Is This It

Sounds like you're listening through a wall Other then that, average dad rock, couple of popular songs

Extra point for brevity

I enjoyed 9 out of 11 songs

Absolutely superb album

Good

Good album, sexy album art awoooga

I'll never remember that we got a less risqué album cover and it will always be kinda sad but pretty funny too. This record has quite a few huge songs on it. And they are great songs for sure. And the b side type tracks also are very very good. When I think of the strokes I think of sonic youth. They are almost the coolest than cool of my millennial generation. Julian casablancas is one of the coolest dudes of all time. And his voice or at least the effects on it just excentuate its qualities so well. The kinda old timey radio thing where the lows just buzz in such a pleasing way. And the music itself just works. It fits so well and doesnt take over ever. It just works and thats it. Its kinda hard to say if its a 5 or not but its damn close otherwise. The strokes haven't held the attention the whole tome after or went off into the sunset like sonic youth. That might have been better but that doesnt take awa from how good this is. Its a 5. It has to be

It's all a bit meh. The music isn't particularly exciting. Super repetitive and quite monotonous. As someone else said perfectly, all style and no hooks. I'm struggling to discern where one track ends and the next starts. On the plus side, there ARE a few ok-good tracks. Although those are the singles, and how much of that is just me being familiar with them I don't know. If they were playing in a club I'd probably stay on the dancefloor if I was a few drinks deep and my friends were more into it than me. Another plus... I guess the guitarists and drummer didn't have to over-exert themselves too much...? It's a stretch. 2.5 rounded down.

Yeah. I love this one. May be biased since this is right in my wheelhouse but such a strong album. Loved every song. 5 Stars

Not bad

A classic. Great cover, too.

I get it, but I don't

Great

Not my usual go to music but not bad. Definitely recognized a couple songs (Someday, Last Nite). The music throughout is tight... Good chops from each player and noticeable synergy between them. Decent pipes on the lead singer. Overall an enjoyable listen on a morning drive, but the guitar melodies in each tune sound a bit repetitive and the songs struggle to stand out, creatively, which brings this into 3-star "average" territory for me.

нравятся эти ребята! альбом создает какую-то домашнюю и при этом свободную атмосферу, будто весело проводишь время со своими друзьями летом

I’ve listened to this album before. No doubt this album should be an instant classic and A LOT of the songs are always in my rotation. From the guitar tone to the Julian Casablancas sounding like he’s trying to calm me down through a phone call, this album is pleasant through and through. Again, would be a 4.5 but I can’t do have stars. These songs are not super complex in terms of rhythm and time signatures, but the strokes prove that complexity doesn’t always mean that something is good. This album is beautiful and pure in so many ways and reminds me of the best of summer, even though I have no core memories with this album. Fav Track: Last Nite Least Fav: Trying Your Luck

Goated

Good songs good. Welfare mothers was the nader.

Gotta say, the album art was a jumpscare, but music reeled me in for a good time.

YEAH!!! This was incredible. Tens across the board. This album really scratched an itch in me. It's genuinely hard to believe it's a debut. Everything about it felt so cathartic, and the energy flowing from start to finish was alive and breathing. There's a playfulness here that is so enjoyable to be a part of. It made me feel like a teenager again. To capture and recreate such a palpable feeling of freedom in music is a feat. This album is eternal youth stored within 35 minutes. The songwriting is honest and raw. Little vignettes are being painted in each line. That storytelling, paired with genuinely inventive production and music, makes something singular. I feel a new artist obsession brewing within me. The Strokes better watch out because I'm coming for their discography. I've wanted to get into Garage Rock for a while, but so many of the albums I've listened to were slightly different copies of each other. This was the cream of the crop. Excellent album.

Never understood the mania. Wasn't 'it' for me.

