Is This It

yup

90s Rock was officially over in 2001, we'd survived the few years dalliance with Nu-Metal and bands like The Strokes, The White Stripes, The Vines, and Kings of Leon were here to bring the garage band style cool back. Low production values are the order of the day here, make it sound like it's recorded in one take on a busted 4 track in some guys 3rd floor walk-up in the Lower East Side (in reality it was in a basement in the East Village, but who counting here?). Julian Casablancas is dripping in understated coolness, Albert Hammond and Nick Valensi have serious guitar duels throughout, Fabrizio Moretti brings a tribal drum feel but my MVP is Nikolai Fraiture and his driving bass, it kicks in during the title track and then I knew what I wanted to do, I wanted to play bass like that.... But I never could. Anyway, this is a classic, stone cold classic garage rock revival, biblical!

Gefällt sehr gut von Anfang an direkt. Paar bekannte Songs helfen zwischendurch. Aber auch sonst kurzweilig

Hard to believe this is a pre-9/11 album. So fresh and undeniably fun - in retrospect has had an immeasurable influence on the scene. No faults

This slick, flawlessly mixed and produced debut from The Strokes almost makes it worth it to have to deal with The Ramones as a pop culture phenomenon.

Absolute banger. Strong album all the way through.

banger!

If you've just listened to this album for the 1st or 2nd time, it really creeps up on you. First you think, oh this is a fun rock album, nothing too special. A couple listens later the songwriting and the performances just grip you tight and never let go. One of the best rock albums ever made for me.

Just a perfect garage rock band/album. Had this in regular rotation in the early 2000's, so this took me back.

Near perfection.

I love the sequencing on this how it doesn’t really seem like the band is going to be able to keep their groove together the first few songs, and then when you hit Barely Legal and then Someday and realize they are in complete control. I have to speak my truth, though, and admit that, while I knew them before, I only really came to the strokes because of their inclusion on the 2002 Spider-Man soundtrack

An absolutely fantastic modern rock album. I had heard of Julian Casablancas before but never actually listened to the band. First thing I've liked enough so far to make me actually want to seek out the band's other work.

Simple, fun, catchy, groovy, jammy, sexy, beautiful, extravagant, clean, dirty, global, passionate, friendly, savvy, luscious, gifted, powerful, electric, home-grown, sweet, cool, dashing

All around stellar album.

Excellent stuff

I started ranking my top albums of the year in 2000. The Strokes’ Is This It was my #1 in 2001 and I also chose it as my top album of the decade. The right mix of attitude, guitars and melody. A classic!

One of my favorite bands/albums of all time <3

Lovely stuff. Used to be a favourite when it was first out

Nostalgísk en hefur líka elst ansi vel. Mjög gott samspil tveggja gítara, raddfilterinn vel notaður, lögin grípandi og skemmtileg, og ef ég ætti að nefna eina plötu frá árinu 2001 er þessi sú fyrsta sem kemur í hugann. Fullt hús.

I have sought out this album before, so I'd call it 5/5

Tremendo discazo. Cantidad de temas buenos.

Classic

Always preferred the fractal cover to the butt cover. It’s so hard not to overstate how impactful this album was. It was such a tight debut, not a single skip. All the hipster kids at my hs worshipped Julian casablancas. This album and room on fire always reminds me of that time in my life. Fav song has to be trying your luck

I love this album. This was a staple in high school.

Really great punk, indie rock album from the Strokes! I love Julian Casablancas' vocals and the bands' overall sound. Favorite Song(s): "Someday", "Last Nite", "Hard To Explain"

Somehow this album makes New York in 2001 sounds 100x cooler than Billy Joel made 1977 New York sound which is impossible. Went into it planning to give it a 4 but enjoyed my drive to work so much I missed my turn. Extra points for this being Henry’s favourite album when he was 3.

Probably the most important rock album of the aughts. The sound is a bit stale in 2023, (maybe because I’ve heard it so many times) but it’s a modern rock classic. 4.6

Nepobabies but not deducting anything for it

All killer, no filler

11/3/23. Another all time favorite of mine! Lost count of how many times I’ve listened to this. A staple from 2000s indie rock that stays with me today.

This is goooooood. It's got the throwback garage band sound, while still taking every advantage of music production and quality.

Obvious indie classic. Too lazy to expand upon that thought.

Non-stop infectious pop-rock

This is definitely in my top 100 albums. It’s so good

Uno de los mejores discos de la década de los 00 y super influyente para el género del garage rock. La producción se convirtió en la foto, el punto a llegar, lo que todo el mundo quiere para su sonido en su banda. Gracias a al constante uso de distorsión en la voz se convirtió en uso común en el género y gran parte a Julián Casablancas. Más allá de esto, el trabajo de guitarras es impecable, con juegos de guitarras gemelas donde una le responde a otra y donde desempeñan una labor única. Tanto el bajo y la batería no hacen nada de otro mundo, pero dan lo justo que necesita en ocasiones las canciones. No sobrecargar una sección o varias es también una virtud. El único punto malo es que en ocasiones la voz llega al punto en que se empata con todo y a veces no se diferencia una canción de otra. Hitazo: Last nite Canción favorita: someday Sorpresa: Hard to explain

Perhaps THE most influential and important album of the 21st century

Awesome album

Really good album. Liked every single song

LOVE this. The sounds is the same throughout, but, I think it's interesting and well timed.

Classic. Great vibes all around

Believe the hype - no weak tracks here, The Strokes make a perfect rock pop album. Infectious, enduring, exciting, unpretentious, no song overstays its welcome and the album clocks in at just under 40 minutes (would fit on one side of a C90 cassette *sigh*).

Star ratings suck.

Yup. This album absolutely SLAPS! I’d say there’s no skips on this beast of an album. The popular songs slap. The non popular songs slap even harder. I love it. I love it. I FUCKING love the OG album cover. Ez 5. I say it’s the best Strokes album IMHO

Easy 5. Era-defining album.

Literally some of my favorite songs of all time

Very good! Love the base strumming.

Very good, classic sound for the era. Too short if anything.

Really good album end to end. Only miss was maybe NYC Cops but even that has its moments.

Never been through this before. From a 20-year distance, this was pretty cool. A really big change from the grunge and post-grunge sounds that came before. Some really catchy songs.

