whytheworldneedsthestrokes

Okay, well the world is by nature a fucked up place, and there are many more important issues to discuss than the state of music today, but you know, we who have it better than others need amusement. Not just amusement, but some hope. Some great music to groove on, and adore, and play on our guitars, and listen to over and over again to feel a little bit better about ourselves. As Albert Hammond Jr. would say, â?œsome music with balls, man!â?? This music wonâ?™t save the world. Thatâ?™s not the purpose. But, it will make us all feel a tiny bit more like everythingâ?™s not lost. That there is fun to be had, and people to look up to, just because theyâ?™re so damn cool, and we may never get to be that damn cool. Well there are such bands around all of the sudden that can actually make us feel that sheer joy that is great rock nâ?™ roll. This isnâ?™t a puff pieceâ?¦ NME has those covered where The Strokes are concerned; this is
an honest series of opinions coming from a fan of truly good music. I mean reallyâ?¦ my all-time favorite band is, and always will be Led Zeppelin. So there, seeâ?¦ I have a pretty good sense of what good music is. So without further ado, I give you my thoughts on The Strokes, and good music in generalâ?¦

For a while there it looked as if true rock was dead. I knew the revival would come soon enough, but I really didnâ?™t know how it would happen. The first album I heard in a while that made me really excited about music to come was critical sweetheart, â?˜Kid Aâ?™ by those damn great brit lads, Radiohead. Sure they werenâ?™t new. They had already released three albums, one of which is considered great, one more than great, and although the bandâ?™s style had evolved into something much different, and perhaps not so good at
first hearing, it came at a time when we rockers needed a lift. It didnâ?™t matter that it wasnâ?™t traditional rock, all that mattered was the fact that it was fucking amazing. Radiohead basically put themselves on the map as a classic band. Even if they never make another album, they will still be hailed as musical geniuses. They made two back to back five star albums. â?˜OK Computerâ?™ will never get tired, even after being played frequently for five years. The essence of the tunes are just undeniable. I feel the same way about â?˜Kid Aâ?™. Hell, â?˜Amnesiacâ?™ was pretty damn good as well. I think the reason that one flew under the radar a bit is because it didnâ?™t up the ante. But we still have Radiohead, and I for one am damn sure looking forward to the next offering. Oh, and their live show is the best Iâ?™ve ever seen, but I donâ?™t want to go off on a rant.

So we had Radiohead, and for a while we had At the Drive-In. We had Queens of the Stone Age, A Perfect Circle, Coldplay, and new and satisfying albums from Tool, PJ Harvey, and Pearljam. There was Le Tigre, Idlewild, Grandaddy, Sigur Ros, Badly Drawn Boy, Doves, and The Glands. The rock scene was definitely improving, slowly but surely.

However, as pleased as I was that rock was becoming cool again, I honestly didnâ?™t much feel like listening to new stuff. I was bored with it all for a while. I used to be the rebellious, slightly depressed youth trying to figure shit out by listening to dark, heavy stuff like Marilyn Manson, Nine Inch Nails, and Korn. All of the sudden I had grown out of all that, and I didnâ?™t quite know what to do. So, I retreated to my basement room, and played all the music I grew up listening toâ?¦ classic rock. Particularly The Doors, The Beatles, The Who, Led Zeppelin, David Bowie, and The Rolling Stones. After that I started listening to classic punkâ?¦ The Ramones, Sex Pistols, The Clash, and their predecessors, Iggy and the Stooges, and The Velvet Underground. It was so satisfying to be in that element again. I wondered why I hadnâ?™t gone back to my roots in the first place. I even started listening to my Dadâ?™s blues collectionâ?¦ Robert Johnson, Ledbelly, and Blind Willie McTell. I listened to Johnny Cash, Benny Goodman, and Bob Marley. How pleasing it was! It still is, of course. When all else fails, go to the classics. They never fail you.

I think itâ?™s rather interesting that I chose the last couple of years to do all this musical history journeying into the past, because now Iâ?™m into a scene that reflects all of that. The return to what we all love most about rock nâ?™ rollâ?¦ The sound, the style, the attitude, the fucking balls, man! The principal of learning from the masters is in full effect at this point in time. We arenâ?™t hearing anything which is truly new and innovative, but we are hearing quality song-writing, and raw aggression on top of catchy melodies. The batch of bands which seem to be producing the best sounds right now could definitely be described as throw-backs. Theyâ?™ll all say: â?˜No, no, no. Weâ?™re new, man. Donâ?™t call us seventies. Weâ?™re taking that and making it modern.â?™ Whatever, man. You sound old-school. So fucking what? Itâ?™s a great sound! I love that sound! We all love that fucking sound! Even the videos all have a retro quality to them, whether they incorporate trippy animated elements or not. I am talking about bands like The Hives, White Stripes,
Clinic, Toilet Boys, Black Rebel Motorcycle Club, and of course, The Strokes. And thus it becomes a scene. I hate to put it that way, but hey thatâ?™s how it goes. Iâ?™m fucking glad we have a cool genre coming up again. You know, we may not lead our favorite bands to platinum sales, or arena tours, but we will be loyal, and supportive all the way. And besides, weâ?™re more appreciated by the bands. Theyâ?™re nicer to us, than main-stream asshole superstars are to their fans. I know for a fact.