This was such an instrumental album in me developing my taste in music as an adolescent. I love it so much. As far as debut albums go, it’s up there with Vampire Weekend self titled as far as number of bangers go. It’s got Last Nite, Soma, Barely Legal, Someday, Hard to Explain.. it’s stacked. The strokes are incredible live and this is an album that holds up very well over two decades (!!) later

Love the guitar work and the overall vibe on this album.

I like the album cover (it's a butt). The music strikes a lovely balance between several genres, and ends up being much greater than the sum of its parts. There's heavy punk influence, but also some (classic) rock, alt, and grunge. And it's darn catchy – a key factor I think is absent from a lot of post-70s "music-with-a-message". The riffs, the hooks, the instrument playing, the chord progressions... all of it is simple and effective. The sound (particularly the vocal) has a sort of tired, frustrated energy that's reflected in the repetition-heavy lyrics. And all the instruments are active but not too active. The vocal effect is maybe the only thing that irks me about the Strokes' material. The vocalist sounds like he should be a great singer – so why can't we hear it unfiltered? I get it, it's probably the band's gimmick, but once you key into it, his voice gets very distracting. In terms of specific tracks: The guitar and bass in the title track are instantly recognisable, to the point where I'm a little surprised this isn't one of the Strokes' biggest hits. The song Someday very much resembles Bowie's Sound and Vision, and I wouldn't be surprised if there's heavy influence taken from there. It's a fantastic song, though, and without the weird grainy vocal filter it has potential to be one of my favourite songs of all time. It's delicate, vulnerable, heavy, lively, happy and sorrowful at the same time. That's not an easy feat to achieve. Last Nite is similar to Someday in tempo and texture, with the main difference being the brasher guitar in the right ear and more bouncy melody. Another incredibly strong composition. New York City Cops is an unexpected shift in tone, more aggressively tuning into the band's punk influence with an almost Ramones-esque setup. (That chorus is so Ramonesy, my goodness.) I could go on. Every track here is very good or better. 5/5 Key tracks: Is This It, Someday, Last Nite, Hard To Explain

Good shit!!!

The Stokes have a very distinct style. Solid guitar and drum work with vocals sounding like they're being shouted afar through a railroad tunnel. It works though. There are a lot of catchy tunes on Is This It. It evokes a faintly old-timey rock and roll sound but is still grounded in the modern age (well, 2000s modern...) All the songs just make you want to dance and shout the lyrics. Standouts for me were "The Modern Age" "Someday" "Last Nite" The Stokes remind me a lot of Interpol, formed around the same time also in NYC. They're weirdly similar. Have we seen the two bands in the same room together before? I jest, both are pretty solid. This is undeniably a good debut album. It gets a but samey towards the end. I dont know much of The Stokes discography so I'm invested to check it out and see how the band evolves. 4/5 stars.

Lazy, bland rock

Somedaaaaaay! SOMEDAAAAAY!

What I said when the album ended

Solid album. But it went by fast. Definetly worth a listen. My standout was Soma.

Is This It The Modern Age Someday Last Nite Hard to Explain New York City Cops

Æ vet ikke om æ hadde kommet på å si at det her e et av favorittalbuman mine om noen spurte mæ om favorittalbum, men det e ikke så langt unna å være det, i den grad at æ fra tid til anna spille det fordi æ får så lyst til å høre det – det e ikke så mye anna av musikken æ hørte på på den tida kor det e tilfelle. Men æ like kordan det e smooth, og stilig.

The Strokes are great, but the album goes through too many waves for a 5.

I expected this to be a more “fun” record. I get all the strokes, jets, struts etc all confused. This record was nothing special. But a nice Little Rock and roll record.

Defining of the 2000s but not necessarily in a good way.

sometimes all you really need is some straightforward rock n roll

I’ve been told this is a hot take, but I just don’t care for this.

Romcom core

This one is from my collection, so I'm biased. Sounds as fresh as it was.

