Is This It

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😭😭😭😭😭😭

Nice early 2000's indie rock record. Last Nite is a favorite of mine. Good, catchy rock music.

Defined the 2000s? Absolute ripper album.

Hadn’t heard this before but it was pretty good! A quality rock album, nice guitar work

Really good. Sparse but so catchy, everything is in the right place.

First half is a 3, second half is a 4.

ik vind het leuk, maar klopt op zich wel dat veel mensen zeggen dat t allemaal op elkaar lijkt. ze hebben een beetje een soort liedje dat wel heel goed werkt, maar blijven het opnieuw doen

really enjoyable, probably my first rock album and its great 4/5

This is pure NY rock

it was pretty fun oldschool album, i really liked it. this album changed early 2000s indie music

Primer album de ellos que escucho. Que onda las guitaras wtf, sexo. Me gusto mas la primera mitad. 3.5

sentí q al final el álbum se descoordinó, me encantó tho

Third in a row I’ve liked a lot but feel I need to explore further to fall in love with it. I added “I Can’t Explain” to my playlist.

It's quite good and was a lot of fun when it came out. Where's it going though?

Just about enough for a 4. Don't like the way the vocal are recorded.

It could have been a 5 just didn't feel like it today

Last Nite is such a bop

This shit sounds like high school for me. So good, so much nostalgia.

4.5!

Dope

This album sounds like what the music the loser main character listens to at the start of the movie does For the period when this came, it wasn't anything special, however in the modern day it stands out pretty well from other simular projects such as idk because I only listen to kanye, 🤩 8/10

The epitome of my music taste.

Always feels like I’m in a pincer movement when I listen to this album. Now I feel very nostalgic about it and that whole era of indie music, but at the time listening to it’s also instilled a strange nostalgia in me for experiences I, as a 15/16 year old, had yet to have. The effect remains pretty potent, even though I never thought the album was as great as others did at the time, and the Strokes’ subsequent career makes it feel like so much squandered promise.

Great album that I didn’t bother listening to until this year. Not sure it’s the absolute classic they say it is, but you probably had to be there.

Teenage me couldn’t get enough of this. If juice box was on this album it’d get a 5

8.25/10 - Heavy nostalgia here, but I think it still holds up. The music that shaped my taste (outside of my parents) was the early 2000s Indie Rock. Franz Ferdinand, The Strokes, KOL, Arctic Monkeys, interpol, and Cage the Elephant all hold a special place in my heart.

A really great album that was paving the way for Indie/Garage rock in the early 2000's. The only complaint with this album is that it is a little one note, but that's being picky. 8/10

This might just be how you do it. Catchy pop rock songs that don’t really do anything all that original but that sound good, have hooks for days, and are fun to listen to. Who cares if it’s not really breaking new ground if you are introducing a ton of kids who haven’t necessarily heard the Velvet Underground or Television or Blondie to a sound you love, and doing an excellent job of making that music new? Getting in and out in 35 minutes doesn’t hurt either. This is a really good pop-focused rock album.

Good album for a house party or just to get fucking obliterated

Velmi dober👍🏼

Music journalist Everett True once said no band improves on their debut album. Room on fire, the Strokes’ second album is better than this. 4/5

There is something really throwbacky about this band. Every time I see them come up on the radio I think they are from the 70s or 80s and I think wow they were somewhat progressive for their time. So one off I really like them. But after a while its just a little too much samey.

You can really hear why this record prompted the once-a-decade guitar music bounce. Effortless cool.

Up there with some of my favourite debut albums. Great catchy songs with a pretty unique (at the time) sound. Great listen.

pretty good but I've not seen this cover before. it's better than the other one on Spotify 4/5

Breath of fresh air when it landed. Holds up brilliantly well. Great album. For once the trendy & hip "it" band were actually as good as the hype. 4.5

4.35. Liked a lot. Love the influence it gave attic monkeys etc

I'll always think of Weird Al when I hear LAST NIGHT (wudja do?) - his polka has ruined so much - but honestly reviewing The Strokes, the album is fun, peppy and still a depressing enough tone to be cool. A little one note I might nitpick. I liked When It Started, Someday is the classic go-to I feel like, Barely Legal and Alone, Together were good, Take or Leave it to close was solid

Okay so I've honestly never listened to an entire The Strokes album, and I've also always kinda conflated them with The Shins (and The Smiths, if we're being honest). Maybe one day I'll remember which The S_____s band if which. This album was a lot of fun though. I can't remember which track it was, but there was a riff that was a whole lot like the riff from Reptilia, which I only know from Guitar Hero 2, but apparently that's on their next album. I get why people like them so much; it's a really fun and poppy but with a raw overall tone.

