First Impressions of Earth- The Strokes Review
Expectations:
Before I begin, let me say my expectations. Well, not my expectations because I’ve already listened to the whole album before, and I know a lot of the songs very well. I’m going in knowing it isn’t a great record, but it isn’t terrible either. I would still call this the weakest out of The Strokes records that I’ve heard, which doesn’t include Angles and Is This It. Now to review.
Review:
You Only Live Once: Obviously a great song. Right off the bat, the guitar is catchy. The vocals and guitar have a great companionship, you could call it, where they really go right together. Julian does great with the vocals on this song and the lyrics are some of my favorites. The chorus is strong, with the guitar and vocals really pulling away from each other. “Sit me down” you can really hear that strain in Julian’s voice that I love. The vocals and guitar finally pull together at the line “And I’ll get along with you,” which I believe was intentionally ironic and genius. Now I do love the lyrics and how they contribute to numbers, like a list and steps. The second chorus sounds basically exactly the same. It is a very structured song, which is great for the lead single, but can get a little repetitive. It’s also a very short one, because the song ends right after that chorus. So far, an amazing start to the album.
Juicebox: This song starts out sounding more agressive with the guitar and bass. Julian comes in with talking-vocals which are always appreciated. “Why don’t you come over here, we got a city to love.” First of all, the lyrics are pretty lacking. Now the vocals during this part are undeniably impressive, but it seems he’s just screaming for the fun of screaming, not for actual buildup, which is a little sad to see. The guitar solo after the chorus is a little interesting, but nothing we won’t hear more on the album. This song is messier than You Only Live Once, but it is taking the same verse chorus verse method, which isn’t a bad thing, but switching it up throughout the whole album will keep it interesting. “You’re so cold, you’re so cold, you’re so cold.” I actually think this part sounds pretty good with genuine emotion in his voice, especially towards the very end of the song. The song ends pretty abruptly too, which is fine. Overall the song seemed like an excuse to say “oh look, Julian’s screaming again, isn’t that so eye-catching?” which I don’t like. The lyrics don’t mean much of anything and the song overall was lazy. It is catchy but that can’t really save it from being an overall weak track.
Heart In a Cage: And by hearing this song, we’ve already listened to the three singles from the album. Heart In a Cage starts with a more interesting guitar opening, and a consistent beat- and when I say consistent beat, I mean it’s exactly the same through the entire song. Also, let me just point out that the song name SUCKS. God Julian, you couldn’t be a little more creative? The vocals are fine really. Nothing too special. The guitar during solos are impressive, but it doesn’t add to the vocals at all. And what’s kinda meant to the chorus, “my heart beats in its cage,” is uninspired and boring… so do better please. I think what saves this song the most is the lyrics. “I went to the concert and I fought through the crowd. Guess I got too excited when I thought you were around.” I mean that’s genuinely interesting stuff, but it’s not enough to save it from being an overall mid song. The guitar at the end is appreciated, but again, just isn’t enough to make it interesting.
Razorblade: Automatically opens with a more unique beat, and a slightly less jarring guitar. The vocals and guitar FINALLY work together to make something interesting. Also the sudden changes in tempo are interesting and unexpected. And don’t even get me started on the lyrics- goddamn. Good stuff. The chorus hits well with a snare opening. Julian sounds rather calm while saying some real negative/hateful things, which is always interesting. The second verse starts but it does actually change up the beat a bit, which is appreciated because all other songs so far REFUSED TO DO SO. The lyrics here also introduce a storyline between a girl and boy, which just adds to the overall interest. The second chorus hits the same as before, with overall the same effect, getting you more used to the idea of the song. That chorus ends with a strong “hey,” leading into a guitar solo with interesting backing vocals. The end takes the chorus and changes up the lyrics and beats to an amount where it’s interesting listen after listen, and it ends on a really high note with Julian mumbling “no, don’t… okay.” before the guitar ceases into the background. Yeah, overall an incredibly strong track that will be honestly hard to beat. I can’t think of any real negatives- it does exactly what it should do for the type of song it is, and that’s very well rewarded, at least for me.
On The Other Side: This has always been a favorite of mine, starting with an immediate bass opening that draws you in. Then the guitar starts, but it isn’t as prominent and obnoxious as it is on some other tracks. The vocals start interestingly- they are drawn out and his voice is strained, and the lyrics are simply, well, terrible. That’s totally part of the fun of the song. It’s a lazy shitshow, but I absolutely love it. The chorus has deeper vocals than Julian is used to, and you can tell he struggles a little, but it does sound good. “I hate them all, I hate them all. I hate myself for hating them. So I’ll drink some more, I’ll love them all. I’ll drink even more. I’ll hate them even more than I did before.” That is literally the WORST lyrics I have ever heard, and Julian knows it, and I think the song is really hilariously done, kinda like Longview by Green Day. The bridge actually adds some emotion to the song, which you can hear in Julian’s voice, and he’s now singing higher and softer. Then the lyrics cease at the line “as a branch on a tree,” which may fool some people into thinking the song is over, but then all the parts come back together for one final chorus, which is great and I love it a lot more than I honestly should. So far, that’s three above average songs (You Only Live Once, Razorblade, On The Other Side), so maybe this album won’t be so bad after all, depending on what I hear next.
