Teen review: First Impressions of Earth by The Strokes

My name is Isaiah. I go to CAPA for theater, and I guess that’s okay. I do a lot of music stuff outside of school. I play bass and do some rapping too. Also, I’m always up for any review recommendations, so if there’s anything you want me to review, just let me know and I’ll check it out.

First Impressions of Earth by The Strokes

As promised, this time I will be reviewing the CD, First Impressions of Earth by The Strokes. The Strokes have a really unique sound and they’re really worth checking out. Today I’m not gonna review all of the tracks on the album, not for lack of appreciation but because I think you’ll get a better feel for the CD if I give a little more of a broad review. I’m still gonna individually review some of the tracks, just not all this time.

So, we open up with a track called, “You only live once.” Now with any album, in the first track I’m looking for something to draw me in and make me wanna listen to the rest of the album. This track does just that, it opens up with a cool riff and the singing in this is absolutely flawless. I believe this song is one that shows Julian Casablancas at his best.

The next song is the single, “Juicebox.” It opens up with just a really cool bass line and drums. The guitars then come in and really just combine with the bass to make a really cool sound. Then it settles a little bit and we hear the chorus which I think is pretty cool. When Julian practically screams “Won’t ya come over here!” It’s almost impossible not to jam a little.

One of the things I think is pretty cool about The Strokes is how well they choose their singles. After this one we have a track called “Heart in a Cage.” This one is a little different sounding from the ones that we’ve heard so far but in an extremely good way. It has a really groovy beginning that I enjoy too. One of the main reasons why I dig The Strokes is their versatility; this song is a perfect example of that.

The next one I’ll review is called, “On the Other Side.” I’m not sure if this is just a theme of this album but it starts off with a really cool and groovy bass line. To me this song isn’t the best of the album but it’s extremely hard to determine the worse. They’re all fun to listen to and this one just adds to the album.

After this we have one called, “Vision of Division.” This is personally one of my favorite songs on the album. It starts off with a really cool guitar riff, then the bass and drums come in which makes a really cool sound to jam to.

That’s all the specific tracks I’ll talk about his time. Like I said earlier, The Strokes have a really unique sound. For me, some of their songs take a little getting used to, but they’re all great. If you’re interested in picking this up you can get it here at the library. I’m really digging First Impressions of Earth.  It’s worth checking out so if you get a chance please do. I’ll give this one an 8.9/10 for originality, really cool sound, a consistency.

Tomorrow: a review of the new Strokes album, Angles.

Nursing a New Found Love…

So, I’m a little nervous to tell you this, but… here it goes.  Ever since this winter, I’ve been nursing a new found love of classical music.  Call me a nerd, a dork, whatever.  I embrace my nerdiness and I love classical music!  I mean, c’mon, how could you not love this?!?

Vivaldi’s Spring. The violins sound like bubbling streams!  The violas!  The flutes twitter along like little birds back from warmer climes! The cellos!  It just gives me chills thinking about it!  So, so good.

You’re probably thinking….yeah RIGHT!  Classical music is for loooosers.  Well, like I said, don’t care!  However, I would like to share with you some of the websites that I’ve used to nurse this classical music habit I’ve developed, sites you can use to research and explore your own musical tastes.

After you search for an artist and find them on Allmusic.com it gives you biographical information (I’ll admit – not so interesting for Vivaldi, but Lady Gaga?  Much more of a fun read), discography, and awards and charts.  The best part is the section down below titled, Similar Artists, this is where you’ll find some more music in whatever genre you’re into.

Tune Glue will create an “audio map” based on the artist you search for.  When I put in “Lady Gaga,” and choose “expand”  it will create a web of similar artists, including Katy Perry, Rihanna, and Ke$ha.

Tune Glue gets it’s information from Amazon and Lastfm, a streaming music site that allows you to personalize your own radio stations.    Pandora is another customizable streaming music site that I’ve found pretty great to use as background music in my office, or while I’m cooking dinner.

When I’m listening to one of these streaming sites, and love a track, I’ll mark it with a heart, or jot down the artist, head over to the library catalog and do a quick author search (Last Name, First Name) and place a hold on the CD!

If you want more recommendations, there’s always a friendly librarian just waiting to help you out, or you could browse your library’s collection when you’re there, or visit the Music Department at CLP – Main!

Have fun jammin’, friends!