I have to start with The Strokes. I just have to. Why you ask?
The Strokes is not only one of my favorite bands, but it one of the most important bands to my and arguably to the rest of the world also. the first time I listened to it, I had a “what have I been listened to before this shit” moment, which I believed happened to the rest of the world as well.
Formation & early Success
Formed in 1998 in New York City, the band is composed of singer Julian Casablancas, guitarist Nick Valensi, guitarist Albert Hammond Jr., bassist Nikolai Fraiture, and drummer Fabrizio Moretti.
In 2001, the band’s debut album Is This It dropped like a bomb into the world of music. To compare its impact to 9-1-1 would be bit extreme, but you get the gist. After 90’s Grunge Rock and Brit-pop, music scene was filled with boybands and pop-punk bands with baggy pants, and everyone was thinking Rock ‘n’ Rock might meet it end soon. Then entered Is This It, an incredible tight and solid album that is critically and commercially acclaimed. It struck an incredible balance between the two extremes of rock music: sentimentality and listlessness. Joe Levy of Rolling Stone explained that the record is “the stuff of which legends are made”. Gary Mulholland of The Observer considers the release of Is This It a “world-changing moment” and notes that its impact was “immediate and dramatic” on both music and attire.BBC Radio 1‘s Zane Lowe suggests that the album moved popular opinion from DJs and pop music to “skinny jeans and guitars”, “the template for rock ‘n’ roll in the modern day”. Rolling Stone writes that Is This It inspired “a ragged revolt” in Britain, led by the Libertines and Arctic Monkeys, and continued its influence in the US on the success of bands like Kings of Leon.The Observer shares a similar view and concludes that “a fine brood of heirs”, like the Libertines and Franz Ferdinand, would not have existed and been successful if the Strokes had not reinvigorated “rock’s obsession with having a good time”.
Legacy
The band’s success put New York City back on the music map after 2 decade silent, leading the way for the other NYC bands like Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Interpol, LCD Soundsystem, The Nationals, and Vampire Weekend.
I can go on forever for how The Strokes is one of the greatest bands in the 2000’s (in 2009, NME ranked Is This It as the best record of 2000’s). There is a detail oral-history book about the NYC music scene in 2000’s, and was named “Meet Me in the Bathroom “, which was the title of their song form second album Room On Fire.
Personally…
On the other hand, the band (and Brand New. Another very important band to me) totally changed the way I appreciate music. Before listened to The Strokes, I had mainly listened to Pop-punk, Brit-pop, and some Taiwanese Pop-rock bands. I had focused one the melodies and lyrics of the songs. It was when I first listened to The Strokes did I noticed the differences and details in the songs– the bass-line, the drum beats, and especially the two different guitar sounds. Sure, I had noticed the drum and bass-line before, but never the differences between two guitars. It was not the case of one lead guitar and one rhythm guitar. It was two different sounds and two different personalties– Nick Valensi’s Epiphone riviera and Albert Hammond Jr.’s Stratocaster. Every parts, every component could be detected clearly, and yet they blended together so well and tight. The instruments are not just the background for the vocals. They are the heroes too. It really changed my perspective, and opened my door to the Indie Rock Scene, and I have never looked back since.
NYC, The Strokes, and my early 20s
The Strokes was actually one of the reasons I choose to go to NYC to study back in 2012. I wanted to see the famous NYC music scene, and I was not disappointed. The live shows and the new bands are literally everywhere and everyday. It could be a Monday night at DIY venue in an old storage warehouse in Brooklyn, and people were selling beer cans out of home fridge. It could be a Tuesday night at the legendary Mercury Lounge (where The Strokes “hire” their manager ) at Lower Manhattan. And it could be a Friday night the Madison Square Garden. The music is diverse, exciting and fresh. The scene is constant changing and evolving. People moved to NYC make music, to find inspiration, and to follow The Strokes lead even if The Strokes was in hiatus.
For me The Strokes reminds me of the time I spent in NYC with awesome music and with like-minded friends. We drank together; we sang together; and we dreamt together in a place where it is always brighter after dark– It was one of the best times of my life, and I have The Strokes to thank for.
Bella ba ba ba 