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Sunday, Nov 22, 2009
They're tough and cool, have catchy songs and a great look. Why do people hate them?
Nov 28, 2001 | The facts on New York rock 'n' roll band the Strokes are pretty straightforward. There are five guys, all in their early 20s, in the band: frontman Julian Casablancas, guitarists Albert Hammond Jr. and Nick Valensi, drummer Fabrizio Moretti and bassist Nikolai Fraiture. Their manager is Ryan Gentles, a well-connected former booker for New York's Mercury Lounge. After playing music together casually for a couple of years, they parlayed opening gigs for the Doves and Guided by Voices into their own headlining tours. The band was the focus of a bidding war and was signed to a major label before its debut three-song EP, "The Modern Age," was released on Rough Trade, the British indie label, in January. The band's first full album, "Is This It," came out on RCA Oct. 9.
But those simple facts do not begin to describe the Strokes. They say nothing about the unusual range war being fought over the band behind the scenes -- an MTV "buzzworthy" video, sold-out shows, unceasing hype from the British press and adoring fans faced off against sneers on industry online bulletin boards and aggressive detractors.
The Strokes' sound is a lean and lithe mélange of Television, Blondie and the Velvet Underground: plain, tough vocals, straightforward guitars, steady rhythms and the casual art-pop meets rock 'n' roll attitude of those bands. The lyrics on "Is This It" are a push and pull of desire and detachment, with Casablancas asking girls if he can stay the night at their apartments and then saying he's only gonna stay a little while because he's "way too tired." On record, the frontman is the embodiment of the frustrating lover, the guy who calls all the shots, demanding one moment and noncommittal the next.
But if Casablancas presents himself as a little emotionally murky at the mike, the Strokes' aesthetic for presenting their work is clean and straightforward. The simple video for the song "Last Nite" shows the band playing the song on a well-lit stage set, with no lip-synching, no special effects, no staged audience, just a seemingly live performance caught on film.
In the indie world, bands are expected to be cool and credible, with a presumed DIY aesthetic and an abhorrence for major label hype. If they're not, they've crossed to the other side, where the major-label machine of marketing and promotions bashes the audience over the head with songs, press and videos.
When the Bay Area punk band Green Day first released "Dookie" on major label Reprise in 1994, they were slammed by the punk community for leaving their little label Lookout behind. El Paso emo rockers At the Drive In had a difficult ascension as they segued from being an indie favorite to signing with Virgin; the group ultimately split up this past March after spending seven years and three albums together. Compared to the Strokes, though, Green Day had two albums in their pocket when they hit the major labels, and At the Drive In had three albums out before signing with Virgin.
The Strokes, by contrast, signed with RCA, home to Christina Aguilera, the Foo Fighters and the Dave Matthews Band, before releasing a debut record. The only time the Strokes were truly an "indie band" themselves was when they were an unsigned act.
But if there's nothing flashy about the Strokes, why are they getting so much ink? Suspicious critics have been scrambling to come up with their own ideas.
The band has some interesting friends. Rolling Stone has never been a magazine that has gone to great lengths to champion the indie cause. But a few months ago, the magazine called them "Manhattan's first big rock 'n' roll thrill of the year" one month and "the cool next big thing" and "New York City's best young rock band" the next -- all before the band had even released a proper album.
