There is some measure of respect to be given to the lads from The Strokes for the way in which they’ve gone about their solo projects. Albert Hammond Jnr and the Bassist With the Hair have both had solo releases since the now ancient First Impressions of Earth (2006!) and neither tried to piggyback on the success of The Strokes or harass fans with their efforts (judging by their record sale they probably should have). Unfortunately, neither background boys managed to not sound like The Strokes. So what could their lead floppy hair wearer concoct?

Well, similarly, Julian Casablancas’ Phrazes for the Young is a moderately un-hyped affair when compared to the usual orgasmic explosions of adoration which come from NME’s direction for so much as a sneeze from The Strokes. Obviously this would be the perfect opportunity for Casablancas to flex some creative muscle and reveal a penchant for folk-jazz fusion. Keeping that in mind, answer the following question:

What does this album sound like?

a) The Strokes
b) The Strokes
c) Julian Casablancas dabbling with disco, but really just sounding like The Strokes.

*answer on back of page
 

All of The Strokes’ angular riffs, mechanical song structures, and layers of continuously building guitar are present, as can be witnessed (by your ears) in such tracks as Out of The Blue and Left and Right in The Dark. Even in terms of musical scope and range Phrazes For The Youth is almost identical to First Impressions of Earth right down to the interspersed and ambling attempts at ballads.

What it lacks is any of the energy or catchiness which can be found in a Strokes album, and even more criminal for a solo effort, the album fails to expand on what we already know about Casablancas’ musical sensibilities. He has a throat full of rusty nails, a chip on his shoulder about the platinum spoon which was dangling from his mouth at birth, and he’s from New York and wants you to know it.

Okay, so while the fact that this is practically just a Strokes album is not necessarily a bad thing, after all Casablancas can still write a sturdy rock track. The album more or less serves as a question – the same question we all ask ourselves while reflecting on our grinding daily activities from behind a veil of tears from under our duvets- “what was the fucking point?” (only joking, I don’t cry, I hide my pain with alcohol like Julian used to do).

Hmmm, I seem to have space to kill. Let’s see if I can break the record for “mentioning The Strokes in order to emphasise a point” within a single article.

The Strokes The Strokes The Strokes The Strokes The Strokes The Strokes The Strokes The Strokes The Strokes The Strokes The Strokes The Strokes The Strokes The Strokes The Strokes The Strokes…fuck it, think I’ll just go and listen to Is This It?.

- Stephen Tuohy