Okay, so maybe youâ?™re reading this and thinking: â?˜Isnâ?™t this stupid essay called something the Strokes, something? Where is she going with this?â?™Thatâ?™s a good fucking question. Well, see I became quite taken with The Strokes last year, ever since I first downloaded â?œHard to Explainâ?? after reading a brief article about the guys in a magazine. This was before â?˜Is This Itâ?™ was
released in the U.S. I just loved it. I didnâ?™t even know the band had cute guys in it. I didnâ?™t really care. I was just astounded at the sound. I then downloaded â?œNew York City Copsâ??, and I knew that I was going to buy that album. And of course I did. After a few listens of the entire record, I was hooked. I began investigating all about The Strokes on-line. I read every article, looked at every picture, joined all the goddamn groups! I was surprised at the level of fandom I felt for this band. Iâ?™m 19! I shouldnâ?™t be doing any of this girly bullshit anymore, but here I am. I havenâ?™t truly felt so connected to a new band since I was like 14. I guess when something
that good came along, I just ran with itâ?¦ far far away.

Iâ?™m not about to pretend like their looks, and their age donâ?™t add to the giddiness I feel about their music. It actually has a lot to do with it. Thatâ?™s the honest truth. If these guys were either unattractive, or old they would lose a huge amount of their appeal. The fact that they are pretty nice to look at increases not only the amount of girls, and gay boys who what to sleep with them, but also the depth of peopleâ?™s reaction to their sound. Itâ?™s stupid, but true. Think about itâ?¦ Itâ?™s either: 'Heâ?™s a great guitar player, listen to that solo,â?™ or â?˜Heâ?™s so hot! His guitar playing is so good! He looks so hot when he does that solo!â?™ Does it make sense? Maybe not, but I swear it is unfortunately a big factor. A friend of mine once said, describing some random bandâ?¦ â?œThey donâ?™t even have a hot guitar player? Damn! I feel sorry for them. They suck!â?? I laughed and laughed, but you know I thought it was fucked up. And I am by no means saying rock stars have to be attractive (I love the Ramones), but you know it helps. Sometimes we create a hotness in people just cuz they play their instruments so well. Like Jimmy Page, Thom Yorke, and Keith Moon. I probably wouldnâ?™t think Julian looks that amazing if he didnâ?™t write such great songs, and have a certain style. All â?™m saying is that it adds to the layers, you know? Okay, nowâ?¦ the age thing, well it should be obvious. Thereâ?™s nothing more appealing than a group of hopeful young artists who are close to your age, and at the start of their careers. It means you can relate to them easily (most of the time), and you can look forward to hearing a lot more for years to come.

There is also an irrepressible element of brotherhood between the members of The Strokes. Not only are they always mentioning it in interviews, you can just plain see it. That is fucking cool. Itâ?™s like a symbol of unity pouring over to the fans as well. Itâ?™s reassuring. Itâ?™s also kind of sweet. Itâ?™s another layer of their charm.

Clothing style is relevant I suppose, but itâ?™s the same really as the whole attractiveness thing. They dress well. It adds to their image, and furthers the whole throw-back description that begins with their musical sound. It helps that they donâ?™t wear boring, plain clothes, or flamboyant, ridiculous clothes. Again, it fits the music in a big way.

All of this shit, aside from the actual music are merely marketing tools. Iâ?™m not saying that the guys were told to wear what they wear or anything like that. And Iâ?™m not saying theyâ?™re trying to make money off their look, Iâ?™m just saying that their over-all image is used in that way to perpetuate their music. Every band has an image that sells to certain people, whether they think about it or not. The Strokes have a really good one. They dress like me, and I wanna do them. I say: â?œWell done, record company! And magazines as
well!â??

So why the hell am I going on about this shit? Simple. The music, combined with the image put The Strokes at the forefront of all the other rock bands I admire out there today. They are the ones I see with the most potential. They really are talented, and theyâ?™re good taste is evidenced by everything from what they say in interviews, to the way they stumble around in vintage jackets, with fucked-up alterna-cool haircuts. Their songs exude a mixture of hope, sadness, pleading, disaffection, and a sort of la la la (not in a Kylie Minogue kind of way, but in a head-bobbing-from-side-to-side kind of way). They touch more than one place insideâ?¦ the â?œahâ?? feeling, and the â?œAH!â?? feeling. The spectrum is pretty well covered in Strokes songs. To me, the Strokes are a breath of fresh air that I put my faith in not to go stale. At least not any time soon. We need that. We need a hope to cling to. I know that Julian has personally mentioned that they are not the saviors of rock, blah, blahâ?¦ but then he says: â?œItâ?™s just about the music. Simple.â?? And thatâ?™s what I say. They are the shining hope of rock nâ?™ roll today. They may not want to look at it like that, but I do. I know how they feel. I wouldnâ?™t want to feel that kind of responsibility, but you know, shit happens. And so it goesâ?¦

The Strokesâ?¦ not the best band ever to emerge, but possibly the best band to emerge in the last few years. Where will it all go from here? Well, even fans are worrying already about a sophomore slump, but I for one trust the boys to rise to the occasion. If â?œMeet Me in the Bathroomâ??, and â?œZe Newieâ?? are any indication, we Strokers have nothing to worry about. We shall be delivered,
goddamn it! Whatever the hell that means. Go rock nâ?™ roll!