This album is such a joy. Every single track is catchy and awesome. I was already pretty familiar with the album. I could listen to it over and over.

Considered giving it a 4, but couldn't find anything to knock it over. So, it earns a 5.

Hipster sleaze classic.

Absolute banger of a debut album!!! Not a bad song start to finish. I’ve loved this album since I first heard it at 12/13 years old plus it includes the first song I ever learned on bass guitar New York City Cops. This album is one of the best debut albums of all time in my opinion but it is right up my street musically so it might now hit that way for most.

Outstanding album, always worth a relisten

Brilliant. I listened 3 times in a row.

Superb album, every song on it is perfect and I loved it

5/5 Every song is a banger. No skips, never bored and groovy. love it for the 3rd album :-)

Classic

beautiful classic

One of my favourite albums of all time - loved it from my very first listen - my introduction to The Strokes and it changed my life! There's something in Julian Casablancas' vocals that compliments the music so well, and I love the understated chord structures.. it just reeks of effortless cool. To a 90's child growing up around boybands and other like-music coming out at the time, this was a breath of fresh air... I will always come back to this album.

LP

Probably more like 4 stars, but this album had a big influence on me in high school. It was the first time I heard modern music that sounded like it could have been from the 70s. It was really different than all the alternative that got so much play on Z104.5. This album suggested to me that there was a lot of world outside of Tulsa. I must have listened to it 500 times. It's tight with almost no filler--it doesn't overstay its welcome.

good vibes, didnt realize it was more modern rock

Defined a whole decade of rock. So catchy and the band is incredibly tight.

Classic reminder of my early 2000s debauchery. Had it burned from Kazaa or something and it didn’t leave my car cd player for months. A no skip album, masterpiece.

LOS AMOOOOOOOO 9/10

Sick album. Lots of rocking tunes.

What an amazing album. Full of fuzzy guitars and distorted vocals, filled with the sounds and experiences of New York. At a time just before 9/11, The Strokes were able to bust through into one of the most critically acclaimed albums of the decade. Who went onto go and inspire a whole gamut of British rock bands including the likes of The Libertines and the Arctic Monkeys. It is truly a crime that it only made No. 33 in the US charts. Best: Last Nite Worst: Take It Or Leave It 4.5 Stars

Amazing album, it sets a punk-ish tone with nice riffs.

Absolutely amazing album which had a huge influence in todays music

Yy

I was going to try to be critical and not just auto give it a 5 rating, but this is just a very well put together album. Some amazing hits on here. Great length and lyrical composition.

heard several times previously. Is This It got stuck in my head later. listened to getting ready for work, driving there, and while walking jerry and driving home.

In the early 2000s, alternative (basically anything but pop) was languishing. Grunge had run its course, rapcore was making us ill, and EDM was something for the clubs but not the radio. Then, along comes the Strokes. Raw like punk but with songs like OG pop, they were a breath of fresh air and kicked off the retro revival movement of the 2000s. Soon after bands like the White Stripes, Kaiser Chiefs, and Hives were reminding us of what rock music was supposed to be, Besides being influential, it's also just packed with great songs. Last Night, the best known song on the album, is the story many of us have lived. "Is This It" is raw, unadulterated, and vital.

Soooooo two minded about this: on the one hand I loved every single second of this album with the creative riffs and catchy lyrics but I also felt it got a little stale towards the end. Taking away these second thoughts from after it was an almost perfect album. The Strokes are one of those bands which are just so solid and will be a cheeky safe listen whenever they come on aux. I will have to say I will be listening to it again.

Some absolute bangers (New York City Cops, Last Nite, Take It Or Leave It). Some tracks haven't aged as well. So much youthful energy and swagger that could not be replicated in their future albums. Very influential on the next decade of "indie" guitar music (Kings of Leon went on to become probably the most popular band in the world for a few years by basically changing their sound to copy the Strokes). 2001 teenaged me would have hit 5 stars without a second thought. 2023 me agonised for ages over whether it still deserves 5 stars. I have finally got off the fence and decided it still deserves 5 stars (just)

At 36 minutes this is a really short album, but that means there's no filler. It's a great album

This is it.

One of the best rock albums released during early 21st century. An ode to garage NYC rock bands like Television and Modern Lovers. Each song does its thing and finishes before turning boring. Great sequencing, production and spectacular guitar tone. Maybe all I wrote above is a big cliche - nothing new to this album. Love it!

Nostalgic!

such a classic and influential album. so so so important.

all time favorite

Love this album so so much. Easily one of my favorites so far. Always reminds me of driving around with K and makes me wanna sing along.

I was actually SO surprised by this album. I loved it!! I'm going to go listen to more of their songs now!

I've always been a big fan of this album. I think this is one of the strongest debut albums out there and this came out in my early high school years and had a major impact on me. It got me into other more interesting bands as well based on the influences they cited. I have listened to this album a number of times over the years more recently as well to see if it still held up and I think it 100% does. I love this one, 5/5. Standout Tracks: Is This It, The Modern Age, Soma, Barely Legal, Someday, Alone Together, Last Nite, Hard to Explain, When It Started, Trying Your Luck, Take It or Leave It

A classic

I really hated most of the Indie-surgence that happened in the mid 2000's, but you can't deny a genuinely amazing album when you hear it. 1000x better than the overly contrived nonsense that a lot of their contemporaries were putting about. One of the only Indie albums I actually enjoy, and I absolutely love it at that. Not a single bad or even mediocre song on there (although New York City Cops is new to me?? Mustnt have been on the UK CD version). My head's going 4* for the Indie, my heart is going for the full 5*

Probably their most consistent album, a classic.

I’ve heard a few songs by The Strokes. I remember enjoying Reptilian on Guitar Hero back in the day, and have since heard a few more at the indie bars out and about. I’m hopeful for this album today! It is also worth mentioning the album cover as it is so very famous at this point. It only takes a quick glance and you know exactly what album this is. Songs I already knew: Someday, Last Nite Favourites: Someday, Last Nite, The Modern Age This was such good fun from front to back. I don’t think there was a single moment that I wasn’t bopping my head and enjoying myself while listening to this. It is definitely rock music, but with enough pop sensibilities thrown in to keep everything catchy and stuck in your head. The vocals are distinctive and recognisable. The music isn’t exactly anything groundbreaking as it doesn’t try anything new, but it doesn’t need to as it is great at what it does.