Brilliant album, and very influential.

Sympathique

не хватает автотюна, потому - 4

The Strokes are a difficult band for me to write about, not because I can't form an opinion on them, but because everything about them is fairly straightforward, especially on Is This It. Their upbeat, polished style of garage rock is very meat-and-potatoes, and I mean that as a compliment. The hooks are sharp, the guitars are catchy, and the drums are energetic. Julian Casablancas is a very charismatic frontman, and while his sleazily cool persona can sometimes feel like a performance, it's a performance he puts on effectively. If there's one issue I have with this album, it's that the sound is a bit too uniform. Given that it's only 35 minutes, this isn't a massive problem, but it's difficult to pick out standout moments when every song sounds more or less the same. Regardless, it's still a very likeable album, and I'll never complain when it's on.

Some very good songs on here and I like the overall sound of the album. Just a bit too much of the same when you get closer to the end.

Good album, but I'm surprised I liked it less than I thought I would. I usually think of myself as a pretty big The Strokes fan, and this was a pleasant listen, but I can't give it more than four stars. What's wrong with it? It's hard to pin down, not sure I could say. I love the chugging rhythms, the prominent basslines, the confident delivery from Casablancas. I even gave it a second run-through to try and work out what didn't *quite* click. Maybe it's just not quite the sum of its parts. Maybe it's in that awkward space between too punk and not punk enough. I don't know, here we are. Four stars. Fav tracks: Barely Legal, Last Night, Take It Or Leave It,

I dig this. 4/5

Absolutely iconic for the age, and whilst often overplayed, I don't tire of hearing this. It's 25 years old this week too!!! Anyway, it's on the shelves. Heard before ✅️ Listened this time ✅️ Revisit ✅️ ★★★★☆(7/10) Total reviewed : 394 Already owned : 88 Purchased : 21 To buy : 3 Nope : 282

Strum Strum Strum Strum. I like this!

Good album that set a trend with all the 'The' bands in the 2000s. Overall pleasant listening experience with enough variety, just not enough exclamation marks for the full rating here. 4/5

Day 5: Fire

Really liked this. Great groove. Songs are punchy and catchy. Great bass playing, singer has a cool delivery. Could see how it could get repetitive if it were a longer album, but a really great 35 minute listen. 3.9/5.

So I know some people around my age that say this is one of the greatest albums ever and was a game changer when it was released. I on the other hand completely ignored it at the time and, according to stats.fm, have only listened to this once previously back in 2023. It is a really good album and I enjoyed it but it doesn’t knock my socks off or anything. Maybe if I had listened to it when I was 13 I’d have more of a connection with it. Top Track - Someday Edit : I listened to Room On Fire a few hours after this and much preferred it. That would be a definite 5 star

For there to be so many hits on this album despite Julian Casablanca’s’ low-energy delivery is such a testament to the orchestration. Very good.

I loved the first and second tracks, but I think I need to give this album a third listen.

Really good. Not my usual style of music — but i dig it and will listen again. A 4.

Solid Standouts: Someday, Last Nite, Hard to Explain 4/5

Really enjoyed this. Was only familiar with Someday & Last Nite but there are a fair few bangers here. I like the gritty sounding vocals and the tempo of the album is great. Standout track - Hard To Explain. 3.5/5.

This was a great listen. Somehow, five guys who look and sound like they'd rather be doing anything else put together a collection of songs that were both laid-back and urgent, with vocals that were both unaffected and also felt like the dude was laying out his soul the best that he could. I think the second half of the record is better than the first, but I found myself listening to it two days in a row, so hey. Probably would give this a 4.5 if I could.

