A Short History of the Strokes

The Strokes took indie guitar music back to the old chestnut of 'a song should have a good tune'. They were the band that kick started the faltering New York indie scene. Their influences were writ large across each song and their dual guitar sound was borrowed from the New York CBGB heydays of the seventies. It didn't matter that they were sort of retro because they took the old new wave sound and updated it. They made it modern again and they paved the way for indie guitar bands to strive for commercial success. A lot of their appeal was tied up in the vocals of Julian Casablancas and his neat trick of sounding bored stupid one second and empassioned the next. But in the end it always came down to the tune. The Strokes wrote well-crafted songs you could actually sing along to. A luxury in the world of alternative music.

Out of the five band members, three went to the same school. Casablancas had been writing songs for some time, and by the time the Strokes formed in 1998, he had a number of well honed tunes for the band to immediately get to work on. Their debut single was 'The Modern Age'. Rough Trade Records impresario Geoff Thomas got hold of a copy and was instantly hooked. He was convinced it was the best thing to come out of New York since the late seventies. The track is all guitar and drum syncopation with the guitars standing out and emphasizing the off-beat. It featured no clutter and was tinny when compared to other music at the time. However there was a groove there, but it was definitely weedy-indie, all angular and energy fueled. Of course, it was influenced by bands like Television, Joy Division and the Gang Of Four.

In January 2001 'The Modern Age' was properly released. It was followed up by the Strokes' debut album 'Is This It' in the summer. It featured some great guitar solos, great melodies, and some fine razor-sharp drumming. There were made-for-radio tunes like 'Last Nite' and 'Someday'. 'Last Nite' was a fine song even if it was unashamedly lifted from Tom Petty's 'American Girl'. Another of the tracks, 'Hard To Explain', was remixed to become Christine Aguilera's 'Genie In A Bottle' by Freelance Hellraiser. British critics fell in love with the band, and especially the haircuts in the band, which must have had the male grooming company's wetting themselves in appreciation of increased sales.

For the second album, 'Room On Fire', the band roped in Radiohead's producer Nigel Godrich. But they parted company half way through the recording and reverted back to Gordon Raphael who had been at the controls for their debut album. The album reproduces the same tight guitar driven template as their first album, although some of the space in the songs has been filled by some Cars style keyboards. Casablancas' voice is less manic and a little more controlled too. It's a good album but doesn't make the immediate impact of their debut.

The Strokes have been partly responsible for a whole wave of New York based bands like Interpol, The Rapture and Radio 4, and they were the first in a new wave of guitar based bands who could be called crossover bands. They have one foot in the indie / alternative scene and the other well and truly planted in the mainstream. Maybe this is due to a change in policy by the record industry, whereby the only indie bands that are signed are the ones who can sell well. Whatever the reasons, The Strokes kick started this new world for skinny white boy indie guitar bands who like to go pop. But most importantly, the band also kick started the rise in 'haircuts are cool', as long as they are retro.