Classic, perfectly evocative of the early part of the century. I loved it at the time, and I love it now.

I had a friend in high school and college who absolutely loved The Strokes, but it took me until the very late aughts to start listening to them. I wish I had started listening to them when I was in high school, because I think I would have really liked them. I eventually bought some of their albums, and even saw them at ACL in 2010. Over the last decade and a half or so, I've gotten pretty familiar with this album, and I was really excited to be assigned it today. I was listening to a fair amount of alternative rock radio when this came out, but I don't remember ever hearing any of the songs off of it. That's really a shame, although not surprising for our local alternative station, who still plays Evanescence pretty regularly. I can't think of anyone else who was making rock music like this at that time. A lot of the bands topping the rock charts kind of had 'their own gimmick,' but The Strokes were pretty gimmick-less; they just played great guitar rock and tight drum beats with great vocals and lyrics. In my opinion, nothing they were doing was rocket science, but they were in the minority of people doing it, and they did it really well. Out of their whole catalog, this album best exemplifies their talents at mastering simplicity while crafting a truly original sound. Every song on this album is great, and the singles are exceptional. In addition to being great music, this album kicked the door open for indie rock's explosion in the aughts. This album is still amazing almost two decades later, and remains one of the most fun albums in my usual rotation. Favorite track: Last Nite, by a hair over Someday

Darling your head's not right

Fantastic album, make sure to listen to the non-US release!

My favorite album of all time. Great songs, great production, music and lyrics. Just great rock n roll. The best album ever made 6*

Easiest 5 if my life, bless the strokes banishing shite dad rock to the 90s

Great strokes album

Top 3 Songs: 1 - Hard To Explain (8) 2 - The Modern Age (2) 3 - Trying Your Luck (10)

Yes, this is it

One of my favorite albums ever and a strong source of nostalgia for a particular time in my life and place in the world when this album dropped.

Really good and interesting album. This was one of the first albums that made me get into music at all, I felt like it changed how I listened to music and it made me more interested in finding more music like this.

An incredibly fun, catchy and infectious album, that had a big influence on the indie rock scene that came after the release of this record. Is this it? Yes, it is this!

I knew it'd be getting a five, because I know and like every song on here except for one, which is still decent. I don't know what else to say besides this album goes hard. My favourite songs were probably When It Started, Trying Your Luck, and Is This It, but it's hard to choose!

This album is the quintessential 2000's indie rock sound. Fucking love it. So simple but so great.

I love The Strokes. And what a debut! The only question I have to ask myself with this album is whether to give it 4 stars or 5 stars. It’s a great album - but is my favourite of theirs? No. Is it still worthy of a 5? …. Yes I think so. Fav tracks (they’re all good): Someday, Soma, Is This It, Hard To Explain Least fav: Barely Legal (great song, creepy concept)

Oh man this album is just a cover to cover masterpiece. 5/5 no notes

A classic lo-fi sounding alt indie garage rock classic. Stand out tracks - Someday - Hard to Explain - Alone. Together - New York City Cops - Barely Legal - Soma

Great album. Will listen again. Favorite song: New York City Cops

Fucking great mate

Simple, Lofi, fantastic. I love everything about this album.

Top top top album

Mostly ignored this at the time as it didn’t feel like it was for me… Seemed a bit style over substance… How wrong I was. Have since enjoyed their most recent album and been meaning to revisit. Glad I did, I can see what the fuss is about now.

Classic riffs, great lyrics, great songs

love so much

Fire

Fantastic back to front. Great writing, great hooks.

All-time great album. Not a bad song

Perfection

Stone cold classic easy 5/5. Game changing album that was a seminal part of the way my music taste is shaped today

An absolute classic album that captures the early 2000's indie scene as well as any album could. "Is This It" was such a great album the Strokes following albums, even those that were actually good, seemed to pale in comparison. The Strokes last few albums have been interesting and well done as well, but rock music doesn't come as simple and catchy as this. The worst part of the album is when "NY City Cops" was replaced by "When it Started," which would have been a great song on their follow up album. Of course, after 9/11 "NY City Cops" was not seen as appropriate. What's so great about this album is how the best tracks are hidden towards the end of the album. Pretty much a perfect album.

Alright I waited 1.5 years to rate this because every time I listen to it I keep going back and forth between a 4 and a 5. Some would say that shows how divisive this album is. I think it shows the lack of decision-making ability I have. What am I doing with my life?

I've never seen this album cover, truth be told, but Max Jr. is a big fan. (I wanna smack it so bad). This was the first Strokes album I listened to as a whole, and it's my favorite. In my mind, their other ones can't really compete with this guy. I listened to this for the first time two Aprils ago, so it's fitting that I come full circle with it at the end of this beautiful month.

noice

Amazing album A+

This album has so much energy. The bass lines were really fun. I’m glad I read the other reviews and learned that “New York City Cops” was taken off the U.S. version of the album - it was worth the listen. Overall a cohesive and consistently solid album. Favorite tracks: Soma, Someday, Last Night. 5/5.

