Is This It

Artist: The Strokes
Label: Bmg/RCA
Category: Music

Average customer rating:

Format: Import
Media: Audio CD
Number Of Discs: 1
EAN: 5050294107621
ASIN: B00005N53P

Release Date: 2001-08-30

Is This It

Related Categories:

General

| Alternative Rock | Styles | Music

General

Garage Rock

Indie Rock

| Indie & Lo-Fi | Alternative Rock | Styles | Music

General

| Rock | Styles | Music

Pop Rock

| Pop | Styles | Music

Alternative Rock

| Imports | Stores | Music

Rock

| Imports | Stores | Music

Tracks:

Is This It
Modern Age
Soma
Barely Legal
Someday
Alone, Together
Last Nite
Hard to Explain
New York City Cops
Trying Your Luck
Take It or Leave It

Similar Items:

First Impressions of Earth
Room on Fire
The White Stripes
Alright, Still
White Blood Cells

Album Details

The Artwork is Completely Different from the Us Version. They Sound Like Many New York Bands Before them (I.e. Velvet Underground, Television, Talking Heads, Even the Ramones), but the Upshot is that They have Fused all of the above and More to Create a Fresh New Sound that is Sorely Lacking in Today's Pop Market. With their Combined Good Looks and Attitude, They Appear to have all the Elements of a Major Force Sweeping the World.

Customer Reviews:

Boring.......2005-08-22

I'd heard a few Strokes songs on the radio, including Last Nite, and had filed them away mentally as a band to check out at some point, probably when i could pick up some of their stuff discounted or second-hand. Finally, a few days ago, i got around to buying Is This It at my local discount music store. I haven't been so disappointed since listening to Interpol's Antics. Both bands have been hyped out of all proportion to their talent.
One of the other reasons I was interested in checking out The Strokes is that i've seen them compared to the Velvet Underground, a band i love dearly. Frankly, i don't think the comparsion is valid. At times, the vocalist does sound superficially like Lou Reed, and occasionally there's a bit of guitar work that recalls Sterling Morrison, but these moments are fleeting, and the similarity doesn't go all that deep. Comparisons i've read here with other NY bands such as Sonic Youth, Television and The Ramones are even less justified.

Perhaps their next record is better - i haven't heard most of it - but Is This It is one to bypass. There's a sameness to most of the songs and it just gets boring after a while. Admittedly Last Nite is a catchy single, but its way better than anything else on the album. I really tried to give this a fair go - i listened to it several times, but just don't see what the fuss is about. i suspect their success so far is based largely on record company support (ie they've been nominated as the 'next big thing'). Don't believe the hype...

Is this it?.......2004-12-26

Media hype follows the Strokes like a hungry dog. But with its classic punk-inspired uptown-grit rock, it's undeniable that while they aren't exactly the saviors of rock'n'roll, they are a solid and enjoyable chunk of it. "Is This It" offers the answer to its own drawled question.

A pounding rhythm and several variations of the question "Is this it?" kick off the title track, a swaying rock melody. Following it are a catchy, gritty collection of lo-fi rockers. The uniquely-named Julian Casablancas drones in a delicious monotone through the fast-moving "Barely Legal," the uneasy "Leave Me Alone," the deceptively simple-sounding "Last Night," and the skipping percussion of "Hard to Explain."

Due to the lavish praise heaped on the Strokes, they've become a love-'em-or-hate-'em phenomena. They're obviously influenced by the legendary Velvet Underground, Stooges and Television, but with a twenty-first century twist of New Yorker ennui and art-rock underpinnings.

Nick Valensi and Albert Hammond's complex guitar riffs are the gems of this album -- they drone, they skip, they reverberate, and they sear. Nikolai Fraiture's bass is a good dark edge, and Fabrizo Moretti's drumming sounds like little strikes of lighting -- fast, sharp and out of the blue. They have plenty of energy and fire, never letting their instrumentation lag.

Julian Casablancas has now become the reference point for male singers who sing in a bored monotone, as if they are too jaded to show emotion in a song. The only time he breaks out of it is in "Barely Legal," where he almost sounds excited at times. "I wanna steal your innocence/To me my life it don't make sense," he says, and sounds like he means it.

This much you can see: The Strokes are far from being the saviors of rock'n'roll. But their punk-tinged New Yawker rock is still some pretty good music, and "Is This It" remains a likable if spotty debut.

New York City Cops.......2003-11-26

New York City Cops and When It Started (US release) are the same song.

Oh boy , i was soooo wrong ..........2003-11-26

Now look into my eyes and believe me : "Is This It" is one of the 100 greatest albums of all time , and one really close from being at the top of the list , right between Marquee Moon and White Light/White Heat !
Rarely in my life have I seen such a brilliant record , with absolutly no flaw and a truly unique sound . Yes my dear fellows , I said , like , "a truly unique sound" . "Is This It" is commonly known as the godfather of Rock'n Roll revival , but there is absolutly no way you could compare it to the likes of The Vines or The White Stripes . The Strokes sounds like the 70's , yet nothing in the 70's sounds like The Strokes . Casablancas sings like Lou Reed on The Modern Age ? SO WHAT ?
WAKE UP GUYS ! When critics compare The Strokes to The Velvet Underground or Television , what they truly mean is just that The Strokes belongs to the same kind of small and arty underground bands !
And that is exactly why I HATED The Strokes at first glance . When I heard everyone talking about a "revolution" , I thought The Strokes were the Nirvana of the 00's and thus was really disapointed by those weird and childish songs . It took me two years and a couple of other listenings to understand what "Is This It" was really all about , to understand it wasn't a record that took itself seriously at all and that it was never meant to fill stadiums. The Strokes is exactly the kind of bands you'd enjoy in small , private nightclubs where you can smoke and drink as you wish to fully enjoy the music .

This isn't The Beatles , Led Zeppelin or Nirvana . This is merely one of the greatest albums of all time , and that's good enough for me .

Music Album:

Music Album

Music Album

Music

Collezion Banco: Nudo Live ~ Banco Del Mutuo Soccorso

Music in Motion ~ Jason Marsalis

New Orleans: The Soundtrack ~ Louis Armstrong

Dance Time U.S.A.: 1939-40 ~ Glenn Miller & His Orchestra

Killing Machine ~ Killing Machine

Demons of Hate ~ X-Fusion

How to Ride ~ Daruma San

Archipelago ~ Archipelago

Brazilounge, Vol. 2 ~ Various Artists

Colezo! Unabara Senri Mari ~ Senri Unabara