Vision of Division: I just must point out how terrible the name of this song is. We get it, it rhymes, but it means NOTHING. Whatever. The song starts with a strong, but kinda obnoxious, electric guitar. Then it all slows down for Julian’s slow, sad and soft vocals. The background guitar really makes you sense the buildup happening, which I quite enjoy. As the song builds up, Julian’s voice gets slightly more strained. Finally the song let’s everything unfold at “how long must I wait?!” which sounds really good. Then suddenly, the guitar kinda shifts, and maybe it’s just me, but it sounds like Egyptian rock, I don’t know. The song as a whole confuses me a little, but I’m kinda here for it. Then it goes back to his mumbled soft lyrics for the second verse. I don’t think the buildup to the chorus works quite as well this time, because it’s just repeating what happened the first time, and it’s too expected and too soon for another explosion of emotion. Still, it does sound pretty good with impressive vocals from Julian. Overall it is a genuinely strong song, but definitely could be better in the end with more interesting lyrics and a bit of a varying second verse.
Ask Me Anything: so you wanna know what makes this album so mid… songs like this piece of shit. Ask Me Anything starts with a somewhat catchy but generic soft guitar rhythm… and guess what it does with that? PLAY IT CONSTANTLY THROUGHOUT THE ENTIRE SONG AND DOESN’T GIVE IT ANY VARIATION WHATSOEVER…. So yeah, this might be the most repetitive song ever made other than Around the World by Daft Punk. Oh, and guess what the chorus is?? “I’ve got nothing to say, I’ve got nothing to say, I’ve got nothing to say, I’ve got nothing to say, I’ve got nothing to say, I’ve got nothing to say.” Julian did NOT write this and thought: oh yeah, that’s interesting. This song makes me want to stick forks in my eyes, and if I hear that same guitar riff EVER AGAIN I will break my record player and never look at a guitar again…. So. Yeah, it’s a bad song.
Electricityscape: I’ve given up on trying to pronounce the title, so instead I’ll just focus on the song itself. It starts with, wow, yet another simple guitar riff. The vocals right off the bat are fine- I mean, nothing is special about it really. Then it hits the chorus, which does actually have a nice and catchy beat. Julian really strains his voice during this part, though he isn’t resorting to screaming (like Juicebox) to sound ‘cool’. In fact, it’s actually a very soft chorus and Julian sings higher. The lyrics also do interest me, though I wouldn’t call them incredible. The guitar solo is very mid, and honestly I think The Strokes need to stop relying so heavily on the electric guitar. Then, of course, is a second verse, because this album refuses to do something different. The song by this point sounds honestly really drawn on. The chorus is still pretty catchy, and more drums to the second chorus makes it a little more interesting, and plus Julian gives a little more emotion towards the end here… and what’s this? ANOTHER GUITAR SOLO? Oh man, just what I wanted. Anyway then the song ends randomly and it’s whatever. It’s also a pretty mid song, and just because of how lacking everything as a whole was, I’d probably say I can’t call it any better than Heart In a Cage.
Killing Lies: Okay Julian, who is choosing your song titles?? Dear god, these suck. Whatever, it starts with a nice soft guitar and softer vocals, which is all good and nice. So far, really nothing special, so the chorus will need to blow me away for this to be high… oh. He’s repeating “Killing Lies” a bunch of times on the exact same beat as the verse… and that was the chorus I guess. Umm. Is this going to be four minutes of the exact same sound, AGAIN? Well here’s the second verse. If the chorus isn’t gonna be different, then I expect some crazy buildup. Well this song is boring me and we’re not even to the second chorus. No, I kid you not, you can barely even tell when Julian hits the chorus of the song, it sounds exactly the same. Oh my god, this is so uninspired. Okay- well Julian is going some more interesting high vocals here at the end. I mean, yeah, that sounded good. But it wasn’t incredible, and with the rest of the song being soooo boring, I have to call it a pretty below average track.
Fear Of Sleep: We’re really not gonna get an interesting song title, will we Julian? Whatever, the guitar and vocals are actually working together to make this song interesting, which should be the bare minimum, but I guess not for this album. Okay, well… the chorus is Julian murmuring “Fear of Sleep.” We love the creativity in these lyrics, really. Okay, well, I don’t hate it as much as Killing Lies. And I have to admit, it has some really nice buildup after that first chorus. I mean, Julian screaming “You’re no fun,” ten times is pretty cool. Then it calms down and brings it back to the sound of the first verse, which I’m fine with, because I like that. Second chorus, we’re still hearing the same repetitive thing… This album refuses to be unique. But I do genuinely have to say, the buildup after both chorus’s is interesting to see, and Julian has some genuinely impressive vocal skills to show off. And I actually really like how the song ends with Julian running out of air and managing to say one final “you’re no fun” in a pretty low voice. So overall, I mean… It was a little better than mid, but come on guys, you need to step up your game.