I’m already a fan of The Strokes, particularly their most recent album and this one, but I knew this one was due a re-listen as I haven’t listened to it all the way through since I first listened and I have to say this album is near perfection. There are so many reasons that make this album fantastic, the one that stands out to me the most is the cohesion between the drums and the guitar. For the most part they sound fairly fast paced but not a lot of the songs follow that feeling despite how they sound as there is a good mixture of relaxed moments to balance out the songs. A great example is ‘Alone, Together’ as the first 2/3 of the song follows a steady drum beat with a varying guitar mixture until the last minute and a half where both instruments pick up and the vocalist, Julian, really picks up which leads to a great guitar solo at the end. Another key example of this is ‘The Modern Age’ as we get this dreary guitar mix for most of the song but it’s the pairing with Julian’s vocals as he goes from a harsh tone to a softer singing chorus when the instruments open up some space, and of course this song has a guitar solo too that’s just fantastic. Some of the more underrated songs here, in my opinion anyways, are ‘Trying Your Luck’ which is one of the more relaxed cuts which has an almost emotional undertone to it in the way Julian delivers his vocals, it’s almost Arctic Monkeys-esque. The other underrated track being, ‘Hard To Explain’ which has this consistent guitar leading the track which is opened up for some drums during the chorus. Julian’s vocals are also quite mudded in the instrumental so you’re way more driven by the tone of the track, and I think it just works so well. This wouldn’t be a review if I didn’t mention the more popular tracks. First being ‘Someday’ which is one of the few tracks where Julian stands out more than the instruments however it’s not by much. The drums are also very prominent on this track where the instrumental is built up and then is left to just the drums and some guitar in the back around the middle of the track. For me this track definitely sounds the most indie rock to me, I think Julian mostly singing on this helps as well. The most popular track ‘Last Nite’ is appropriately the leading track to the album based off the chorus and the build up to it, Julian’s vocals really contribute here and make it a killer track. I’d also like to mention the opening and closing tracks, the opening title track is the most relaxed track here as the vocalist follows a steady tone and the instrumental stays fairly calm. Not one of my favourites but I think it’s a great opener which could also be the closer from the sound of it. The outro is a bit more abrasive and has less focus on the lyrics, almost sounds like Julian is frustrated as he’s telling the person he’s interested in to make up their mind already, I would’ve liked a bit of a slower outro song but this is still great. For how cool it sounds, ‘New York City Cops’ is probably one of my least favourites just down to the chorus, it’s just sort of meh but the pre chorus I really like especially with the lead guitarist. Overall, this album is nothing less than brilliant. For the 36 minute run time it sounds so short and I could easily Dow it another 10 minutes of music and it still wouldn’t sound long. Since this came up I’ve listened through the album 5+ times now and I’m just so hooked, such a great listen and undeniably one of my favourites. 5/5

easy 5

- Classic album - Julian's voice is fantastic - So many iconic songs - Favorite songs: Hard to Explain, Someday, Barely Legal

- several all-time alt-rock bangers on this album - Guitar is phenomenal - Vocal distortion is unique and fantastic

Este disco me recuerda enteramente mi adolescencia. estudíaba economía por allá del 2004-2005. apenas me contraba en mi despertar musical, no conocía mucho, solo nirvana, beatles y algunas cosillas basicas. un amigo me sugirio este disco, el lo escuchaba y cambio mi percepción de la musica. habí amás personas preguntandose otras cosas, teniendo dilemas tal y como yo no todo eran señores con problemas absurdos. tambien para variar había jovenes confundidos y ebrios.

One of my favorite albums by one of my favorite bands. Their debut album is probably their overall best as almost every song on this is a solid hit. The guitar rhythms are simplistic yet energetic and catchy. The lyrics are great and have a decent angst to them without being overtly punky. Overall this may be one of my most listened to album and I don’t think there is a better album from the 2000s. 10/10

An excellent album through and through. It's not something I listened to when it first came out, since I would have only been three years old, but I've grown to love this over the last couple of years now I've really started to vibe with this kind of Indie music. To be honest, for a long time I thought this was older than it actually was, testament to the garage-rock and post-punk revival movement that this album just oozes. This is just a real mood-booster of an album, and I wouldn't be surprised if, with a few more listens, this gets up there as one of my favourite rock albums. Favourite: Someday

One of my favorite album of all time.

Flawless

I love everything about this album, perfection! One of my favorite albums of all time by one of the greatest bands of all time.

YASSSSS. A classic. MEDIUM9/10

I enjoy this album from front to back. Pretty crazy that this is a debut album from a group of high school friends. Many other bands have imitated that lo-fi, droning sound but not have done it as well as the strokes do on this album.

One of my favorites

Incredible, simple chords, super catchy. A true classic.

a 21C Band. Rock. Live is alive. Rock is back. Yeah, every track builds on the last in rising mood and tempo and an evolving style. We are getting there, alright. Ah yes Bore and Stroke and Injection and Exhaust. All apt analogies for the cover action. The tone and rising intensity keeps ramping,; we are working our way along the tacho ... Everything is new but familiar. It borrows everything from the previous 2-3 decades. Like the Matrix film did. It works as a whole. Fresh. Propulsive. Tickles my fancy. BOOM!

Va ser vertaderament revolucionari. No només va fer tornar el rock a les llistes i els gustos en una época on l'electrònica, el hip hop i el nu metal acaparaven tot. També va fer que el rock pogués ser novedós, original (fins a cert punt), cool, interessant. Tots ells adjectius que li quedaven gran al génere de feia molts anys. Va originar tot un allau de grups i discos que van fer reviure el rock com no es veia des dels '70s. Tot això al començament d'un nou mil.leni. Màgia pura

<3

New millennium Marquee Moon with a Spinal Tap booty. The 2000s were horrific. It is records like this that sustained us

Love this album. I'm going 5 because there was a period of time where i listened to this once a day 5/5

Review tbc

Love this album - can't believe it is over 20 years old. I feel ancient... Such a good sound - forgot there are some good songs on here other than just the hits.

6th January 2023 Actually listened a few times throughout the day it’s that good. Lunch out in Cheltenham, kingsholm in the evening with Thom Warren. It’s just too good. Tight, muscular, every song is a banger.

nah man this album is fucking perfect i'm sorry my fav nepo baby i love u julian

All time classic the strokes sound. makes me want to live in new york

The album that changed 00’s music and culture for the better, one of my all time favourite bands, this is a perfect album. One of my all time favourites.

Джулиан Касабланкас универсальный и крутой артист, это их магнум опус, на пару с альбомом 2020 года, который я у меня тоже в топ-3 альбомов того года, просто альбом без скипов который можно врубить и не выключать. Лучшие песни: Is This It, The Modern Age, Someday, Last Nite, Trying Your Luck

god this album is so good no misses what’s left to say. Every week / month I change my favourite songs but best tracks: New York City cops, last nite, trying your luck

Een van mijn favoriete albums van de 00s. Fijne basloopjes, geinige gitaarriffjes, karakteristieke zang (zonder op Elvis Costello te lijken).

It’s arguably one of the most influential debut albums of all time and gave rock music a much needed revival. Definitely one of my favourites.

This record changed my life. I listen to it once a week and it always makes me happy.

yes

Catchy melodies and minimalist arrangements make for concise songcraft. 'Is This It' and 'When It Started' are both bass-heavy favorites.

