The Strokes
Is This It
Jason Landry, contributor
The Soundwaves Vinyl of the Week is none other than Is This It by The Strokes.
I remember first hearing this band on my favorite Boston alternative radio station WFNX back in the fall of 2001. This debut album struck a chord with many people including myself. It was gritty, not over-produced but tight, and this band could simply play. It was banging around the same time as another one of my favorite bands with a similar modus operandi, The White Stripes.
The Stokes wrote about their personal experiences in New York City, their relationships, and the like. Songs including “Last Night”, “Someday”, and “Hard To Explain” were instant radio hits, catchy, and were on constant rotation. Influenced by bands like The Doors, Velvet Underground, Iggy Pop, The Pixies and The Talking Heads, they seemed to figure out a way to understand the past while creating music that was uniquely the future.
The album cover caused quite a stir on its release as being too sexually explicit and was quickly replaced in the U.S. Remember, that was 2001 folks, now-a-days you can get away with a little bare ass here and there.
Is This It became a platinum-selling influential alt-rock album for its infusion and interplay of their dual guitar low-budget sound. Many critics have named Is This It as being one of the best alternative rock albums ever made. This band and album went on to influence many bands in its wake including Franz Ferdinand, The Killers, Arctic Monkeys, The Vaccines, and Kings of Leon.