The Strokes
The Strokes are an American rock band formed in New York City in 1998. The band is composed of lead singer and primary songwriter Julian Casablancas, guitarists Nick Valensi and Albert Hammond Jr., bassist Nikolai Fraiture, and drummer Fabrizio Moretti. They were a leading group of the early-2000s post-punk revival and garage rock revival movements.
The Strokes
The release of their debut EP The Modern Age in early 2001 sparked a bidding war among major labels, with the band eventually signing to RCA Records. That summer, they released their debut album, Is This It, to widespread critical acclaim and strong sales. It has since appeared on numerous "best album" lists. It was followed by Room on Fire (2003) and First Impressions of Earth (2006), both of which sold well but failed to match Is This It in immediate critical success, despite positive reviews nonetheless.
Following a five-year hiatus, they released Angles (2011) and Comedown Machine (2013) to generally positive receptions but dwindling sales. Following the end of their initial contract with RCA, they released the Future Present Past EP (2016) through Casablancas' label Cult. The band were relatively inactive throughout the decade, making infrequent live appearances and directing most media attention to individual projects.
In 2020, they released their first studio album in seven years, The New Abnormal, produced by Rick Rubin and released through Cult and RCA. The album received highly positive reviews and was considered a return to form by critics. It went on to win Best Rock Album at the 63rd Annual Grammy Awards.[1]
Musical style[edit]
The band's sound has been described as indie rock,[88][89][90] garage rock revival,[91] and post-punk revival[92] by media outlets. The band also incorporated new wave and synth-pop on later records like Angles[93] and The New Abnormal.[94] Casablancas has cited the Doors as an inspiration for him to start a music career,[95] and Lou Reed of the Velvet Underground as a major influence on his lyrics and singing style: "The way Lou Reed wrote and sang about drugs and sex, about the people around him – it was so matter-of-fact," Casablancas stated in a Rolling Stone interview, "Reed could be romantic in the way he portrayed these crazy situations, but he was also intensely real. It was poetry and journalism." Additionally, he has stated that Bob Marley,[96] Nirvana and Pearl Jam are major influences on his work, the latter being the reason that he started making music after hearing the song "Yellow Ledbetter".[97]
Legacy and influence[edit]
The Strokes' debut album Is This It was named number one album of the year by NME and number two by Rolling Stone; it earned The Strokes tremendous respect across various artists in the alternative music scene.[98] The lead singer of LCD Soundsystem, James Murphy, has said, "Is This It was my record of the decade."[98] The album won Best International Album in 2002, nominated by NME, and the ASCAP College Vanguard Award. Brandon Flowers of the Killers told NME that he felt "depressed" after hearing The Strokes' album Is This It. "That record just sounded so perfect", he said. "We threw away everything [we were working on] and the only song that made the cut and remained was "Mr. Brightside"'.[99]
The Strokes have been said to be, "as influential to their era as the Velvet Underground or the Ramones were to theirs", by Lizzy Goodman in her book on the New York City music scene, claiming that, "almost every artist I interviewed for this book – from all over the world – said it was The Strokes that opened the door for them."[100] The band was named Band of the Year in 2002 by Spin and have heavily influenced bands like the Killers, Arctic Monkeys, and Franz Ferdinand. Alex Turner, lead singer of Arctic Monkeys, sang "I just wanted to be one of The Strokes" in their 2018 song 'Star Treatment'.[101][98]
