Is This It

1. new york city cops 2. the modern age 3. soma hm: someday, is this it

JULIAN CASABLANCAS WOW

Happy y catchy

No cabe duda que marcaron una generación, en específico ese rock de los 2000. Y curiosamente de los pocos grupos de esos años que sigue vigente, coincidentemente apenas los vi el fin de semana pasado en Coachella (al que probablemente no regresen nunca después de sus videos de la última canción).

i love the strokes! great album. seeing them in concert this june cant wait!!!

Would be a 5 with better mixing on the vocals. Favorite track(s) Is This It The Modern Age Someday Hard To Explain

Habs nicht super aktiv gehört, aber ganz durch. Ich fands nett, aber bisschen repetetiv, nichtschlecht, aber mehr so single Visten Value anstatt Album durchhören Value maybe.

Well, we're not getting our youths back, but it's nice to try through music sometimes. Tried to come back to this with a fresh ear - I can hear the Television influence so strongly, and some Stooges, a little Velvet Underground (most influential band ever?). After 25 years it sounds pretty clear that they were just a really great rock band, rather than anything new or vital, but damn it sounded good at the time, and still does, pretty much. 9/10 Recommended reading: Meet Me in the Bathroom, Lizzy Goodman's great book on the New York rock scene 2001-2011

This is an album I hold very close to me. One of the very first indie rock albums I listened to and one of the first ones I fell in love love with. Same with what’s going on by Marvin Gaye yeah it doesn’t hit the exact same from when I heard it first but who cares. This is no where near a 5/5 tbh but just how this release resonates with me I HAVE to give it. Julias Casablanca is the worst best singer oat and it fits so well on every. Can’t wait for their new release (idk why they are using ai) 9.2/10

Pretty good. I think I've heard a song by them before. No particular favorites from this album, though.

Good stuff

É engraçado pois da carreira do julian casablancas eu amava the voidz sem nunca ter escutado nada do Strokes. Dito isso o álbum é legal e agora compreendo quando falam que o Will Toledo soa como o julian

The US album version lacks “New York City Cops,” which deserves 4 stars. The International version has that song and thus deserves 5 stars. Hard to explain. IYKYK. And I know because I was 16 years old when The Strokes released this. Because of my laziness with streaming music rather than personally curating my music selections, I forgot how crucial that song is to the pacing of the excellent back half of the album. Getting this album immediately after their two excellent performances at Coachella was like a sonic time warp to when The Strokes were the coolest rock band from America. Maybe they still are.

This is definitely NOT it. One of the most boring records of the Naughties. A weary last grip of bands and sounds from the 70s that some enjoyed, but mostly for the right reasons the rest of us had moved on from. An unoriginal record that is totally uninspired and definitely not essential material for a list like this. Not one song is brave enough to raise its head above the tedious monotony. Could someone please introduce these guys to a hook? Some of the longest 35 minutes I have ever experienced. An example of why the naughties were probably the worst decade on this entire list. And further evidence that UK music critics have shit taste.

Good stuff. Enjoyed this one back when it came out back in the 2000s. Nice to revisit.

fuck yea

"quando vc escuta um álbum literalmente perfeito como o american idiot ou is this it é simples de entender porque nenhuma banda de ROCK hita tanto como outrora. foi uma fenda no espaço-tempo em que os brancos estavam nas garagens fazendo música de verdade, infelizmente nunca mais ela se abriu..."

Got better as it went

a good rock album, very consistent. the distorted vocals are really unique and interesting, but kind of gets boring after a while.

Pretty fucking perfect rock music if you ask me

I love indie rock

Total 5 total classic

Not my favorite from them, but really good nonetheless.

pretty meh. the biggest not bad but not good. I mean I liked a few songs, but Idk, I wouldn't listen to the whole album again

Voice of angel. Album was so long I actually died and she greeted me.

One of the best of the 2000s. I love most of these songs. 9.25/10 Top songs Someday

Oh man! Haven't listen to this in an age. It slaps!

Not bad, not good either. It’s just not so interesting and doesn’t captivate or tell a story.

It's really good, and has some tracks that are essential to indie rock. My only issue is that a lot of songs sounds the same. Good, but not that diverse in sound.

Wow... this actually surprised me. I've seen this album around A LOT, even the alternate cover, and I almost thought this was gonna be slop just because it was rock and it was popular (ignorant, i know... :c) but now that i listened to it, i actually absolutely loved it, it's like the distilled, pure good essence of garage rock band music, I've never thought i'd like something like this but man do I NOT care. This is actually the type of thing i'd see myself listening to if i was born in the 80's or so lmao definitely gonna listen to it a lot, and maybe even sing it in the shower

Me gustooo, lo volveria a escuchar

One of my all time favorite records. As an elder millennial, its hard to grasp what this album means to my generation. I remember the first time I heard this, I couldn’t decide if I should chill or dance. This whole record feels like what Brooklyn *should* feel like for a suburbanite from Utah. It’s smoky, and apathetic, but sexy and energetic. It paints this picture of something that was going on somewhere that wasn’t where I was, but it could be recreated in local indie venues in SLC and Provo. And we did our best to recreate it. I love how it starts out with the moody / lethargic Is This It and then dives head first into The Modern Age. I think Julian singing “ga ga ga gooooo” is my favorite way anyone has ever said that word, and then how it goes right into the solo which is kind of earth shattering. This song makes me want to party. After that it kind of alternates between party songs and earnest sad songs. I think what I love most about this, is that it isn’t just nostalgia. It’s a time and place, that feels real and exciting. It’s a place that I don’t want to live in, but I want to visit a few times a year. I just want to hang out with this one. And the longer I go with it in my life, the more it feels like a friend that I’m catching up with.

i've already listened to this album many many times, but it was nice to listen to it one more time anyways

I was the target audience for the Strokes when they first emerged in 2001, and I ate them up. Loved this record back then, and love it just as much now. These songs are excellent. There are some really smart dynamics happening - they aren't as dramatic or obvious as Pixies, for example, but the Strokes figured out a way to make straight eighth notes sound interesting for a whole record. And I get it - there are a lot of straight eighth notes! Every song! And that isn't for everyone. I enjoy it - the bass and lead guitar weave around them in a really fun way. And Julian's vocals also help take your focus off of them. Also - the track order on this record is fantastic. Many rock bands opt for the Zeppelin 4 sequence - a couple of energetic rockers to get your attention, then some of the more mild songs in the middle, building up to a powerful climax (musically). The Strokes go for a slow build all throughout the record, climaxing (sorry!) towards the back half of the 2nd side. There is a run of songs from "Someday" through to where "New York City Cops" should be, that is incredible. And then the album is practically over. Leaves you on a high. [Speaking of "NYC Cops" - it was absolutely impossible for them to release that song two weeks after 9/11. But it is a much better song than "When It Started," and contributes to that mad rush to the end of the album. You should check that song out if you liked this record at all!] One of the best records of the decade, one of the best of the century so far. I tried it- once - and I liiiiked it! FIVE STARS

i kinda dislike them so i didn’t listen to it

its good but not the best for my personal taste

Absolutely incredible debut album. Lived up to the pre-release hype.