Is this what I think it is? Is This It?? There's no way... back-to-back 5's? I have been blessed by the album generator gods. I suspected I'd love this album even though I've never actually fully listened through it until today. I'm a fan of the newest Strokes album and this one lived up to the hype. The songs are very simple and warm, but incredibly catchy and just fun to listen to. I also love the rawness that every song has, as if the band just casually walked into the studio and recorded each in a single take with little manipulation or engineering needed. My only complaint is minor and it is that I wish the vocals were not always so muffled. I would've preferred if they were more in the forefront I think. 9/10

Absolute belter from start to finish. Undeniably now a ‘classic’ and the quintessential early 00s ‘New York’ band. Shame they influenced so much shit in the mid 00s (although some of the blame must lie with the Libertines…) but they can be forgiven. Tomorrow’s album wont be as good as this.

Amazing album with a distinctive sound. Released in the early 2000s when a lot of these albums are going to be nostalgic for me. "Last nite" rivals "Mr brightside" in the played to death category but the album has so many other great songs Gets better as it goes on. Hard to explain, new York city cops, trying your luck and take it or leave it are all great

I really liked this album. It hit the perfect mix of grunge and almost every song had an excellent bass line. While I wouldn’t expect everyone to like it, I can see myself listening to it again and again

Instant 5 Star album! "Is This It" - A good LoFi sounding indie song with a very rounded bass sound that cuts through the faded sound of the rest of the song quite well. "The Modern Age" - A good song but certainly not my favorite on the album. "Soma" - I think this is a bit of an underrated song on the album. A very good intro though the rest leaves a tiny bit to be desired. "Barely Legal" - A really good song and I like the guitar on the bridge and the bass work. The chorus guitar work is not my favorite though. "Someday" - My personal favorite song on the album. It is an all time classic indie rock song that I listen to on a regular basis. "Alone, Together" - In terms of deep cut tracks this is the one I would say is the best. "Last Nite" - Another all time indie rock classic. While the most popular it is not the best to me. It is a great song with so much good energy to it. "Hard To Explain" - My number 2 track on the album I would say. It is nice and bouncy making for a good listen. "New York City Cops" - A good song that has a wonderfully accurate political message to it that sadly is still too accurate 21 years later. "Trying Your Luck" - This is a lot more chill than the rest of the album which is also a good thing for me. It is one of the tracks that I notice more of the lyricism on. Also really good sounding bass and a nice chunky guitar tone. "Take It Or Leave It" - Good song, but not my personal favorite song but has good energy. I would like it more a little higher in the track listing to end the album on the chill of the previous track, but that's just personal preference. An all time classic album and one of my personal favorites!

Az ciezko pomyslec, ze dopiero teraz trafilo sie cos od the strokes, album ktory ciezko zapomniec, nie tylko ze wzgledu na charakterystycznie piekne ksztalty na okladce, ktore hamerykanow wprowadzaly w zgorszenie, ale jest to chyba jeden z moich ulubionych krazkow jesli chodzi indyjskie granie z wczesnych lat 2k, piecoosobowy sklad pokazal na tym 35 minutowym materiale pokazal jak szeroko potrafia zagrac, calosc jest mocno szorstkim brzmiacym garazowo miksem, wiec nie brakuje tutaj gitarowych solowek Valensi i Hammonda, do tego drumowanie metronomowe robiace tlo dla gitar i poteznego basiora oraz charyzmatyczne wokale pana Casablancasa, ktory rowniez odpowiada za teksty wszystkich utworow, to dostajemy mocno sluchalny zestaw, ktory dodatkowo jak dla mnie jest ubrany w najdrozsze odzienia, bo dobre wspomnienia, album od mlodych ludzi o mlodych ludziach dla mlodych ludzi, na plejke nie dodam nic wiecej, bo i tak polowa albumu tam siedzi, ale hajlajtowymi trakami sa dla mnie last nite, take or leave it i someday, ale 11 kawalkow na plycie sprawia, ze nie ma tutaj zadnych filerow, a jedynie mocno wypchany materialem krazek, jak przystalo na rokowe debiuty

enjoyed it, still am

This one’s a favorite. Saw them open for the chili peppers a few weeks ago and was super impressed too.

It’s happened. It’s a big day. This album is one I have listened to so many times but I still wanted to make sure it warranted 5 stars. I listened to it 3 times yesterday, one of them basically reading the lyrics on Spotify and I am comfortable in saying that this album is a certified banger. Favourite song - Barely Legal One for karaoke - Someday One for a run - Last Nite What a debut album. I don’t think Mojo would be the same bar without some of these songs.

Great

I know it's been hyped and over-celebrated and it's not entirely original but it's a breath of fresh air to me. This is exactly the kind of sound I like. Cool neat tunes in a 'back-to-basics' format. So assured and authentic. This is it.

Really cool album. Feel like it has influenced a lot of punk or indie.

This album strikes a perfect rock/punk/pop balance for me. Melodic but also grungy, like Nirvana filtered through some happymaking drugs. Aptly titled Soma is a standout, makes me want to jump back and forth with a grin on my face. And Last Nite is one of those songs that puts my awe up to 11 with how much they do with so little.

Scissor lean songwriting and perfect guitar-bass-guitar interplay. Every instrument has a job with brooding croons as the perfect juxtaposition.

A solid album!

I liked This Is It, Barely Legal, and Take It or Leave It. Never really listened to those before.

One of my favorite garage albums of that movement. An essential piece of 2000’s rock. I love this album. Gritty yet flashy. Simple and straightforward. Exactly what rock n roll should be.

Banger absolu

A great album, they have such an iconic sound, and this album is holding up well to my ear.

The production of "a band that is from the past transported to make a record today" works very well for me. I love the garage-rock/lofi aesthetic and the heavy distorted vocals are completely in my wheelhouse. Lots of the songs are kind of perfect indie-guitar-pop of the 2000s, if you wanted to know what indie-rock in 00s is, I'd point you here. Not a single back track, really.

Masterpiece

Love this record

This is a favorite of mine so I'm a bit biased. Easy 5/5 Stars. One of if not the best album of the 2000s

Hahaha this being the first album is amazing… all time classic, love the strokes

Amazing era defining album probably a 4.5 but rounded up to a 5

This is a great rock album. Adds to the canon and still feels exciting and vital today. A classic.

it's a 5. I love this album so much. This is the first album I've gotten where I probably know all the songs and a lot of the words. The fact that this is their first album and it's so perfect already is really incredible. Their sound is so nostalgic and lo fi and melodic. I love how apathetic Julian's voice is. Perfect for listening to in the car. My favs are someday, hard to explain, soma and is this it. it's main character music for a film.

