Revisiting The Strokes

As it seems these days, more often than not Pitchfork provides some of the most timely news and tracks. One such nugget: Strokes Play First Show in Four Years. The prospect of the Strokes touring together again and releasing a new album is overwhelming, especially after the success of their respective side projects have teased listeners over the past few years with visions of the musical growth and maturity a new album might yield.

In light of such news, I have revisited the Strokes albums, rediscovering favorite tracks, taking the music in a new light. Alongside perennial favorites "Last Night" and "Hard to Explain," I am drawn most to Room on Fire. The guitars still come feverishly, the riffs are just as crisp, lacking none of the musical tenacity or tightness exhibited on Is This It? The tracks on Room on Fire build on that framework, by subtly exploring new emotional depths. Here, Julian Casablancas mastered an angst-filled, pleading, nostalgic approach, yet did not complicate with verbose lyrics.

Indicative of this heightened lyrical proficiency is "What Ever Happened?" The first track of Room on Fire finds Casablancas, back by heavy drums and relentless guitar-play, launching into the midst of heartbreak, begging, "I want to be forgotten / And I don't want to be reminded." Expounding on what seems to be an inevitable split and a tragic, unrequited love, Casablancas delivers choice lines such as: "I wanna be beside her / She wanna be admired" and "You don't miss me, I know." Building on Casablancas' emotional delivery, Albert Hammond Jr. produces riffs riddled with anxiety.

Comparatively, "Under Control" features laid back, smooth guitar work and a defeatist attitude. With simple, but telling lyrics, Casablancas lets his despair loose. Simple yet powerful, "I don't waste your time" and "I don't want to do it your way" are repeated during the three-minute track, emphasizing both the assured divergent path of the relationship in question and the hopelessness of the narrator to salvage it. The lack of subtle venom that is present in "What Ever Happened?" is illustrated by blameless lines like "We worked hard, darling / We don't have no control," and "I don't want to change your mind / I don't want to waste your time / I just want to know you're alright / I've got to know you're alright" declares an inability to fully disconnect. The potency of Casablancas' view of a fleeting youth: "You are young, darling / For now, but now for long," mirrors Hammond Jr. sweetly forlorn guitar riff, intangling the track with a sense of nostalgia. With Room on Fire, The Strokes produced what seemed on the surface to be an uncomplicated sophomore album, but in its simplicity the music is delicately-packed with the anxieties of love and musical tones to match it. With a new album on the drawing room floor, there should be great anticipation as to whether the band will be able to develop further, coming on the heels of their various side-projects, captivating as they were.