Stroke Of Genius
The Strokes are back, with what I think will be their seminal album of all time. Instead of sticking to the tried and tested technique like a lot of bands, The Strokes have gone out and experimented on this album. They could have been boring and stuck to what they have done before, but no they have gone out on an edge and have made the point that they are one of the great bands of our time!
The album opens with the catchy guitar licks and interesting lyrics of 'You Only Live Once' before clashing into the lead single from the album - 'Juicebox'. There is some absolutely fantastic guitar work in 'Heart In A Cage' before moving on to what seems like a piss take of Barry Manilow's 'Mandy' in the track 'Razorblade'.
The are so many highlights on this album I could sit here going through each track in detail and probably bore the pants off every reader. But there are so many different styles on this album it is hard to believe it is The Strokes. You just have to wow at the guitar stomping tune 'Vision of Division' allegedly influenced by SOAD.
But for those fans that have come to love the easy breezy style of The Strokes they are still well served on this album by tracks such as 'Evening Sun' and 'Red Light'.
Fans will not be disappointed by 'First Impressions of Earth'; it is an album full of musical progression, which helps to set them out as leagues ahead of their contemporaries. This will help the band to build a long-term future for themselves and even more success. The diversity from their previous offerings 'Room on Fire' and 'Is This It' is quite marked, and quite exciting. It is a great way to enter a new year with a new album, and I am sure the more times people listen to the album they will be blown away by its sheer brilliance.