The Misguided Strokes of Genius

Pardon the pun, but whatever happened to The Strokes?

Cast your mind back ten years to 2001 when an album was released by an unknown New York band called The Strokes. The album was called ‘Is This It’ and it has to be said – was one of the finest debuts I’ve ever heard. I still listen to it today as it’s still that good

The Strokes had it all, good looks, celebrity girlfriends, style and most of all – they could play! They could really play! The chord structure alone on their songs were superb (I should know as we cover a version of ‘Last Nite’)

Is This It created a new wave of cool across the music world and everyone wanted a piece of The Strokes. Sad thing, they did! Implosion (probably caused by drugs, alcohol and other excesses that go with the rock star life style that they became so fond of) happened and the sad, predictable spiral out of control came like a bolt!

Now, take the clock forward from 2001 ten years and another three albums later to 2011 and The Strokes have released ‘Angels’, and it has to be said here, it’s a pretty tame effort

But, The Strokes have done what they have done with all three albums that have followed ‘Is This It’ with ‘Room on Fire’, ‘First Impressions of Earth’ and ‘Angels’ – they have released a killer single before releasing a pretty drab album.

Take Whatever Happened off Room on Fire, You Only Live Once off First Impressions of Earth and, the latest song Under cover of Darkness off Angels -= they are all very very impressive songs!

Maybe it’s a marketing ploy (as I have previously Blogged about) by were their management have pushed them for one superb single, release that, wet the appetites of their adoring public, guarantee pre-orders into the millions and release a shit album.

All of this equals one thing of course = money in the bank followed by a tour that contains a selection of their earlier (better) hits to appease their fans at their gigs.

To be honest, this really does (if it’s true or course) disappoint me as, without making them appear like Nobel Peace Prize nominees here, I thought The Strokes possess integrity and intellect and most of all – they cared about what they released

Seems I’m wrong as the evidence is in the selection of album fillers the band have released since Is This It

A quite appropriately named album if there ever was such a thing

Mol