Locura de album

A perfect time capsule of rock music of the early 2000s, but also just the best version of that

8/10

Mid

I love the vibe of the songs, im not a big "The Strokes" fan but I really enjoyed the album. Even if most of the songs are repetitive which again doesnt let the album shine. Overall i think it was solid, one of the best songs there was "Trying your luck".

Is this it - 4/5 Modern age - 3/5 Soma - 4/5 Barely legal - 3/5 Someday - 2/5 Alone together - 4/5 Last nite - 4/5 Hard to explain - 4/5 New york city cops - 3/5 Trying your luck - 4/5 Take it or leave it - 3/5

That album cover right there would have satisfied me many nights if I was a teenager. It didn’t take much. There was a time when this music got me moving. It still does in a sense but it’s not the same feel that I once had. I guess you could say I grew tired of the simplicity? But based on what it was at the time. It was good. It’s still good but it used to be too. Get it? Choice cut: Last Night

Classic album with a bunch of hits. The style is very minimalistic but catchy at the same time. A good example of how you make a good indie rock album. Favourites: Last Nite, Soma, Someday, Hard To Explain.

Hab ich teilweise schon mal gehört. Erinnert mich an die 'The happy fits' zeit. Vielleicht ist das sogar die Band, zu welchem Konzert Frida mal mit mir gehen wollte. Die Musik ist ganz cool und passt eigentlich zu meinem Geschmack. Bisschen rockig und instrumental. Manchmal zu radio typisch. Garage band vibes lowkey.

Ha sido el que más me ha gustado hasta el momento, no conocía el artista, pero me gusta su tipo de música, agregué 8 canciones de ellos a mi playlist. Fue un buen descubrimiento.

I've never seen The Strokes live. So do they sing all their songs through a megaphone? Then why do all their tracks sound like the vocal is being played over a short wave radio crystal speaker? It would be ok for one track, but a whole album?! If they want to record in a tin box then good for them. Not for me.

3/10

Julius labai gražus balsas, ypač kai paslėptas už kokios skardos. Geros gitaros.

5/5. Still one of the best debut albums of the 21st century so far and to date the best Strokes record (though I still do really like The New Abnormal and Room on Fire.) There really is not a weak moment on this album, every song is catchy and there are just a ton of fun little guitar/bass parts. It is worth noting that the U.S. and UK releases of this album have slightly different track listings. I listened to the U.S. version since that’s the track list I’m more accustomed to, but the UK track list is equally as good with songs like “New York City Cops.”

'Can't you see I'm trying.' The first words you hear on The Strokes' 2001 classic, they should tell you all you need to know about this awesome little record. Casablancas & co. try but they're not try-hards. Going for 'simple' or 'basic' is not a simple or basic matter, & can easily devolve into the kind of pretentious that worshippers of the rudiment are wonted to carry w/ 'em. But these NYC-private-school-fuckers aren't posers, not b/c they're real or pure, but b/c there've decided that there's nothing to pose for. '& now my fears they come to me in threes.' Each less-than-four-min-song has got a great deal of soul: they're flashes in the pan that yet linger long after you hear 'em. That's what punk ought to be. The Strokes are great punk band.

It was ok. It all kinda blended together. Not sure if it was the lead singers voice or what

last nite buen temaaaaaaaaaaaaaa

An indie rock classic for good reason; truly all killer and no filler, with the plus side of it showing up to save the rock landscape from the horrors of nu-metal (even if that did create its own issues later). I’ve listened to this a genuinely countless amount of times over the past 18 or so years, I’d be lying to give it less than 5 stars. Also, “New York City Cops” >>> “When It Started”.

an album that requires a cigarette and an espresso martini; this album signified a new wave in rock music and reverberations of its influence can be heard across many different genres, bands and musicians to this day

Nothing much to say, favorite album of all time. For me this album encapsulates the feeling of being a young adult in their 20s.

I liked the style and overall vibe of this album

nice

Cool sound!

meh

Already in my top 20

All timer

Rock returns to NYC!

No le pude prestar toda mi atención. Sentí que fue de menos a más. Algunos sonidos interesantes al principio y por momentos un poco plano. Contagia buena onda.

Sad white boys with a radio filter. Didn't expect the opening and closing songs to be so underwhelming, and the first half of the album is a bit repetitive. I did like some of them, but I wouldn't search them to listen to them again, Is this it: The title describes what you feel when listening to it. Only saved by the cool bassline it has sometimes. The modern age: better than "Is this it", cool guitar solo too. I don't have anything else to say about it tbh, Soma: didn't even realise the song had changed from the previous one. Barely legal: It sounds similar to the previous two, but I liked the chorus better. I also thought it said the N word at some point lol. Someday: nice change of pace (and chords) Alone, Together: variety in the guitar rythms, and a sick solo? Yippee! Also ditches some of the distortion which is much appreciated. Might be my favourite. Last nite: cool bassline. The melody for "when I feel left out" is doing so much to give this song some flavour. Hard to explain: Don't have any strong feelings for this one. One might even say it's hard to explain them. New york city cops: maybe the singer would like some cough drops. The guitar melodies are too cool for a chorus like that. Trying your luck: nice and groovy, my second favourite but i can't stop thinking about how it reminds me of "You really got me going" from the Kinks in the chorus. Take it or leave it: no need to scream it bro. Highlights: "Alone, together", "Trying your luck"

Front to back, pretty much a flawless template for modern indie rock.

Favorite track(s): The Modern Age, Soma, Barely Legal, Someday, Last Nite, Hard to Explain, New York City Cops After all my moaning about indie bands on this list, we finally get to the one that got it right. Is that hypocritical of me? Maybe. Heard before Previous rating: 10/10

The Strokes, a band I haven't truly listened to besides a number of the singles. For a debut album this is tightly controlled but a little same samey. Really interesting sound overall, something new at the time but calling back to the past at the same time. This album is an enigma.

Buena música!

Beautiful nostalgic listen. This album for me heralded the new millennium in über cool fashion.