Is This It" is vintage lo-fi that never shifts volume—just tense or relaxed. The drum and bass lock tight, while the vocal drags behind the beat on purpose. The guitar plays one-note stabs, not solos. It's 11 songs that sound like 1. If that's a vibe, it's genius. If not, it's repetitive. I'm not convinced which.

Like meeting an old friend for a beer. An album I thoroughly enjoyed when it came out - and revisiting it now after (maybe, at least) 10 years is familiar and fun. It feels as though each song on this compact album could have been a hit until you get to the big hits and you realise they go that 5% harder. Brilliant album that captures a vibe perfectly.

When I was a kid I decided it was time to learn about cool music. I went to the library and rented a bunch of random CDs, spanning from Japanese koto to country- basically anything that seemed interesting. Being a kid with the gift of free time, I went home and listened to all of them. This Strokes album was in that pile. Did it flip a light on in my brain? Not really. I remember thinking the vocals sounded muffled and a bit inaccessible. Despite having this on vinyl now and having heard it many times, I still do feel a restraint here despite straining. This is a classic, and an essential album in my personal history, but I’ll admit that in the end, it’s just almost there.

Honestly, pretty overrated. Last Nite and Hard to Explain carry. Fave Tracks: Someday, Last Nite, Hard to Explain, Take It or Leave It 3.7/5

Catchy, already familiar with it.

Inspired a million others. Great debut, cool guitar driven indie. Very NYC.

Oh fuck yes The Strokes. I already adore their music but i honestly havent listened to an album front to back. Lets ride The Modern Age!! How have i never heard this song? Ok love/hate Soma into Barely Legal, both songs are good but they sound the same and that transition between the 2 songs doesnt help at all. I think these 2 songs hurt everyone elses review of this album LOL Someday is just the best lets be real Alone together!!!! LAST NITE!!!!! The rest of the album unfort dies off but ggg was fun

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.

Awesome sound! What an album!

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!

These guys have some great songs - this album is full of them. They have this unique sort of indie like who gives a shit rock sound that's pretty fun.

Pretty much the definition of a 4/5. Does it do anything special? No, but it's good rock, so I can't complain.

very fitting of the time. I like some of their other albums more though

già fatto minchia

Sounds good to my ears 👍. The strokes are probably one of the last good rock and roll band. (Or not idk much bands from the 10's) I dont think its a masterpiece like the press at the time. its a tinny overrated but idc. Great cover tho/5

I love this album - it is so damn catchy, timeless and also nostalgic.

That microphone fuzz should be another member of the band.

Comme d’habitude, album des strokes hyper frais, vraie signature vocale/ musicale, rock et tres pop a la fois. Super album, j’ai adoré. Premier album studio du groupe considere comme une œuvre majeure du rock.

Lleno de clásicos, un par de canciones que son meh, y escucharlo en orden me ha parecido raro.

Some absolute classics on this album. I hadn’t listened to the whole thing before, and I found I really liked it, not just the songs I already knew. There’s not a whole lot of variation across the album, but it was still great to listen to. Fav song: Last Nite Least fav: Is This It

Pretty good album with some British bangers in there. A lot of similarity between songs but because it’s short and sweet that didn’t grate on me. Specific rating - 4.1 Fav song - someday Least fav- New York City cops

Literally the worst time in history to have a song about how dumb New York cops are. Favourite song: Last Nite Least: Take It Or Leave It

10/10

Great Songs: Soma, Someday, Last Nite Good Songs: Is This It, The Modern Age, Barely Legal, Alone Together, Hard To Explain, New York City Cops, Trying Your Luck, Take It Or Leave It Mid Songs: Bad Songs:

Cool in a way that is unattainable in the modern day

ok so there are a lot of amazing songs on here and it was a lot of fun to listen to, but I was hoping for maybe a little bit more for such a generation and genre defining album. Also my fave songs are from their much maligned third album which might have more to do with actually experiencing that one in real time, but also You Only Live Once and Heart In A Cage are just that good. Still, Hard To Explain, Someday, New York City Cops all insane and this is a great listen. Also kinda insane I think some random songs from their most recent album are their most streamed songs?

