We've already ranted about the hyperbole thrown at The Strokes' debut album Is This It?, so we won't begrudge them that here (much). "Hard to Explain" wasn't the coolest song on the album (that honor goes to the verrrrry retro-sounding "The Modern Age"), nor was it the catchiest (the Petty-esque "Someday" takes that title), but overall we think it was the most unique. Not that it was innovative in any way; it simply blended all the forerunners to The Strokes' brief run as band du jour into the best compact distillation of what they were all about - jittery Feelies/Talking Heads-style New York faux-punk/new-wave, lock-step radio-friendly pop-punk drumming straight out of cash-grab-era Ramones albums, simple yet effective Television-cum-indie-rock guitar leads, and vocals and lyrics that emulate typical post-punk, college rock self-flagellation and loathing at one moment, and post-modern self-awareness the next.
Tuesday, April 13, 2010
2001: #10 - "Hard to Explain"
We've already ranted about the hyperbole thrown at The Strokes' debut album Is This It?, so we won't begrudge them that here (much). "Hard to Explain" wasn't the coolest song on the album (that honor goes to the verrrrry retro-sounding "The Modern Age"), nor was it the catchiest (the Petty-esque "Someday" takes that title), but overall we think it was the most unique. Not that it was innovative in any way; it simply blended all the forerunners to The Strokes' brief run as band du jour into the best compact distillation of what they were all about - jittery Feelies/Talking Heads-style New York faux-punk/new-wave, lock-step radio-friendly pop-punk drumming straight out of cash-grab-era Ramones albums, simple yet effective Television-cum-indie-rock guitar leads, and vocals and lyrics that emulate typical post-punk, college rock self-flagellation and loathing at one moment, and post-modern self-awareness the next.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment