Classic Review: The Strokes: Is This It

At the time of it's release, "Is This It" was the culmination of a lot of different things. The 90's were over, and rock fans were in desperate need of a great album from a fresh new band. And the hype surrounding the release of the debut album from The Strokes was massive.

Luckily, this album not only lived up to the hype, but in some ways; surpassed it. With songs that are still played frequently on rock radio today, and inspiring hundreds of other bands, eager to capture the same magic. Even The Strokes themselves have been trying to recreate the pure excellence of "Is This It" in their subsequent releases, but while "Room On Fire" came close, the following two albums were either too cluttered (Angles) or too clean ( First Impressions Of Earth).
But enough context, let me get into what makes "Is This It" a classic in modern rock music.

First and foremost, the songs here are all insanely catchy; straightforward but with just enough detail to avoid being too simplistic. Singles like "Someday" and "Last Nite" are upbeat and driving, with great harmonized guitar leads, and the latter; a fantastic guitar solo. But where the singles focused on the more straightforward rockers, deeper cuts like the opener and "Hard To Explain" reveal another side of the album; the side I like to call the "sad slacker". But no matter what mood a track may be in on "Is This It" you can always count on them to be great, and very memorable.

"Is This It" is a top-notch album; sure, it's not the most complex rock album out there, but that's not what it's going for. It instead goes for catchy tunes that might just inspire a bedroom rock-out session.

9.0/10