Can see the fuss about the Strikes from this album, great, punch tracks, slightly scummy sounding recording, felt very new york punk

know and love it well!!

good rock album nothing much to add

some good riffs but generally very tasteless music with no personality.

Fun but overall the songs sound kinda similar, still enjoyable though

It is good but not amazing. Pretty one note throughout but not in a bad way. This is movie background music to me. I like it, but it's the music that plays while you focus on something better happening. Bonus points for being short, any longer and this would feel torturous.

Album #113 The Strokes: Is This It? Growing up, I never listened to much music. The first time I can remember even caring about what song I was listening to was when I started to realize that the FIFA soundtrack had some bangers. But once I finally decided to actually start listening to music for enjoyment, it didn’t come instantly for me. My knowledge was pretty much non-existent, and the only artists that I was aware of were the overplayed radio stars, which I thought were lame, and classic rock bands, which I soon adopted and centred my entire listening habits around. I refused to listen to anything that came out after 1979 for a while, but eventually I became really into the 80s with synth-pop, post-punk, and jangle-pop being undeniable, and soon that extended into the 90s when I discovered brit-pop. But still, I made a hard limit that I wouldn’t dare listen to anything that came out in the 2000s. How could something as young as me be as good as the music which defined what rock sounded like? I held onto these reservations for an embarrassingly long time; looking back, I’m not even really sure why. This was before I had many ways to discover new music, so I was dependent on the Spotify algorithm to find new bands, and I did discover quite a bit of my all-time favourites through that (Pulp, Stone Roses, Echo and the Bunnymen. But one day, I was talking with my friends who were definitely more well-versed in music than I was, and listened to primarily newer music, and we were having a debate about which decade produced the best music. I found it ridiculous to even suggest that music made after the 2000s could ever compete with the classics. So they made me a list of albums to listen to, and though I was skeptical, I agreed. One album on that list, which I was vaguely familiar with due to my sister and her friends constantly having it on, and me finding the album cover quite striking, was ‘Is This It?’ by The Strokes. I already didn’t expect it to be good because it came out in 2001, and further damaging its reputation was that it had my sister’s seal of approval. But as I was listening to the album for the first time, I could literally feel all of my prejudices evaporating off my body. ‘Is This It?’ sounds like nothing that had come before it, yet at the same time, it is dripping with inspiration and nostalgia from the music that I loved so dearly. On the surface, it isn’t the most technical music of all-time, and could be written off as simple garage-rock. But what Casablancas and company do so well are the little things. In my mind, the most important element of making a pop/rock song that captivates the world is the opening notes. So many songs simply live off of those few, often simple, notes that, for some reason, just resonate with people so dearly. The most obvious example for me is ‘Kids’ by MGMT, a great song by a great band, but every person who heard those opening notes for the first time immediately got hit with an array of emotions. Every single song on ‘Is This It?’ does that for me. Another thing that I love about this album is the vocal distortion; it sounds like Julian is singing through an old radio, yet every note comes out so crisp, it really drives home the nostalgic element of this album. The lyricism reinforces that nostalgia; it is impossible to hear a line like “when we was young, oh man did we have fun” and not instantly be drowning in bittersweet childhood memories. In a way, it is psychologically manipulating, but we as humans love nothing more than to reminisce on the past. This album has sort of an undefinable ‘shine’ to it, where it just sounds modern. I feel like each decade has its own general aesthetic to its sound, regardless of the genre, but everything from 2000 on has pretty much the same feel to me, and I think that sound starts here. Almost as if The Strokes perfected production, and now every album that comes out feels like a pale imitation in comparison. It’s funny how an album, which at the time was lauded for being nostalgia bait and derivative, has gone on to age as one of the freshest and most influential albums of it’s generation; and with not a single song that doesn’t make me want to dance or cry there is no other title to bestow upon this thing other than ‘masterpiece’. Best Tracks: (Changes every time I listen, but this time it was) Someday, Hard To Explain, Barely Legal Worst Track: NONE Score out of 10: 10

It was allright, had some "hits" I had heard before but nothing stood out too much.

Knew most of this album, but the bits I didn't know weren't really any different. It's all fairly generic indie-fuzz-covered poprock. It was all perfectly listenable, it's fairly tuneful, but the scratchy vocals get a bit grating after a while, and the guitars don't do anything even remotely interesting through the course of the whole album. Distinctly average. Low 3.

Felt like typical britrock with an American accent. Enjoyable enough but missing something. Low 3

I might have heard of The Strokes before, but it didn’t really stick with me. I’ve listened to the album, but I wouldn’t buy it...

never listened to The Strokes that much back then. just the few known songs but the album is pretty nice. would listen to it again

A masterpiece of essentialism. The album’s brilliance lies in its lack of unnecessary frills, where every instrument is perfectly balanced in a "dirty yet precise" mix. Its influence on 2000s rock, from Arctic Monkeys to The Killers, is technically evident in its interlocking guitar patterns and "boxed-in" vocal effects. A high-quality record that proves how controlled minimalism can be more impactful than over-production.

Not listened to this album in years, last nite used to be mine and my ex girlfriends song; back in 2004 care free in the heady heights of metros in Cardiff, gives me a lot of roses tainted spectacles

Nice :D

It was fun and had a fresh sound, I liked it.

okay

L: 8 M: 10 F: 9 O: 9

good listen

couple of great songs, other songs sound mostly the same though

Good, dirty Rock

Is this it? I don't think so. There's a lot of filler besides 2 or 3 above‑average songs. Nothing more.

nostalgic but still meh

pretty nice and solid music

Two bangers and a lot of filler for me. Maybe it is just nostalgia bias and I only knew the two hits before, but overall a mid album for me. If it wasn't for those two songs...

Tried my best to listen to this unbiasedly given I am very familiar with this album. I think the biggest issue for me is that growing up, I heard these singles, and even tried to learn to play them. Downside? It was only ever those singles and they can't carry the album. 4 at best.

I don't know what it is about the production on this album, but it sounds uniquely balanced, treble-y, restrained. Whatever the case, while I don't care for every track, it's overall a really nice indie garage rock record. The title track especially is an absolute banger. Faves: Is This It, Someday, Last Nite

No me encanta

It's been years since I listened to this album, so I was excited to relisten to it. Great energy! The sound they have going on throughout the entire album makes it sound more vintage, in a good way!

You know what I’m not sure. I mean this was huge in the early oughts, one of the most prominent of the post punk revival bands. This is really music for the social media generation, based on expressing FOMO, they’re singing about their party life you will never be a part of while also feeling they are not a part of it. Music is the genre staples of garage rock mixed with post punk. This is one of the better examples of the genre so it should be on the list, but kinda tedious and boring at times.