<3

The saviours of Indie Rock

Por algo los llaman "los salvadores del rock", simplemente espectacular

Kan tänka mig få bättre pop-skivor...

Greatest Debut album ever and one of the greatest ever 10/10

This album got me through an awkward summer in college. Wholeheartedly in love with this one, and the songs are so catchy and fun.

Fierce. A classic addition to the NYC lexicon of rock and roll.

One of the greatest rock albums of the 20th century. So strong from beginning to end with multiple modern classics. So hard to pick between Last Nite and Someday for favorite tune, but I’ll give the edge to Someday.

Rich boys pretend to be a scuzzy garage band and pull it off with aplomb. Yeah, you can barely understand the lyrics but that adds to the charm. Wailing guitar solos, motorik drums and tunes that bury themselves in your ear as if you're wearing the helmet for Wrath of Khan. All that and a possible reference to Spinal Tap on the cover? What a debut! Best Tracks: Someday; Last Nite; Hard To Explain

Sometimes just when you think rock 'n roll is dead an album appears that shows that it is alive and kicking. " Is This It" is such an album. Fantastic songs, lyrics performance and that bit of "je ne sais quoi " that makes it a classic album.

Rating: 9/10 Best songs: Is this it, Someday, Alone together, Last nite, Hard to explain, New York City cops, Take it or leave it

Great slice of rock. Really enjoyed it.

I remember when this album came out. It sort of seemed like rock and roll was dead, and then this album came out and it was like, not quite dead yet! (Of course, it has since died, but it was nice to have this brief glimmer of life.) This is really a pretty amazing debut album, taking elements of punk, indie, 80's alternative, Velvet Underground, and all sorts of other stuff and putting it all together in a really enjoyable way. 5 stars.

grandeee strokes é isso aí

Snotty trust-fund jerks make good.

EU CONHECIAAAA MT BOOOM melhor que o de ontem

One of my all time favorites

Haven't listened to this in forever. I really really enjoyed the relisten though. 5/5

Still as fresh as ever. One of my all time favourites. I never tire of it. Cover art: 5/5

What a momentous debut. Everything about this album is iconic: the catchy songwriting, the crunchy and well mixed instruments and Julian Casablancas signature vocal distortions. It sounds phenomenal. I think this album pretty much single-highhandedly kicked off the indie rock movement that is still going to this day. I won't continue to gush, but I think it suffices to say that yes, this is it.

I love The Strokes' vocals -- they've always got a bit of that trademark cool distortion, but never at the expense of actually understanding the lyrics. A lot of the instrumentation of the album feels simple and muted, but the album does not suffer for it; it allows the catchy rhythms of these songs to shine and when great guitar solos crop up, they're all the more stand-out due to the lack of overcomplicated music. The songs are short and sweet and to the point. There is something to be said about music that is not unnecessarily repetitive with its bridges and chorus. Looking back at this album in 2022, the sound and style that is present on this album was clearly setting a standard, as many indie rock bands in the 2000s and even 2010s would go on to use this as their guiding light. Definitely a defining moment in rock music. Simply put, The Strokes are just effortlessly cool on this album.

I have no idea why I like this album so much. The Strokes are a band that I should not like (their style, genre, etc. are all things that don't usually work for me). I don't know if it's nostalgia or what, but I love this album.

Don’t listen to me. This album has insane nostalgia armor. This album gets to my feels like few others. Take It or Leave It is one of the greatest songs ever.

Four stars and half An all-time classic, and an album which still holds its own two decades after it was released. As is usually the case with those classic albums, I won't write a full-blown review here given that others have already written wonderful stuff about them and there's not much I can add that I feel could be relevant and interesting. *Is This It* is just a timeless gem aimed at anyone who's into rock at large. Go and listen to this record a.s.a.p. Number of albums left to review or just listen to: 956 Number of albums from the list I find relevant enough to be mandatory listens: 20 (including this one) Albums from the list I *might* include in mine later on: 8 Albums from the list I will certainly *not* include in mine (many others are more important to me): 14 Albums I might not be the best person to judge, but that I *might* include in my final list: 3.

literally worn out the cd when this came out. They were never again this good.

Good aye, would get a 4.5 if that was a thing but I'll be generous. Lotta nostalgia off of Someday and it's sent me into a spiral over the last few days of early 00s (slightly indie) pop

Solid album. Classic and has quite a few bangers. I’m insanely drunk rn

The two things I remember when this album came out were that The Strokes were "The Next Big Band", the next Velvet Underground, all the critic's darlings, and the Controversy: they had to change the album cover for the North Amercan release (original shown below) and they had to remove the song "New York City Cops" due its content towards the police, and its release a month after 9/11/2001. Too bad that song rocks. This album took a beating during the Sync Listen. Some of it deserved; this album is purposely under produced (it didn't need to be). Are they garage just to be garage? Simplistic songs...the bands going through the motions. Leader singer Julian Casablancas sounds bored most of the time. But I would argue to the greatness of this album. Their singer has a unique, almost-Emo, style of going soft(sounding bored)- loud (screaming)-soft. The songs are simplistic; only three or four songs have guitar solos, that I heard, but the guitar sound is great. Otherwise, both guitarist are playing rhythm...if you see them live their interplay is incredible and a major strength of the band. Yet simplistic, there are no bad songs on this album and each song is unique. Most songs are about relationships. There were three songs released as singles, all still pretty much staples on rock radio: "Last Night", "Hard to Explain" and "Someday." My two favorite songs are "Alone, Together" with a great guitar solo and, especially, "Take it or Leave It" where the band picks up the pace and Casablancas sings with an urgency throughout which he doesn't do on any other song.

descoberta interessante

🤷

ta guardado no corazão esse não tem jeito

it's a worldy. its still up there as one of my most listened to albums and even if casablancasaurus ends up being a wrong 'un it'll keep being played a la the smiths. A shining glimmer of pure brilliance that lifted us up from the shite music of the time and sparked something new and exciting. wheras the rest of the scene that this album almost single handedly created is now terribly dated and derided this album still sits up at the top table. Most albums that I loved back in the day and still listen to are mainly for the nostalgia and listening to that music puts me in a place in time in my life and it feels like you were back there. this album is totally different, it is still so fresh and perfectly formed that it works for now and even though it is such a core root of my musical listening it isn't attached to any specific time and place. so in short this is timeless.

