When The Strokes broke through at the start of the millennia, Casablancas single-handedly mapped out a new direction in metronomic melody in rock n roll; but behind the media pretension, image and artistry of ‘Is This It’, its decidedly pop presentation delineated to the direction that he and the band would take.
And not since the compressed Casio rhythms of ‘Room On Fire’ has Casablancas sounded so cool, comfortable and calculated. Accentuated Eighties synths punch holes into the songs structure for Julian to hang his idiosyncratic drawl mellifluously in an ether of surreptitiously layered guitar hooks and industrious beats. Pop so precise you’ll almost forgive him for the Europe-esque inquisition.
Thomas A. Ward 