An album of my youth. It's an interesting exercise to listen as part of this project, and tying to figure out musically what clicked. Its upbeat musically, but Julian is kinda dour. And desperate. The guitars are jangly and fill space with lovely runs (Someday). The drums are upbeat. Decidedly happy. Its dynamic music, fast and slow, loud and soft. One of the best albums of MY all time.

Really liked this. Recognised more songs than I thought. Love a bit of a jazz influence. Favourite song is Head over heels/Broken though was a tough call

love spme

I enjoyed it, some of it felt samey but nothing I didnt like, would definitely put it on again

2000s called ...

I was never really that keen on the Strokes since I found their energy to be a bit lacking at times, but this album wasn't too bad to listen to. I do prefer to listen to other garage rock artists like The Hives and Royal Republic though. At least the songs were quick, simple and jolly.

Excellent guitar work.

The return of guitar music to the mainstream and the birth of modern Indie

I really loved this album when it was released, it’s still great but 25 years on it’s does feel a tiny bit one note and the vocal production choice to have some sort of fuzz effect on every track grates a little. 3.8

Still sounds great. Immediate. 4.5/5.

Brilliant album start to finish. Lived up to the hype at the time and still sounds amazing now.

it was aight

9 / 10

Butte

This album's title was honestly my reaction to this album. The most hyped band of the 2000s kicked off the new millennium with this apparently unmissable debut. Going into this album, I had only ever heard "Reptilia" from their catalogue and thought it was a fine little piece of rough-and-ready garage rock. A full album of it was a harder sell. I mean, the entire middle section uses the same chords and the same structure, so there's a fair chunk of this album where songs are utterly indistinguishable. Julian Casablancas also hasn't found his voice yet, so he sounds unsure of his limits and of the best way to go about each song. Some might find it endearing for its apparent artistic spirit and dedication to the rock and roll spirit, but one look at the band's aesthetic says otherwise. Make no mistake, the Strokes were groomed to sound imperfect, and they were deliberately made to be unpolished, but attractive and marketable enough to sell millions. And they did! The first big band of the new millennium that couldn't have had a hit in the 90s. The press also bought this album hook, line and sinker, despite it not having enough substance to justify the hype. Not in my opinion anyway. All in all, this is a perfectly acceptable piece of commercial garage rock promoted as something bigger when it wasn't. You might like it for its simplicity, so listen for what you can find.

I feel like these guys have had the one of the biggest impacts of anyone on rock music, relistening to this makes me realise how modern they sound even to this day, so many bands now are taking heavy influence from how this album in particular sounds. I really like how the guitars and stuff don't need to be caked with distortion to make it feel heavy, it’s maybe to do with the distortion on his vocals. The chords they play are just great played in a really unique way. It’s taking garage and punk tropes from the 60s and 70s and making them feel modern. Always thought that someday sounds a lot like the first song on Lust for life by Iggy Pop, and I feel like The Stooges and Velvet Underground are quite obvious influences, especially as they are from New York. Favourite songs: all but barely legal and alone together, but just realised how much I love the modern age. Overall around 8/10 (feels close to 9)

This was one of my first exposures to indie/garage rock and have a soft spot for it. The Strokes are just really good at building up to a great hook. Amazing debut album.

The sound is not interesting, the vocals or the lyrics don't stand out to me.

I never found this type of indie rock very interesting. All these bands sound the same to me, with same sounding singers and same sounding songs. There were some interesting guitar moments I enjoyed, but mostly this was a very 'meh' experience. 2.5/5

muy bueno, probablemente no lo vuelva a escuchar

ive already heard this album befroe!!

Chillcito, para poner de fondo y laburar

Canciones muy típicas y esperables de encontrar en un FIFA. Buenos ritmos, algunos muy lentos y depresivos, otros más rápidos con un toque de Punk que todavía había en esa época. Gran albúm debut de una gran banda.

Very, very good but unfortunately just shy of a 5

An enjoyable album from my college days.

I know this one (of course?). I admire the quirky vocals and the propulsive force of the music. Good!

a lot of the songs lowkey sound the same but there are a couple of bangers

not bad, but you do need to be in the mood for it in order to not be annoyed by it

Flawless.

Not bad - Got kinda same

Casablancas muffled vocals over zippy instrumentals. Sounds bad on paper, sounds good in reality

Instant classic

This was great. Love the strokes

One of the most fully-formed debuts out there, this album pure cool

Vraiment trop bien! C’est vraiment ce style de rock que je peux écouter

Enjoyable enough to listen to but doesn’t make a very big impression.

Great album!

Good album but got a bit repetitive over time. Still classic 2000's indie rock.

One of the best debut albums that I can think of. Really tight and focused, and all of the songs are really good. Even nepo babies can make cool music.

The Spotify bio describing this as being a refreshing departure from grunge/nu metal is an absolutely insane take to me. I don't know, to me this is extremely lame; "what if we took rock but made it not-cool?". The typa music that plays in the background while you fiddle around the FIFA 12 career mode, specifically the songs you get inbetween some Ghanian r'n'b and non-descript d'n'b from, idk, Holland. 2 stars instead of 1 solely because it was a breeze to listen through and it's not aggressively annoying or bad, it's just not fun.

The list/book gets a lot of criticism for overrepresenting old 60s and 70s records, and I'd like to join in. Really wish future editions give more representation to significant records from the 21st century such as this one. As far as guitar centric music goes, my suggestions would be Weezer's Blue Album (90's, but cmon), The Black Parade, Enema of the State, Bleed American, and A Fever You Can't Sweat Out (yes really if you think about it) As for the album itself, it's fun and you can hear its influence if you keep in touch with modern rock. I thoroughly enjoyed listening to this record years before knowing about this website and I still do.

-listened -I liked it

This gave me a lot of nostalgia for listening to the breakfast show on Virgin/Absolute Radio while going to school in the mornings in the early 2000s.

Full of bangers. Couple skips keeps this from being a 5. Vintage strokes

Indie essential. This used to fuck harder for me but a relisten made it all seem a bit samey. Still brimming with bangers though.