I often jump in the bath with my dad and his friend Rick. We would thrash around listening to 00's hits and tickling eachother's balls. One time Julian Casablancas joined us. He brought ice cream. It was just good clean, soapy, creamy fun. Much like this record.

Little known fact, the body on the front cover belongs to the infamous Andi "SHACK" McCormick. SHACK's naked flesh was considered so arousing that the album could not be released with this cover in the US.

Definitely a classic. I think I might like later Strokes more but that's project just because I know it better.

This album is a blast. Forgot how defining it was for me back in high school. Great tracks throughout.

I bought this album from one of those second hand CD shops where you could get big bundles of CDs for like a quid each in June 2013, on the day before my school prom. As a result, to me, this album sounds like me, aged 15, running around having a big fun time in the summer after exams. Without getting too personal, 2013 feels for me like my last year of proper childhood simplicity?? And this album reminds me of that even though the lyrics are very much not about that Okay RIGHT enough about me, what about the music?? The guitar solos are SO FULL OF ENERGY they're big and bouncy and amazing!! The Modern Age, Alone Together, Last Nite, all of them, they are BLOODY EXCELLENT Hard to Explain makes me very happy Someday is literally a sunny afternoon on the beach Can't really think of a dud on this one, I adore it

Oh boi I love this album. There are so many bangers, in fact every single track slaps. It still sounds as great as the first time I heard it. Someday and Modern Age are amazing but Hard to Explain is absolute PERFECTION. All hyped to see them in Spain now

SPLENDID. Looking forward to hearing this in June!

legendarisk!! fuck der er mange bangers xD

Another album I know well, still sounds brilliant. Love everything about it - the produced sound of the vocals (Iggy Pop on Lust for Life LP reminded me of this) the guitars, the drums, the bass, it’s all great & works as a whole. Mostly laid back, detached lyrics, a bit like a faster poppier Pavement but when he goes for it it really works. No song on here is over 4 minutes which keeps up the sing a long momentum, there’s not a bad track on here.

Amoooo, é muito importante pra minha vida! Marcou meu 2011. Favoritas: Is This It, The Modern Age, Soma, Hard To Explain, Trying Your Luck, Take It Or Leave It

Absolutely fantastic, most of the songs are the album are brilliant. Would happily listen if any of the songs on the track came on in a playlist, radio etc.

Standouts - Is This It; The Modern Age; Last Nite I know I've heard some of this album before, not sure if I've heard all of it. I enjoy the Strokes sound a lot and the songs on this album have good energy

Good rock album, short and sweet

gostei de cara. está entre os sons que eu curto. acho que tem a ver com o melancólico da introdução

Not so original but very much fun

Just so good. Love The Strokes. Absolute rock stars.

My favorite hipsters

The Strokerinos.

absolute banger of an album. love all the songs

Rockin

Wasn't too sure about the initial couple of songs, felt a bit shaky but once the album got going I really started to appreciate it and on a second listen I found the whole thing to be really good. Did think this was BritPop at first though. Memorable tunes and catchy lyrics; 'Someday', 'Last Nite', 'Hard To Explain', 'Trying Your Luck' & 'Take It Or Leave It' stood out. A lot of energy throughout. 'Barely Legal' made me somewhat uncomfortable. Note: 'When It Started' wasn't available on spotify for me.

One of my all-time favs.

A classic from my uni days. The story of the cover is good too.

Probably 4 stars but this album is huge to me.

I love the sound of this album. It is ohrwurms from start to finish. There is a driving punk persistence to every song, thanks to the near metronomic accuracy of the rhythm section. Check out "When It Started" or "The Modern Age" to see what I mean. Riding on top, is the collection of guitars and vocals, all wrapped in a warm distortion that provides a cunning disguise for just how precise and polished the performances really are. Tying it all together are the production details that create a sense of depth as you listen to them. Put on some headphones and the track "Roma" and listen to the guitars play tug-of-war with your attention and dance around on the aural stage.

Nevermind of the 00s

"You can almost feel the energy" 😆

Saved Prior: The Modern Age, Someday, Last Nite, Hard To Explain Saved: 11. Trying Your Luck *New York City Cops* 10. When It Started 9. Take It Or Leave It 8. Someday 7. Soma 6. The Modern Age 5. Is This It 4. Alone Together 3. Barely Legal 2. Last Nite 1. Hard To Explain Overall Notes: This album was so hard to rank, it is SO. GOOD. The sound of this album is iconic, from the washed out vocals to the guitar to the bass to the drums, everything is perfect. So glad I finally checked this album out after a decent amount of exposure to the Strokes, top 10 favorite albums of all time.

Hard to Explain is my favorite from this one

Never has an album felt so familiar yet been so new. It came out at such the right time. So much music had felt stale and to me this album revitalised music. I saw the Strokes a few days before this came out and the day the album came out, I ended up listening to it for about 8 hours on repeat. When it came up as my album yesterday, I listened to it about 5 times along with a few of their other albums.

Strokes are always a good listen.

Despite the band all being entitled art school types with rich parents this still sounded amazingly fresh when it was released. I saw them perform the album in order in Sheffield just after it was released and they were fantastic. A classic album

Excelent album!

Never gets old.

Yes this is it

Oh come on. I was 17 when this came out, it's not even fair. I remember hearing The Modern Age, and it was the coolest thing I'd ever heard. I could try to be cynical, to quote Eddie Argos, "I can't stand the sound of the Velvet Underground. I can't stand the sound, the second time around." But for me, because of my age, and because I'd been trying hard to care about bland crap like Turin Brakes because that was the alternative (also feeling guilty about the fact I was starting to care more about hip hop, drum and bass and garage, because I thought you had to pick a lane back then because I was a small town idiot) they were such a breath of fresh air.

Awesome album. I remember its release. Few things would have got my attention in these days but this did! 5

(2001) Similar Artists: Arctic Monkeys; Franz Ferdinand

Really digged this one. Great melodies and hooks.

