The Strokes “First Impressions of Earth”
RCA
“First Impressions of Earth” is not the best Strokes
album by any stretch of the imagination. It lacks the fine-tuned
polish of “Room on Fire” and the tossed-off vibe that
made “Is This it” a modern classic.
Instead, “First Impressions” is the musical
equivalent of smashing the first two albums with a sledgehammer,
tossing the remains in a blender and serving the result at a New
York bar to a cadre of horrified scenesters in vintage Television
shirts.
Thanks to new producer David Kahne (Sugar Ray, Sublime),
“First Impressions” literally has a different sound
from the Strokes’ previous albums. Whereas the first two
relied heavily on vocal filters to give singer Julian
Casablancas’ voice a more muddied sound, “First
Impressions” uses them noticeably less. Instead, Casablancas
relies more on his own raw power.
As a result, songs are delivered with more urgency and it
appears that Casablancas’ demeanor has undergone a complete
180 from the days of “Last Nite,” and he actually
appears to care about what he’s singing ““ at least for
a few tracks.
This newfound vitality is nowhere more apparent than in the
album’s first single, “Juicebox,” notable mostly
for the initial reaction ““ “wait … this is a Strokes
song?”
“Juicebox” utilizes a lightning-quick (by Strokes
standards) bass line and lots of outright screaming by Casablancas,
exhibiting more soft-loud-soft volume shifts than a Pixies
record.
If the listener is unaware that “Juicebox” is a
Strokes song, it’s a fairly unremarkable tune. Yet with this
knowledge the song becomes fascinating, simply due to its departure
from their previous releases.
In fact, a lot of the wacky sounds on this album recall the
’90s lo-fi heros of Pavement: snarky vocals, white noise and
plucky riffs. For a band seemingly married to Velvet Underground
and Television comparisons, this is a big change.
Take for example the track “Ask Me Anything,” which
consists solely of Casablancas’ vocals over a keyboard and
synthesizer manipulated to sound like a string section.
Casablancas’ monotonous lyrics (he must say “I’ve
got nothing to say” at least three dozen times) mesh
perfectly with the minimal-sounding production, creating a hypnotic
effect.
Another highlight comes in “Evening Sun,” a track
that does sound strangely like Pavement. It has guitars that recall
“Brighten the Corners” and an alternately lackadaisical
and shrill delivery by Casablancas before the song finishes in a
sea of reverb.
The theme of the album appears to be Casablancas admitting his
faults and mistakes, and some songs seem to drive this message
forward, and little else. They don’t really go anywhere,
unlike “On the Other Side,” whose sometimes-repetitive
lyrics acquit themselves with catchy riffs and beats.
“Killing Lies” and “Fear of Sleep” are good
examples of this.
According to Spin, during the recording of “First
Impressions,” one producer cried because he felt that the
Strokes were “hurting” their music.
For some, this reaction will seem appropriate ““ many fans
of the Strokes’ previous albums will be turned off by what
they hear on this one.
At its best, the album shows the directions in which the band is
capable of going, while at its worst it sounds like the Strokes are
almost parodying themselves.
However, in spite of the album’s flaws and the fact that
many of the songs are intriguing musical choices rather than good
songs, it’s refreshing to see a band with so much on the line
risking it all.
“First Impressions of Earth” does not exceed its
predecessors in quality by any means. It does, however, outclass
both in risk-taking and imagination. And that has to count for
something.
““ Mark Humphrey