(V) amazing early 00s album. Part of the culture in that time period

So excited for my first Strokes album of this list. The title track “Is This It” started the album off on a good note. I feel its primary goal was to lead directly into the following track “The Modern Age”, which was such a great track. Smooth guitar, great vocals, driving drums. “Soma”, while dropping the pace slightly, didn’t drop the energy. This album is laid out so well. The transition into “Barely Legal” was perfect. While questionable in content, this track was just so great. The guitar really led this one. The slight melancholy of “Someday” leading in to “Alone, Together” was awesome. I also loved the “Alone, Together” guitar riff that punctuated the mix throughout. I’m a sucker for the build-up in “Last Nite”. Even though I love this track, I feel like the instrumental steals the show. I love a good bit of rhythm guitar, and this album delivers with “Hard to Explain”. “New York City Cops” was just a good time, it made me realize that there’s a lyrical allusion to it in another song I love. “Trying your luck” made me bop. Ending with “Take it or Leave it”. I have to say, this was probably my least favourite off the album which is a shame. Well, it’s a 5/5 ⭐️ anyway! I loved it. 78/1089

There’s something almost suspicious about how well Is This It works. The Strokes arrived in 2001 wearing their influences openly — the Velvet Underground’s cool detachment, Television’s guitar interplay, Tom Petty’s melodic instincts — assembled into something so polished and deliberate that it almost feels constructed rather than discovered. And yet the songs work anyway, which is the more honest critical observation. The production is intentionally compressed and lo-fi, Casablancas’ vocals run through a distorted amp to give everything a slightly muffled distance. That aesthetic choice could easily tip into sonic one-dimensionality, but the songwriting is sharp enough to carry it. The hooks are real, the energy is consistent front to back, and the record’s almost aggressive conciseness — eleven tracks, barely thirty-five minutes — means nothing overstays its welcome. It makes its case and gets out. What’s most surprising is how fun it is. Not in a guilty pleasure sense, but in the way a well-made thing is satisfying regardless of how self-consciously it was assembled. Feeling vaguely suspicious of your own enjoyment isn’t a useful rating category, and this record doesn’t deserve the skepticism its origin story invites. A clean four — consistently engaging, smartly constructed, and more alive than its reputation for cool calculation would suggest.

This is the album that truly defined the resurgence of indie rock in the 2000s. It marks the last time that rock music was properly in the mainstream, and I couldn't think of a better album to have defined such an important era of music history. This album famously delayed The Killers' debut because after hearing how good this is they were so demotivated to make anything because they thought this could never be topped. Funnily enough I think that Hot Fuss is pretty much just as good as this, but honestly I still can't blame them for thinking that. This is just a masterpiece in every way, everything from the catchy songwriting and witty lyrics, and even the purposefully sloppy production giving it a very indie charm. Often times, I find the "straightforward rock album with no gimmicks" can be quite hard to pull off, but they pulled it off flawlessly on this, not only making an album that's great on its own, but also defining a whole era and being the root influence of just about every single rock band from the last 20 years.

I liked this initially, however, there is a sameness to the music that leaves it feeling bland. It's an album that is a comfortable listen and it is enjoyable to a point. It's just that after a while the songs kind of blur together

Excelente

Actually, not a bad album at all. I enjoyed having it in the background and it had this old sound to it, but it seems to have been released not so long ago. There were even a couple of songs that had quite enjoyable little guitar solos, but it's overall quite nice having it in the background.

This, for better or worse, set a million indie rock ships sailing. It cannot be ignored.

I wanted to love this more but a lot sounds the same

Why does every song feel like I'm stroking it. The Strokers is not firing blanks, every song slaps

This album makes me very happy and filled with life.

I really like it

I really enjoyed listening to this album very great

ASS Album cover didn't make it in the US. Censorship iwa alive and well. This is good grungy sounding Rock to my ear holes. Saved a couple tracks. Yeah, the vocals are slightly fuzzy and the guitar work is redundant across the tracks. But all in all, there are a couple bangers. Me likey! 4/5

Some of these tracks ring a bell. I think I'd like it more without the vocal effects.

The Strokes so mi bli zmer všeč, ampak nikol pa nism ful notr padla. Hm, dons ni dobr dan zame. Tko da. I'll keep it short. Fajn album. (Je pa smešn, da se mi to zgodi glih na dan, ko je albumu naslov Is This It.) (Ok, time has passed, mam šanso še enkrat album poslušat: drugi komad, "The Modern Age" mi je ful všeč. Edin, te efekti k so na vokalu so mal fakin močni, komi se sliš Casablancasa. Also, lol, ker konc, k da jim zmanjka energije suddenly. "Someday", itak. Tokrat že slišan, pa še kr je dobr. Isto velja za "Last Nite". & "New York City Cops". Od teh k mi niso tok poznani, so mi kul še "Alone, Together", "Hard To Explain" fakin šopa, "Trying Your Luck", basically cel album, no. Na splošno mi deluje, da se bom še vrnila k temu albumu.)

Heheheheheh ahhahahahahha booty!!!! BOoOoOtyyyy!!!

Toptextzeile: I missed the last bus, I'll take the next train I'll try, but you see, it's hard to explain I say the right thing, but act the wrong way I like it right here, but I cannot stay Was soll ich sagen - endlich das erste Album, das ich auch als phyischen Tonträger besitze und dann fahre ich an dem Tag für ne Woche weg von diesen Tonträgern. Schon auch einfach ein krasser Luxus es trotzdem hören zu können. Das ist eines der von mir meistgehörten und meistgeliebten Alben aus dieser Zeit, obwohl ich eigentlich wenig über die Band weiß und mich nie als Fan verstanden habe. Aber der Sound und die Lyrics, eher noch als der Gestus, haben mir es sehr angetan. Jeder Song eigenständig aber doch alles aus einem Guss, alles Sachen die mir immer wieder mal in den Sinn kommen. In dem Moment des Erscheinens und bis heute nah an Perfektion. #cd #gekauft

Mein vorm Ausgehen aufhypen Album, seit 25 Jahren. So mag ich Musik: gute Ideen schnell, präzise und schludrig umgesetzt. Lighting in a bottle

Oh hello! Das wummst und rummelt. Geht steil nach vorne und oben. Verstehe wie jemand das nicht mögen kann. Ich mags aber sehr. Absolut subjektive:

Absolutely fantastic album, definitely need to get a vinyl of this

this is like the millennial soundtrack. it goes so hard. except i forgot new york city cops, while funny, completely falls on its face and almost ruins the album Would I listen again: definitely Deserves to be on this list: was genre defining for schmucks 4.1

What a debut album! Splendid

👌

Definitely a Strokes album

Fave song Someday

I get why it's on the list, but really not for me. Lyrically I've found a multitude of songs I connect with better

Vrlo dobar album, slusa vec par puta, specificni Strokes zvuk i stvarno album flowa bez lose pisme. Kratak i sladak. 8/10 Najbolja pisma: Is this it

Decent pop rock album

Listened to it. I've rarely been prouder of my teenage self, who rightly concluded that this is a essentially a boring pastiche of late 70s New York Punk. There's nothing wrong with the songs and Last Nite is a good enough pop song.

