Growing up as a teenager from 1994-2001, I felt jipped with the music of my generation. Rap and Hip Hop were the prominent genres, Grunge and Alt Rock were the main rock scenes, and all music I couldn’t relate to. I spent my musical upbringing in my father’s records: The Beatles, The Stones, Zeppelin, Van Morrison, The Spencer Davis Group, Cream, all but to name a few. It’s all that really spoke to me until one summer’s day in 2001 when I saw a music video on TV with a bunch of guys singing some lo-fi garage rock, dressed in clothes not many people were wearing at the time: skinny jeans, fitted leather jackets and beaten down tees. The sound harked back to the 70s and I was confused as to what band from then that I hadn’t heard of. I did some research and found out that what I was watching/listening to was a band called the The Strokes, and to be specific “Last Nite,” and I was blown away to realize that they weren’t a band from the 70s, but instead a new band on the scene. Things changed for me then. 
I was pretty ecstatic to be listening to music that sounded more like rock I listened to, that shared the same influences, spoke the same words, had a style. Fair enough to say that I spent the better part of the end of 2001 and 2002 listening to The Strokes’ debut album, Is This It. I truly love every single track on that record. And from there it opened up a whole new world to bands that started trying to emulate this sound, bringing to the foray indie rock and garage rock. Finally, music from my generation that I loved. True, they were labeled as the saviors of rock n’ roll, a completely bombastic remark, but for me, it was true.
And so it is that the lead singer of that band, Julian Casablancas, eight years later puts out his first solo album. Sure guitarist Albert Hammond Jr. has beat him to that, twice over, and all other members have side projects, but it’s different when it comes from the lead singer/songwriter of the group. Phrazes for the Young takes its name from a piece of writing by Oscar Wilde, entitled Phrases and Philosophies For The Use of The Young.
The first single off of the album is “11th Dimension,” which has The Strokes/Casablancas touch to it, but it’s different enough to be Casablanca’s own. “11th Dimension” features the signature lo-fi feel, but has an electronic aesthetic to it, programmed sequencers, light synthesizers and a percussioned intro that beats like a heart. All mesh well against Casablancas’ fuzzed and tired vocals. Another synth flavored track for the ears is “Left & Right In The Dark” that initially sounds like a re working of 80s Rod Stewart (think “Young Turks”). It continues in Casablancas’ laconic style and is probably one of the catchiest/FM styled songs on the album, particularly when he elevates his chords to yell, “Wake up, wake up, wake up…” Album opener “Out of the Blue” starts with familiar guitar strumming and a quick speed, aided and abetted with a New Wave shimmer. What drives the compactness of the song is Casablancas’ disaffected and candid words, “At least I’ll be in another world / While you’re pissing on my casket.”
And those tracks are about as close as it’s going to get to sounding like The Strokes, which only cements Casablancas’ creativity, signaling signs of his bravery to try anything new and diversify his sound. This is best evidenced on “Ludlow St,” that features a melody based on Country, showcasing steel guitars, shuffling percussion, and interestingly enough, Asian melodies, all of which create an image of a slow walking, drawling Western, as Casablancas’ recalls the history of the Lower East Side in New York, the area that was the biggest receptacle of his band’s music. “4 Chords of the Apocalypse” is a large shift in musical style for Casablancas in that it’s a slow and contemplative ballad. It’s a pleasant surprise to see his vocals fit around a different musical aesthetic so different than what we are used to. But his faded and stretched words go a long agreeably to music that inspires the same emotions.
So perhaps many of us have been longing for a new Strokes album and thus the release of the lead singer’s first solo work might signal a further delay, but at least we have it confirmed from his own project that Julian Casablancas has plenty of creativity and talent in him to continue making music with and if called for, without his band. Phrazes For The Young showcases a diversity few would expect from this man, yet a diversity that is more than welcomed on the ears.
Tracklisting:
01. Out of the Blue
02. River of Brake Lights
03. 4 Chords of the Apocalypse
04. 11th Dimension
05. Ludlow St.
06. Glass
07. Left & Right In The Dark
08. Tourist
You can go ahead and 
Albert Hammond, Jr., with the help of his “solo” effort’s band mates Matt Romano, Marc Phillippe Eskenazi and Josh Lattanzi, has created a fantastic follow-up to 2007’s debut Yours To Keep with ¿Cómo Te Llama?, out July 8th on Black Seal Records. An early July release date is perfect timing for this mellow yet summery album laden with fuzzy dream-like vocals and indie pop rock riffs that create an electric and sultry sound.
Strokes‘ guitarist turned breakout solo musician with 2006’s Yours To Keep Albert Hammond, Jr. is letting fans stream his sophomore solo effort ¿Cómo Te Llama?, out July 7th on Black Seal Music, in its entirety over on his 