15 Minutes: Finally a song title that isn’t necessarily terrible… It isn’t great either, but It’s fine. Okay, so the song starts off slow right off the bat, which is how EVERY SONG ON THE ALBUM has started so far. Did he just say “take a shit, it is fine”? Okay well… that actually helps my ranking. Though it is pretty generic so far, I think the vocals and lyrics are just overall more interesting. It’s nothing that draws me in too much but I’m enjoying this so far. It’s really drawing this out though, which hints at buildup, and if I don’t get that, it will heavily impact the song. Having a few slow songs on an album is fine, but they’ve already had like five. Okay good, guitar is picking up and vocals are picking up. It’s actually pretty good, not too bad. The chorus isn’t too interesting, but I enjoy it for what it is. And right after the chorus, it gets pretty interesting, will some faster singing and guitar. Now the song is really just doing whatever the hell it wants, and the buildup definitely is delivering, and that buildup was dropped really well, with one last long note screamed from Julian. Actually… surprisingly, I really enjoyed that one.
Ize of The World: Instantly I see that they’re doing something different with the guitar, which is good. It sounds scratchy and messy, which is actually a very good thing, because this album desperately needs variety. The vocals sound just fine. Nothing special I would say, so far. Oh this is interesting. The way he’s really just mumbling these incoherent lyrics. Oh god- well this chorus is really good. The guitar and vocals really go well together and give off a certain desperate and emotional energy. Oh yeah Julian, scream that shit!!! Oh jeez, his voice kinda did a strange transition into a guitar solo- like they mixed his voice into the guitar pretty well. Hm. The guitar solo is nice too, and for once, not obnoxious. Is Julian speaking fucking latin?? What was that? Well, I kinda liked that- unique. Caught my attention. Now let’s hear this chorus again. Change it up a little if you can. Hmm, seems he doesn’t want to change it up too much, but that’s honestly okay. It can get a little repetitive, but it’s still overall a really good chorus, and the guitar in the background really is picking up- damn. The way everything got quieter before Stephan SCREAMED and all the instruments came back in. That was really good. And then the song ended suddenly. And by suddenly, I mean like as suddenly as I Want You by The Beatles.
Evening Sun: starts a lot slower, and for once with an ACOUSTIC GUITAR. Thanks for switching it up a bit. The song is pretty boring at the start but honestly good, as long as they can get some good buildup, it’ll be a solid track. The chorus is really nice and soft, even if it is just Julian saying “evening sun,” a few times. Ooo okay, Julian’s picking it up a little bit, even if not much, it’s still nice. It sounds like good background music to be honest. Like it’s not eye grabbing, but it’s pretty okay. The lyrics interest me too- I’ll have to look into them more. Yeah that never really had any buildup- sounded the same the whole time to be honest, but I didn’t dislike it. Nice background music, like I said. So yeah. It was good.
Red Light: So far this is fine. It’s just Julian showing off his ability to rhyme lines and make a jumpy beat. So that’s fine, but the chorus will need to be something special to make it a good song. But I am honestly pretty interested in the lyrics. Sounds like it’s telling a pretty enticing story. The guitar is a little annoying too, but it’s alright. Julian is really taking his time to get to the chorus, which is fine, but I need a real explosion if you’re gonna draw it out like that… maybe there is no chorus, I mean this song is probably halfway over by now. Okay, well… the song sounds nice and all but It’s not very interesting. It’s kinda like Evening Sun, good background music, except much less soothing. Oh, it ended. What was the point of that song? It didn’t need to exist, nor should it have been an album closer. Evening Sun would’ve worked so much better for that. That was fine, but- come on. No buildup, no chorus, no interesting vocals. Just a short catchy song. FOR AN ALBUM CLOSER? God Julian, you really did it this time.
Final Thoughts:
Overall, yeah… the album wasn’t incredible. It did actually have like three tracks that I would call “exceptional” and a few other good ones, but also like half the songs are uninspired and sound very similar and it’s soooo one dimensional. I mean, Are You Experienced had one below average song. Rumours didn’t have ANY. Dark Matter by Pearl Jam had like two, but granted, every track was very mid except Wreckage. This album had, in my opinion, FOUR. Which is like an achievement. That is impressive how many TERRIBLE songs you could write, Julian. Now I will say, #7 and up are above average songs that I would (and will) listen to again. Everything below it is basically a skip, if I’m being honest. So overall, though the album definitely has highlights, it sounds WAY too similar throughout the whole album and Ask Me Anything gives me a headache. With that being said, it’s definitely better than Dark Matter.
After ranking all the songs, and a lot of consideration, I would say First Impressions of Earth by The Strokes deserves a 6.3/10
Ranking:
This is the ranking I made while I listened along. Things may absolutely change in the future (probably will), and when they do, I’ll update y’all
1. Razorblade
2. On The Other Side
3. You Only Live Once
4. Ize of The World
5. 15 Minutes
6. Vision of Division
7. Evening Sun
8. Fear of Sleep
9. Heart In a Cage
10. Electricityscape
11. Juicebox
12. Red Light
13. Killing Lies
14. Ask Me Anything