One of my favourite albums of all time Has the US version that had “When It Started” instead of “New York City Cops” :)

I finally get to see The Strokes live in just a couple months and listening to this just amped my excitement!

This album reminds me of Crowbar. We’d close the bar up, some people would stay and help us clean. Then sometimes when we were done we would have some super late night drinks and somebody would play acoustic versions of a few Strokes songs from this album and always a bunch of Beatles songs and everyone would sing. So fun.

Solid turn of the century alt rock album that still holds up. This alternate cover is way hotter than the one I recall. 4.5⭐️

I cannot believe this album is 25 years old....cue the Matt Damon getting old GIF. Shit might be 25 years old, but still holds up - could be released today and would still be a smash. Hate to call it lightning in a bottle, because most of The Strokes albums are solid....but this is definitely a hard debut album to top.

Probably my most “but I was there” album on this list. Still a bit of a disappointment after the Modern Age EP and Hard to Explain single. JC has never surpassed the better half of this, but I mean, how could he? Oh wait, I know, work with his bandmates to create It’s Never Been Like That and Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix.

My 100th album. It's a generational one to me. It reminds me of my time in college and how simple everything felt.

I didn't like it much at all.

So many memories brought back from this!

Phonies. Derivative, tinny phonies 1 star

In my youth I dismissed this band as another Lou Reed/Television wannabe. In my old age I welcome them as Lou Reed /Television wannabes.

Nice

Perfect!

It’s an okay album, not their best.

The case of the missing ass pic, did 9/11 have something to do with that too??

Definitely shows its influences, possibly bordering on out and out derivative status. But still like it. It just sounds right. 4 Stars

Every song sounds the same.

I think if I was born like a year or two earlier this album would have been everything for me. Every subsequent time I've ever listened to this album I feel like I have missed out on the whole of the piece. These songs fill a void for a very particular angst that at this time I do not desire. That being said I think I have been able to enjoy the album a lot more than before, and honestly I do see myself listening to it again and thus possibly liking it more down the road. This albums influence cannot be understated, but in 2026, with the amount of garage rock/ indie scene we see, this album becomes less of a pinnacle moment or cultural signifier it once was.

I fucking love this album already listened to it before i saw this lmao

Saved a couple of songs

Pretty good. ★★★

An apt soundtrack for the jittery underground of post-9/11 America.

This one got better with age. I like it a lot more than I did when it came out.

- Lo-fi aesthetic works - tape hiss feels intentional, not a mistake - Julian’s detached vocals are the whole thing - cool but not cold - Band’s restraint is impressive, they know when NOT to add stuff - Great rhythm section driving everything - Flows well as an album, not just random songs - Raw and youthful, feels authentic

Fun album with lots of classics

The perfect debut to match the hype and start something special.

Listened previously. Expectations: High - Verdict: Very Good - This album is a bit strange in the sense that I really like it and there are moments that stick in my head, but not many of the tracks are super memorable in their own right. It’s almost that I like the album but not the individual songs. Still this is on the higher end of 3 as I do really enjoy the overall feel of the album.

Huge album. Great songs all around.

Review - well this is a very good album. Coming off the back of 5 years of post grunge and nu metal, having multiple distinct guitar parts with minimal distortion and a bass line you could hear was probably hugely refreshing to audiences at the time. I like the way they build a song - can't put my finger on what's interesting about a lot of their songs structures but I find often the best bit will pop up several minutes in. It's less verse/chorus/verse than the other genres I mentioned. Rating - 8.5/10 Need to hear? YES

Love it forever

It's a strokes album. Just go find a hits playlist of theirs and make your life easier. Also I caught them copying Oasis and their bullshit elongate the last word of the line. They don't do it on every track but it's there. We see you. Hacks. I talked to someone about it and decided that if you were in a major city, NY, LA, or London and doing coke that you would be a The Strokes fan. Outside of that, someone told you they were good and you just believed them. You heard a few of their tunes and went eh not bad. They tricked you with the hits. This band is a mile wide and an inch deep. Their hits are decent, but the drop off is HUGE. Don't go thinking the deep cuts are there. They are not.

Great album

Soma is great

Such a fantastic album

Already know this record back to front. I was hooked from the first listen, as soon as the bass riff comes in. It was just the right mix of different to catch my young ear. I remember asking the guy at the pizza shop what it was. Went across the street to the record store to buy it. I remember feeling a bit ripped-off by how short the record is (??), something like 35mins. I was used to getting almost an hour of music for my money (c.f. Siamese Dream). Anyway, instant classic. They're still hawking the same schtick 25 years later. 5 stars because of what it represents for me.

The low-fi indie rock craze of the early 00's started with The Strokes, right? It's a fine album. I've never really been a fan of them, but I can appreciate what they're doing. -- I just found out The Strokes is a nepo-band, built on the back of young insecure girls. the singer is the son of Casablancas modeling founder and Epstein friend- gross. Minus one star.

Love this album

Honestly, I don’t have much to say about this one. The guitar solos were very good, and the album as a whole displayed many great aspects of rock as a genre. 4 stars.

My biggest rock n roll show brag is seeing The Strokes in September 2001 in Newport, KY on a stage that was maybe six inches high. They did not blow me away but then I bought this album and listened to the shit out of it. Re-listening was a great time capsule. Unexpectedly, will be seeing them again this year as part of the Just Like Heaven festival. Not sure why this is so great but IT IS.

I like the Strokes, however I've listened to this album a few times over the years and I've never understood why people were so hyped over it. There are a few really good tracks, but a lot of middling stuff, and the lo-fi effect over Julien Casablancas' voice is way over-used. Some of their other albums are far superior.

I will forever love this album

didn't listen COME BACK AGAIN LATER

Close to a 3 tbh but eh not my thing

I haven't listened to The Strokes for such a long time, and realising that this, their debut album, is from the late 90s, makes me feel so old. It's a cracking feelgood album, with what was a fresh and exciting sound for when it was released, and I'm now beginning to wonder why I stopped listening to them. I'm gonna give this one a strong four stars and add some of their back-catalogue to my play list.

No. 124 I'm not sure I've ever listened to this album all the way through but I knew almost every song.

Listened to this album way too much and now can’t give it a 5.