Reminds me of college and garden level bars in Boulder. Bars that got grandfathered in with smoking rooms when it became illegal to smoke inside in public. I liked it then and I like it now. I've listened to it a few times this week and I'm not tired of it. I feel like bands have tried to emulate the sound of the album since it was hit, and a few bands got a song or two, but not an entire album.

i have listened to this album many times. It is the peak of minimalistic rock of the early 2000s. The catchy, upbeat, and sonically pleasing tones of the album make for a great listen whenever you want.

4.5

The first 21st century album tgat I've ever truly enjoyed, making me excited for indie rock that follows. Massive influence from garage rock and post-punk combined with alt rock that had been largely ignored in the decade prior. Songs are distinctive and exciting with constant instrumental shifts that match the emotional lyrics. Not a single weak song. Each has something unique I love about it. Great opening and closing too, allowing me to feel excited for what was to come and satisfied for how it ended.

Never ‘Erd of em mate. Despite what my Strokes wife beater says. I tried to be unbiased with my thoughts here. Not my favourite album of theirs but for a first album, of the time, it’s a pure banger factory. Listening to this yesteday reignited my love for this album and the nostalgia of learning the songs on bass 16 years ago, really brings it home for how fun this is. I was genuinely open to giving this a 3 or 4 but the re-listen brought it back for me. Especially after the 40 minute sitar love in earlier today.

5/5 wow bäst ingen protest. Garagerockens fäder. Bästa låt: Alla. Inget svagt spår, men extra cred till Barely Legal, Hard to Explain och Trying Your Luck.

is this it el clásico m encanta con mí ser

älskart, så mysigt!! älskar the strokes!

was already one of my faves

One of my all time favourites!

Why do you not rate any albums buddy

Peak album. On another note yall have some of the worst music taste ever like omg stop listening to music plss😭😭😭😭😭😭

The Strokes saved Rock and Roll. The least you can do is give them 4 stars…

The rebirth of garage rock. Crunchy guitar with hooks that grab you and a singer that oozes a rock and roll attitude. The only minor complaint is they kinda helped usher in the hipster era, but small price to pay for simple and pure rock energy,

Save the vocals, I love. Short, sharp rock

3.5/5

I had never heard this album but I was vaguely aware of it and know the big hits which are still played often someday and last nite which i think are my two favorites. I wish I'd listened to this album as a teen it was great and would have been cool to be current. When people talked about the strokes in hs I really was so off in my impression of what music they made lol

Strokin it

C’mon it’s the strokes. Great album

4.5

Álbum muito bom e perfeito para começar a ouvir the strokes

A pretty well constructed album. Some fairly generic indie beats for the time but overall strong. 4/5

Upper four stars

This is gritty and it rocks. Pioneers of the post-punk revival that was to come. I look forward to this becoming one of my favorite albums

It’s

7.5/10

Many of the individual tracks on this album are fairly weak, but the consistent and enjoyable style creates an listening experience that is better than the sum of its parts. Slightly overrated, but still excellent.

Another one that is almost impossible to listen to from overwhelming nostalgia. This was a hit from the first second. The filtering on the vocals is a little much. Not a five star but definitely a great record. Doesn't ask for anything just kinda dumb.

When I think of indie sleaze I think of the Strokes.

As a cliche millennial who watched both The OC and One Tree Hill when they were on air, I'm actually shocked to realize I've never listened to this album in full (though after a quick google, it seems like neither show had any of their songs featured which is wild). Anyway, it's not surprising I really enjoyed it. It reminds me of the Libertines (another nostalgic favourite band I'm excited to eventually get through this challenge) and I will definitely be exploring more of their catalogue after this.

Simple but effective - full of bangers

Fantastic album. Concise, catchy, and a sound that’s instantly nostalgic

Great early 2000's rock vibe. They have this low key bittersweet energy like watching old VHS tapes of your teenage years going by and reflecting on how you both are and aren't that person now. The guitar hooks and riffs pull many of the songs along and the frayed distorted vocals fit in perfectly. The singles are all great and the rest of the songs previously unknown to me all hit well.

Sounds so ahead of its time I seriously thought this came out in 2012 - this is a pre-9/11 album what the fuck???

Exactly as brilliant as it's reputation. It's nice to listen to something on this list that just oozes fun

I really enjoyed this album. It's very fun to listen to. I've heard songs by The Strokes before. After listening and paying attention, I appreciate the sound of this album a lot more. This great album's been around long enough that there's nothing else to be said about it that hasn't already been said. I'm glad I revisited this album through this site.

They tapped it!

The Strokes are a band I’ve wanted to check out for awhile, so I was excited to see their debut appear here and was pleased with the results. This is just so well done from front to back, such an impressive debut. The Strokes have a great feel for their sound from the start and it allows every element and track to fit pretty seamlessly. The energy level of the guitars, drums, and vocals is beautifully balanced on each track, allowing the record to be fun and gritty while maintaining a cleanliness that keeps it just in control enough at all times. I couldn’t have asked for much more. The biggest standouts happened to be the biggest hits in this case, for me. Definitely will return to this and looking forward to hearing more from them, no notes. 1 listen Favorite Tracks: Last Nite, Someday, The Modern Age, Hard To Explain

Liked this more than I thought I would. I remember when it came out, their singles were everywhere...couldn't avoid them. Overplayed, wasn't into it...my default mindset at the time was that anything on the radio was, at least, suspect...and probably not very good. But this is a tight album. I listened twice yesterday....didn't really pay attention to the lyrics, honestly didn't care about them. They have good grooves and beats. The two guitars work well together. This is an album all above mood and feeling and groove. I think they were at the right place and the right time to "save rock n roll" but they never could be a giant stadium act. It's music for small clubs. And that's fine, it works really well. I eye-rolled when I saw it come up by actually really enjoyed it.

Bra

God s

suprisingly good? i was scared at first, in my head i thought - not another white guy singing classical-ish rock in the 2000s. but it was good, it was playfull and deep

Loved it

Review: This was a very good album. The consistency up until the last song was extremely impressive. This style of rock is so good I feel like I have never heard a group do it like The Strokes. The distortion of the vocals mixed with the amazing guitar performances create amazing songs that easily made it into my playlist. My favorite songs were This Modern Age and Someday. They just stood out slightly more to me than the other very similar songs. I am very glad I listened to this without knowing anything about them because it made it that much more fun.

A enjoyable listen

Room on Fire is definitely a better album than this one, but this one is still pretty solid!