The Strokes

Is This It:
After all the hype has faded, all the coverage gone, this album still stands. It certainly isn't the album some claimed it to be, but it certainly isn't bad, mediocre, or average by any sense of the word. The guitars aren't clashing, but rather taking turns. The vocals half-sung, but Julian isn't trying to be Reed. No, this band is its own  creation, and they aren't the saviors of rock. But that's also because rock was never dead or dying. There isn't a single weak song in the bunch, and "Last Nite" is a a modern I-don't-give-a-shit-what-you-think type of anthem. Well crafted song structures, catchy lyrics, and guitar hooks that are bound to be remembered 20 years from now. They aren't re-inventing the wheel, and they aren't trying to. Ignore the hype, and just listen to the fucking thing. A-

Room on Fire:
For further proof they aren't trying to ape the Velvets, the longest song on the album clocks in at a whopping 3 minutes and 41 seconds (the rather good "Reptilia"), and there is no radical departure from their sound. Doesn't mean it's a bad album, and it's rather catchy most of the time. But I'd take the debut any day of the week. And if possible, spend your $10+ dollars elsewhere, as you barely get 33 minutes of material here. B

First Impressions of Earth:
A few good tracks here, nothing special, nothing here not found better on their previous two efforts. C+