Cool album, I already had some songs saved, but it was nice to listen to the full thing in a row 4

I loved this album. Solid all the way through. Great listen. I'm glad to hear some of the songs that didn't get overplayed

I like it! Very well done, pretty solid. Feels very NYC cool— very rock, adolescent mood. The muffled vocals are really cool, I also love the experimentation. Big on rock, so it’s really good. But, while it’s very musical and original, it can get a little repetitive, especially if you listen to the whole album the entire way through. Listening to an individual song is definitely better than listening to the entire album. Best tracks: Soma, Barely Legal, Someday, and Alone, Together. Pretty good! 4.5/5

good vibes, first kinda intro to the strokes. great guitars. good to study and chill to

A modern classic, so good!

Decent album, but also nothing that stood out as exceptional to me. I know I've used that for a number of albums on this list already. Therefore, my own reviews are also guilty of the same sin of being repetitive.

Tell me you're an early millenial without telling me you're an early millenial. I confused last nite and someday about a dozen times today. It's catchy but samey.

Yeah not my vibe icl. Just for something that’s fast tempo, short length in songs I don’t find it that catchy nor is there enough studio effects to really make it pop so to me it feels stripped back and doesn’t seem to have much going for it. Some guitar solos are pretty good and a couple decent songs. Also the strumming patterns and drum beats I find kinda annoying I know all this is a giant heaping hot take lol that’s just how I feel. Im not gonna vibe with everything that’s for sure and this one just doesn’t along with my soul or central nervous system or personality idk.

Their full debut kicked off with the band's groovy, crunchy rock sound, combining melodic flows and toothsome pulses.

I had one of these songs on my playlist but that's it. I don't know if it's because this day felt like one of those days which you could skip because nothing happened but it wasn't such a big deal listening to this album. Sorry.

Este álbum me recuerda que sigo en mis 20. Pienso en las horas que regalamos por dos mangos, en lo que queremos pero nos da miedo, en el amor que no es amor y en la manipulación. A la vez, siento un extraño sentido de pertenencia. ​¿Para qué me voy a querer encamar con un Julian Casablancas si con mis gustos ya lo hago? ¿Qué sería de mí si me hubiesen dicho " perdón por decirte que éramos amigos"? ¿Algún día voy a dejar de buscar anarquistas con OSDE? Marge, no voy a mentirte... ​Ya se me va terminando la jodita de los 20, pero como los compases de todo este disco, siento aún esa "aceleración" seguida de la tranquilidad, del "ya fue, soy esto". Esa impunidad que me da esta vida joven. Este álbum te deja pensando si la vida va a ser así siempre; si la vida es esto y nada más. Realmente una banda para toda la vida. Now i know how you feel Alex Turner.

Love it

I have so little patience for this era of indie rock. Boring, sounds flat, and just does nothing for me, personally. I found most of the album irritating. The Bravery did this sound better. Highlights: "Hard to Explain" This shit is exhausting.

nice a wholetime classic

Last Nite is in one of those Weird Al polka medleys.

Terrible

Not much to say on it. There's a lot of edgy, guitar-driven, hook-laden '90s and 2000s rock and I like pretty much all of it. The Strokes are on the less varied side of that diaspora, but their signature sound is enjoyable enough and I don't mind listening to it.

Really good. Love that super consistent sound. It's kind of punky, kind of dancey, kind of arty, kind of indie. It's really easy to tar with that indie brush. But there's some real style and some real songwriting and arrangement chops.

I liked this album when it came out and 20 years ago I might have given this a 4. But today it’s a solid 3.

Doh, I was expecting GREAT things from this album but it was all a bit samey 😕

Day 309 and this is the first day that I've opened the app to see an album I already love all the way through. And oh man what a great day. Me and my pals used to play this at work and shout "is this the BEST strokes song?" at the end of every track. The screeching squeaking highs, the thrumming lows, the funky riffs, the unintelligible lyrics, the endless "giant knee or small butt" debate - I LOVE THIS ALBUM. The funny thing is the best strokes song is not even on this album (under cover of darkness iykyk) and yet this could not be more of a 5/5.

Like the sound on the whole. Someday and Last Nite were my favorites. Got a little stale by the end where a couple songs is great but don’t need the whole album at once again.

A classic. One of my all time favourite albums. A go to album for me. 5 of 5 Kevin Parker's. Will absolutely listen again by choice.

Ratings: 5: I will happily play this album anytime 4: I may occasionally play this album of my own free will 3: I will happily listen to this if someone plays it in the background 2: I will tolerate this if it is playing in the background 1: I will leave the room if someone plays this in the background Starts off great. Nice leisurely pace to kick off Is This It. The bouncy bass riff starting with the 2nd verse is sublime. The Modern Age kicks off more up-tempo, leads into simple yet effective soaring guitar solo. The delight continues throughout the album. Clocking in at a brisk 35 minutes, what's not to like? Felt refreshing then and still holds up today.

Remember when the cops got so mad at this album they made them take off the last track

Cohesive album. Joyful

period

4.5 stars. Some classics

It's a decent album, but I feel something is missing to make it an incredible album but I'm not sure what

an instant classic. i haven’t listened to this in years all the way through, and it struck me how formative this album was for me. i had this thing on repeat when i was 13!! such a great debut

My favorite song from this album is definitely Soma

The Velvet Above-ground! With private entrance and all amenities! Easy to crack on them, but the Strokes deliver the goods on this first record. It's got a lightweight insouciance that I love. They aren't trying to sell you on being cool. They were NYC hip kids in great clothes and make fun little rock in their idle time. They are cool. The only thing I don't like about this record is the corny cover. They could've done better.

Along with bands like Interpol, The Hives and all the neo-garage acts that were making a racket in Detroit, “Is This It” was another of the albums that made me excited about rock music again after the nadir of the late ‘90s, which gave us drivel like nu-metal, boy bands and slick manufactured pop. It sounds like the pre-9/11 New York City, youthful and louche. I hear elements of the Velvet Underground, of course, but also Television and Motorik backbeats. It's a good album but for whatever reason, I never bothered to follow the band's later output.

Remember when these guys were the next Big Thing? Snore.

Some of the best Pop Rock/Rock out there

MasterPIECE

Yes it is!! Effortlessly cool, i love this album.

Very fun and new sound from the Strokes I can’t listen to a few songs and there are a couple skips but the bangers are bangers, and you can see it’s influence on other music artists

Song I like: last nite

A+

Netter Bass?