This one is way better than I remember it being, mostly killer material with minimal filler. Really catchy too. NYCP not being on the main version is a travesty tho. Highlights-Is This It, The Modern Age, Barely Legal, Someday, Last Nite, Hard To Explain, New York City Cops, Take It or Leave It

Generational staple. Pivotal moment in Rock history.

Extremely breezy album. So tight and catchy. It's a definer of the indie rock scene at the time, and its influence holds today. This album convinced me to listen to the rest of The Strokes' discography, and there's a ton of great stuff there. This album's a near 5 for me, though I know it's already a classic.

Awesome album, I really like it as its kinda more leaning to my type of genre.

Solid all the way through. Good vibes and a few excellent songs.

Matt: background music. Rose: some good songs, cohesive album but not everything is a banger.

Not a perfect album, but still pretty great. Favorite songs: someday, last nite, take it or leave it

A couple awesome songs, and the rest are good be not great. Solid 4.

Groovy, parecem que eles criaram um som muito próprio deles, mais aberto, deixam muito espaço. Me surpreendi como os instrumentos tem um papel importante aqui, interagindo com os vocais.

made me joyful

Really enjoyed this! Never really listened to the strokes, but it was a so nice to listen to Julian sing. His voice is so great and can rough it up perfectly when needed. Love how it gets more and more sex pistols throughout. Very obvious inspiration from Iggy Pop which is heavily appreciated and they still make their own which is hard to do when they have so many similarities. Music is very different for everybody, but I think this is an album everyone can like. Recommend Late night, some day, the modern age, New York City cops and soma Would listen again!

hate how much I unironically love this album

Rock for jenter som skulle ønske de likte rock. Var aldri fan back in the days, men det et jo et hyggelig album og pluss for at det er kort og godt.

Enjoyed the album, some very heartful moments and some absolute bangers.

goooood

Is This It - The Strokes, Indie Rock, 2001 - USA, 29.5.26 The Strokes' debut album is a energetic blend of old meets new - the grittiness and more DIY feel of an album you feel like you'd hear back in the booming days of 70s rock with the likes of The Doors, with a sprinkle of punk elements. Yet, lyrically in particular, the sound is modern, opening the doors to a new era of rock and indie in the 2000s, to the likes of The Libertines and Arctic Monkeys. I suppose, in essence, that's a definition of timeless. The overall sound is simple, but in a way that makes you want to listen closer. Lyrically, Casablancas talks of the lives, relationships and struggles of urban youth, namely in New York, but it's accessible enough that it immediately gave me flashbacks to the gritty adolescent shows of Channel 4 in its hayday - Skins, Misfits, Inbetweeners. Overall, this album just takes the awards for ~cool~.

It has a feeling that I like - and I am not speaking (only) about the cover now.

Solid Rock & Roll, defined.

Great, influential album. Hadn't realized they were entitled posh kids. Little disappointing to discover that, as it takes away some of the gritty street sound, but still produced a great rock album that defined the 00s.

One of the staples of indie rock 👏👏

I knew so many songs that i didnt realise were from this album. Someday has got to be my favorite, but I honestly vibed with all the songs. Insanely good, arguably the best album from The Strokes, followed closely by The New Abnormal, although they are very different from each other. Also listened to their new single, Falling out of Love, but I didnt enjoy it as much. The vocal effects on this one are just not my taste, maybe Im rather traditional in that i prefer the band to stick to their original sound. Same thing happened to me with the Artic Monkeys, I love the rock/punk sound they started out with (Whatever People Say I Am is my favourite album of theirs), but I found them less interesting as the band evolved into a more pop rock genre. Anyhow, Im excited for The Strokes next album, hoping to get some more of the vibe that Is This It has.

Fairly undeniable, but I honestly do think like half the songs are way better than the other half!!!

Giving this an extra star because this album (and a few others) were pretty much the end of the road for me with alternative rock. Never realized how much of a Television tribute band they were at the time, though.

Great album

Fun. A good listen, good bop.

idk why but i thought this band was from like the 80s. fire album cover. i actually really enjoyed how the main singer sounds like he is singing far away. solid guitar and drum additions

Very fun album and represents the indie scene of the 2000s well. Julian Casablancas has an iconic voice and the rest of the band compliments it well. Great time.

