The Strokes
Angles
March 22, RCA
And we thought a career based upon ripping off Television couldn’t last. The saviors of New York rock–or of New York trust-fund-kid hauteur–faded away after their little-loved First Impressions of Earth in 2006. In the interim, Julian Casablancas made a solo record; Albert Hammond Jr. made two; Fabrizio Read More
Julian Casablancas of the Strokes seemed to drop the f-bomb on this weekend’s Saturday Night Live broadcast, towards the end of a performance of new song “Under Cover of Darkness.” (In the video below, it’s audible at about 3:59.) “I highly doubt it was purposeful–he’s not that kind of guy,” a member of the band’s Read More
Tom Cruise must miss the 1980s. The star, who spent the decade playing straitlaced prep types, is in talks with New Line Cinema to star in the hair-metal Broadway adaptation Rock of Ages–which features the music of Bon Jovi and Poison, among others. Cruise is to play Stacee Jaxx (a far cry from Read More
Last Fashion Week, The Observer attended the Tommy Hilfiger after party at the Met and witnessed the first New York performance by The Strokes in five years. A decade removed from gigging in front of a dozen people on the Lower East Side, the singularly awesome five-piece burned through the classics, opening with “New Read More
“It’s been my dream since I was a little boy to play at the opera,” Julian Casablancas, lead signer of The Strokes, told the attendees of the Tommy Hilfiger after party held in the lobby of the Metropolitan Opera House. The Strokes had not played a show in New York since 2006, and in that Read More
With three-fifths of the Strokes involved in various side projects with various degrees of success, we wondered if the boys would ever end the hiatus that followed 2006’s First Impressions of Earth. (Whether anyone would even care is, of course, another question all together.) Well, according to drummer Fabrizio Moretti, a reunion of sorts may Read More
With the Strokes taking a break until February—and their songwriting largely on hiatus since 2001—the boys have bolted for the relative security of the side project. Of course, there’s guitarist Albert Hammond Jr. and his well-received solo albums, most recently ¿Cómo Te Llama?. Then this summer—while Julian Casablancas, Pharrell, and Santogold shilled for Read More
Sufjan Stevens’ SevenSwans (SoundsFamilyre).Withlast year’s Greetings From Michigan ,Mr. Stevens-his first name is pronounced “Soof-yahn”-was hailed by many critics as the second coming of Elliott Smith. Little did they know that Smith would actually need a second coming. Influenced by Jim O’Rourke andStereolab,Mr. Stevens rooted complex harmonies and unusual time signatures in a Northern folk Read More
“Without 40 ounces of social skills, I’m just an ass in the crack of humanity,” sang the big woman with the blond Afro. “I’m just a huge manatee. A huge manatee.” Kimya Dawson, 28, a black nose and whiskers painted on her face, her bloomers sagging over platform high-tops, was killing the crowd at Bowery Read More
The Strokes Blow It
The swaggering spirit of rock ‘n’ roll returned to the Mercury Lounge on March 22, but it wasn’t happening onstage. While the thirtyish trio Honus Wagner-author Thomas Beller on drums, music publicist Jim Merlis on bass, and mystery-bookstore manager and Beastie Boy buddy Tom Cushman on vocals and guitar-played the same Read More