3,4 Highlights: Last Nite, Hard To Explain

Åbningsnummeret, someday og Last Nite er højdepunkter, men ellers bliver noget af det lige larmende nok for mine pop-girlie-ører <33

It's fine if you like The Strokes I guess

Muy dosmilero me encanta :D

Simply fantastic. Fab

Their best album. Take Velvets garage rock, add a little Stooges, extra auto tune-y vocal effects, very memorable choppy/ buzzsaw guitar licks. (Most derivative review ever, but like this band itself, all the stolen pieces add up to something special qnd unique! ;) )

It was a bit distracted today so I didn’t quite notice this one. Seems good and rather short as well

A favourite of mine. An all killer, no filler debut album.

Classic reboot of classic garage rock sound…. Proved that guitars and attitude in music were not dead…

No hay mucho q decir de los mejores de los strokes

There's a bunch of, dare I say it because eventually someone will call it, millennial-core (shudders) albums that I managed to not hear or listen to before this list for a variety of reasons, bands like the XX and MGMT I've managed to slip by despite being a hair over 30 as of time of writing. The Strokes were not one of them, but I can't say how much I value this album past its critical recognition. Rock music hit a lull in the 2000's, in the way that it's mainstream stay in pop culture felt like it was declining little by little till the late 2000's when electropop would boom and the focus on hip-hop and rappers as opposed to rock stars finally took hold. Needless to say, it makes me think if Is This It is one of the most important rock records of the decade. Which I admit I like the music and it's good and such, but I still don't understand the perspective of it being innovative for the genre. All of this is a long-winded, pretentious way of saying that I like most of the songs from Is This It, it's a good album, but I don't really take more of it than that. Also not a fan of Julian Casablancas as a singer, his personal life is a whole other story. As for rock music of the 2000s, I liked the direction of where LCD Soundsystem and especially other dancepunk music that made rock music a ton more rhythmic than this. For an album like this, I think the songs together are better than the sum of its parts, packaged as the album. The first four songs I've liked together, but after that the album doesn't really flow together for me. Someday and Last Nite are songs that are meh for me but everything else from the record is pretty good and remarkably not loud for the time period it came out in. It feels imperfect, maybe it was meant to sound like that. What is it anyways, an elaborate reference to the hit Faith No More song? Overall, I guess you could say I can Take It Or Leave It over This Is It.

Pretty good

A classic for sure! Can’t believe it is 25 years old this year.

6/10 not a big fan of the band tbh

hehe good old favorite

I knew the hits but never listened to the full album. It surprised me and I would actually listen to it all again.

Although i listened to this album for the first time today, I had listened to and really liked the follow-up, Room On Fire. In my opinion, Room On Fire is a better album, but that may just be because I heard it first and it became my version of the definitive Strokes album. They are very similar, but they're both good and aside from the tracks that got radio play, Alone Together is a great song with the rest of the album being pretty consistent. It's a high 3 stars - the follow up would have been a 4.

Catchy tracks, but they all sound so very similar to each other.

Ну классика инди, школьные годы, ностальгия

Люблю цей альбом, бенгер на бенгері

Я ніколи не був фанатом строукс, але цей альбом звучить приємно для мене. На 3.5. Нью-йорк сіті копс топ.

Nope not for me, did not like the lyrics or music

The indie album that made me start listening to more indie albums.

Pretty decent. Monotonous? Sure. But it's going in my playlist!

I have loved the Strokes for a while and really enjoyed this album

favorites: the modern age; someday; hard to explain

Listened to this while playing Final Girl. I won! I remember downloading this album illegally back in the day. I probably would have given it a solid 4 back then...but now it gets a 3. A few great catchy songs...definitely better than a lot of the other albums that made the cut for this list.

The debut album from The Strokes, an American Garage Rock band from New York City. 2001. Fun fact: the ablum released in Australia first apparently because they got some buzz while being a supporting act for "You Am I"'s tour. I tried reading some critical reviews from the time, retrospective opinons by fans, and the lyrics while I was listening to this one. Both critics of the time and retrospective fans have a beloved feeling towards this album. Descriptions you can find both have to say about the album is "Timeless classic," "formative," and "influential." It's interesting to see people echo the same praise they said back when it first released. Is that truly a testament to the album? Based on my own music history knowledge and experience, this style did become very popular in the early 00's. You can find earlier instances of this style but with any aesthetic taste, it's origin is irrelevant to its popularity. People will like it when they like it. It's kind of stereotypical teen/young adult album. Its tales are about the problems people so often face in young love and trying to find their place in the world as they emerge from the inbetween of child and adult. The song writer feeling anxiety, directionless, and lonely in their life. Even some of the frustration voiced in songs like "Alone, Together," feel like there's a lack of conviction/action behind it. At least to me. And all this so say, it feels so very stereotypically Millenial from top to bottom. If someone other than me ends up reading this and they happen to like The Strokes or this album in particular then do not take offense to me saying I didn't like this one. I didn't hate it either. Perhaps we can blame the fact I'm not in the inbetween of child and adult, unsure and anxious with life where this might speak to me. Or perhaps we blame the highsight from which I get to hear this album through. If it was so influential then so many other albums that came after it have surpassed it both musically, lyrically, and emotionally that I can't give it more than a 5/10.

The little doodle-doo-do squiggle at the start of this album, followed by the drums kicking in, is one of the most pavlovian sounds in my life, I think. it's the most immediate time machine back to 2001-4 that exists. What a thrill it was for the Strokes to arrive, seemingly fully formed, onto to the scene. I remember being at Leeds 2001 when they initially were on a tiny stage and then got bumped and bumped in response to the way they just exploded. Anyway, in the main, this album isn't just nostalgic, it's also really good and very stylish. It's not quite perfect - there's a little bit of a lack of subtlety or variety in it. But did I love it? Yeah, course I did.

Just a very middle of the road rock record. I thought that it was made earlier than the 2000's. But I was wrong there.

One of the coolest sounding rock bands. Two days in a row with full 5/5 albums.

Damn, this was a pleasant surprise! Really enjoyed it. It started a bit slow but had some great songs in the middle. Favorites: Last Nite, Hard to Explain, Someday. 8/10 Most Excellent

I haven't listened to any of The Strokes before this, but I really enjoyed this album. It screams early 2000s punk in the guitar and stylized vocals. Some of the songs run into the issue of all sounding the same. But this was a pretty solid album for being their debut. I would definitely listen to more.

Adoreeei... Não havia ouvido um álbum inteiro dos Strokes.. Música pra beber e cantar!

A blast of nostalgia, solid 6 out of 10.

4 from both of us. Jeff: instant classic. Simran: already knew it, if you know you know.

This IS It