The Strokesin debyytti onkin hyvä rokkilevy, vaikka joskus asiaa epäilinkin. Suttuinen äänimaailma ja simppelit biisit tukevat kokonaisuutta hyvin.

Is it?

Buzzy rock, recognized Someday

The Strokes’ debut record remains a thrilling blast of raw indie rock power, breathing fresh life into early 2000s garage revival music. Tracks like "Last Nite" and "Someday" feature impossibly catchy guitar riffs, tight drumming, and Julian Casablancas’ effortlessly cool vocal delivery. While a few songs near the back half follow a somewhat predictable formula, the sheer attitude and infectious energy throughout make this album a near-essential listen today.

Très bon album de rock alternatif, les schémas de rythmes détonnent de ce qui se fait ailleurs ce qui donne envie de jouer de la batterie ! Malgré le fait que je connaissais en partie l'album il ne m'a pas transcendé mais j'ai passé un bon moment cependant !

This album is not as good as I remembered it but I discovered it as I was starting guitar so it gets a pass.

Is This It / Someday / Last Nite / Hard to Explain Pretty cool. The band seems promising. Cohesive album, there wasn't a single track that pulled the album down for me.

Good album, relaxed and scatty

Tiene el sonido de un álbum debut, quiero decir, que me imagino a estos tipos ensayando día y noche para mantener un sonido fresco y renovado. Leí una vez que el álbum debut de The Strokes fue el resurgimiento del rock y creo que estoy muy de acuerdo. Todas las canciones tienen una base rítmica bastante similar, pero creo que es el álbum que define el sonido de esta banda a lo largo de los años, aún así, sigue sonando a un disco nuevo y transgresor.

앨범 커버때문에 하나 깎음

9/10

Decent rock album

Reminds me of Jukebox the Ghost, MGMT. I liked Is This It and Barely Legal. “Tables, they turn sometimes.”

its dope. very garage 90’s type beat. good for longs car rides or just chillin by urself. not a sad album. perfect for sunny days

I am starting my 1001 Albums with "Is this it " by the strokes. I went into this album with absolutely no expectations. I just wanted to let myself be surprised. It definitely succeeded in doing that. And I have to say, I really liked the album. It’s very dynamic, and I just love that Indie aesthetic. Personally, I heard a bit of the band early Arctic Monkey and Franz Ferdinand in it—I’m a huge fan of theirs. I spent most of the listening session with my eyes closed, nodding my head. Particularly striking are the very playful bass lines over the—to put it mildly—simpler guitar and drum parts. But I liked that, too. The simplicity of the song structure and, of course, the vocals are just great. So I have to say that the album is really great.Definitely worth a listen.

Du bon rock comme on l'aime !

En même temps je kiffe les Strokes donc ça me ferait trop mal de pas mettre un 5, la voix de Casablancas est super et le son est vraiment nouveau. Mais là jsp je suis pas dans le mood et je trouve ça se répète même si c'est très sympa

Muy sólido álbum debut. Se nota influencias de bandas anteriores pero logran construir su propio sonido y lo hacen de manera notable.

i like very much

I mean yeah, there are great hits on here. High quality stuff. I think it goes in and out of being consistently great but the bar is high and they reach it. 4.1/5

classic. ny 2000's. iconic. where did gtrs go wrong ?

gut. gefällt mir nachm zweiten mal hören tatsächlich sehr gut.

Better than I remember

classsiiiquueee

Heard of band never listened to album. Tool 100 on Apple so really high hopes. first song is pretty cool. I like the guitar a lot. Lyrics kinda bullshit. Good bass line too. Better vocals on the modern age but I don’t like the autotune. Overall this is a pretty good pop rock song. Good guitar solo. Similar feeling about soma. Guitar is the best part of this band. Good songwriting on barely legal. Great guitar again. Another good not great song. Someday is a banger. Don’t think I’ve ever heard it but you can tell it’s a banger from the first few seconds. Really fun song. Another awesome guitar solo on alone together. Rest of it is pretty generic. Followed by another banger in last nite which I definitely have heard. Good vocals/lyrics on this one. Cool production on hard to explain. Rest of it is eh. I like it more when it pics up the pace in the middle. Love the guitar riff on when it started. This is another really fun song. Trying your luck is more of the same. Pretty good pop rock song with a. Great guitar. Take it or leave it is pretty good too. Better lyrics and catchier chorus on This one. Overall it was a good album. I don’t. Think there were any truly bad songs. A couple bangers and. Bunch of pretty good songs. One more banger and it’s in 4+ range. However that’s not the case. 3.8/5 stars.

