode the wave of success. US Bands like The Killers, Kings of Leon and Black Rebel Motorcycle Club all had success, as did UK acts Franz Ferdinand, Bloc Party and the Arctic Monkeys.

However The Strokes have not been afraid to grow and change. Their later albums still have the same cool and slick feel, but they feel more rounded. The vocals in particular have changed, seen particularly on 2013's 'Comedown Machine'. They are still capable of producing great songs. Second album 'Room On Fire' has the classic 'Reptilia', 'First Impressions of Earth' includes the unmistakeable 'Juicebox' with it's incredible bass line, and latest album 'Comedown Machine' has the falsetto inspired 'One Way Trigger'.

When discussing this album, it's impossible to ignore the album cover. The risqué image of photographer Colin Lane's then girlfriend was met with mixed reaction. In the US market it was replaced by a colourful psychedelic inspired cover. As with the album, the cover art has appeared numerous countdowns including the book 'The Greatest Album Covers of All Time'.

The Strokes have all the elements an Indie Rock band needs to be successful and they have proven it over time. Awesome melodies, 'don't give a shit' attitudes and debauched lyrics. With 'Is This It', they gave critics hard-ons, gave music fans something new to follow and gave the music industry a much needed boost. Not bad for a project that started in a basement without funding and a recognised producer.


Key tracks: The Modern Age, Barely Legal, Someday, Last Nite, New York City Cops