I bet a lot of people want to be over this, or roll their eyes at it. I can't. This was a titanic album at the time (I was a sophomore in college) and spawned a lot of imitators, most of which weren't nearly as good. "Hard to Explain" is one of the great rock songs of the century. It's not perfect, and it gets a little same-y, but its legacy is deserved. We were really lucky for the garage-rock/indie boomlet of the early aughts, especially on the heels of the torrent of nu metal and derivative pop in the late 90s.

Essential rock album with personal favorites, I'm looking at you "Someday"

While their radio hits are catchy, they never drew me in to really dive into their catalogue. Really solid album though.

Soma, Someday, Alone Together, Last night, Hard to Explain,

This was a surprising hit for me, it has a very nostalgic sound with some (obvious) stand out tracks

Me sorprendió! Nunca había escuchado la banda! Muy bueno!

Classic from start to finish. Note that the Walkmen who preceded them had all the same ingredients.

After probably a 20 year gap, it was something approaching thrilling hearing this again. I wanted to hate The Strokes when they appeared but did a 180 on hearing Hard to Explain in a record shop. “Who’s this?” - “The Strokes.” “Aw shit…” It’s over in a flash but so many memorable songs - even the production doesn’t get too tiresome. Great to revisit this, enjoyed it a great deal. Best: Hard to Explain, New York City Cops, Barely Legal Worst: Last Nite

Is this called punk? I feel this bringing some young energy and also the charm of 00s. I would not add it to my playlist, but I want to put 4

Purchased on the recommendation of a dude we called Swab from the Truro mall. It’s been a while, but I’m appreciating a bit more now - maybe b/c I have more knowledge of the punk/rock cannon… I have always felt like there is just something missing with this record…like a good baguette but it could really use some butter or jam. A 3.5…

Inspirational debut that set the tone for rock bands to come.

I remember traveling to New York City in 2003 to see Widespread Panic at Madison Square Garden on Halloween, and the marque at the venue advertising an upcoming Strokes show, and thinking, "man, fuck those guys! When did they graduate kindergarten? Yesterday?!? Panic have been road warriors for decades. They've worked for this! They've earned this! But then I can be a bit of an asshole sometimes. I have never listened to The Strokes, other than hearing Last Night on the radio maybe a couple of times. Maybe I've heard another hit they've had, but I can't remember. Anyway, this was really good. Reminded me of The Libertines (who I like better and think are a better band) but I can't quite go five on it. 4.9

wild. i just listened to this on the drive home from Green Bay yesterday. no notes album. Cant believe Julian's voice is muffled for 98% of the album. Nick Valensi & Albert Hammond Jr's guitar work feels like it redefined everything for the next 20 years.

I like it

8/10

Peak Indie Sleaze.

Still an epic debut album. Not every song is great but it’s a banger.

wait because holy peak idk whats happend but something has changed since the last time i listened to this 9.0/10

I mean it's just the strokes isn't it. very good listen, enjoyable as hell - probs not their best album icl best song - hard to explain

Cool album, I can see why people go nuts for it and why every indie album after it sounds the way it does

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).

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

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

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

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

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

Not my favorite from them, but really good nonetheless.

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

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

its good but not the best for my personal taste

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

8/10

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

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.

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

'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.

last nite buen temaaaaaaaaaaaaaa

I liked the style and overall vibe of this album

nice

Cool sound!

All timer

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.

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

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!!

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

Nice :D

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

okay

good listen

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

Good, dirty Rock

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

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 ...

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.

9 / 10

Butte

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.

muy bueno, probablemente no lo vuelva a escuchar

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!

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

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

Instant classic

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

Great album!

-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

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.

I really like it

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

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.)

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

👌

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

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

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⭐️

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.

Nice

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