I own this album, but now I know why I never listened to it much. The sound that was so unique when the Strokes came out gets monotonous over an entire album. The only standout songs are the ones that were singles: Last Night and Someday. This album is a snap shot in time of when people thought rock and roll was over and the Strokes came out with a new unique rock sound. But years later it doesn’t hold up to the hype.

Great sounds, great songs. I think this was the first time I was exposed to the concept of "low-fi". I marked this as 4 since I don't think I love listening to the whole album. The basic drum beats get repetitive.

Stone cold classic. Marked the re-birth of rock. Perfection.

Nice. Not too memorable, I liked Last Nite A Lot though

The bass line in the opening track pushes this album to a 3 but it doesn't seem to ever reach that high again. Not bad though

I blame this album for the early 00s indie bonanza. Is that fair? Probably not entirely, but I get to write whatever I want here and you get to choose whether you're going to read it. I remember being captivated by the "Last Nite" music video every time it came on. I guess there was something in the lo-fi 'slacker rock' aesthetic and the gritty vocal mix that scratched my brain the right way. It didn't hurt that the song jumps straight into the chorus before the first verse either, that's not something I feel like I hear often but it's a great hook. The best way I can explain the appeal is to compare it to other songs that grab me the same way: go listen to "Mississippi Queen" by Mountain, "Ace Of Spades" by Motorhead, and "Fell In Love With A Girl" by The White Stripes. Compared to that list, "Last Nite" feels a little bloated (especially in the intro) but if it were stripped down to ~2min, it would hold it's own with the others. The rest of the album doesn't punch quite so hard, but still delivers on the promise of that first single with some solid old school rock & roll. I'm sure there was other indie rock happening at this time, but this is the band that brought it mainstream enough for me to notice. Alt Rock radio was still focused on Nu Metal in 2001 but this broke through anyway.

One of the albums that started the resurgence of garage rock. Still sounding just as good now as it did when it came out.

Nostalgia.

Sure, it's super derivative. And they're posh kids playing at being cool. And they got hyped to high heaven when it came out. But they have the tunes and the attitude to get away with it all. A pleasure to listen to...

USAs beste brit-rock-band? Kan gjerne høre mer på dette.

loves <3

I can tend to group a British indie/naughties into an average blur. But I think the Strokes and this album has enough to separate it. Just unique enough, good groove, song structure. And that’s even before the classics which come at a nice mid point to give it a boost. Very well positioned and generally like the sharp ends to songs and general vibe they create. And after the run of hits; really enjoyed the quirkiness of ‘New City Cops’ and an unsurprising shame it was left out of US release (and album cover - stiffs!) Glad to be pleasantly surprised by the quality of this and not just another skinny jean pump out. Getting a touch close to a bit samey by the end so probably just the right formation and length.

Solid indie. Despite the two standout tracks I cant quite justify a 4. Anti-american bias probably

Whole album kinda blends together though I like the garage grunge sound. Heavily played in my high school playlist. Barely Legal and Hard To Explain.

One of my most listened to albums of all time...kind of. The US version of this album was engraved into my bones somewhere around 2005. Every song is a part of me, vibrating at the same frequency as my atoms. I hit New York City Cops and my body freaks out. Imagine my surprise when I discover that there's another version of this album with a butt on the cover and a song I've never heard before. It's like feeling along the contours of your own body and suddenly there's a bizarre new, but not entirely unwelcome, appendage. 5/5 for the US version of Is This It The Sensation of Walking Up a Staircase and Thinking There's One Last Step But You Misjudged and You Just Stepped Into Air/5 for the international version.

Sort of always the same song. Don't understand the hype. Albums like this are part of the reason albums died. They don't have much to say and they can do it three minutes.

I unabashedly love this album. It’s the right combination of upbeat and loud.

I remember when this album came out and the hype around it. It still holds up to me.

Speaking as someone who's not looked much into The Strokes, I quite enjoyed this trip down 2000s alt rock memory lane. The music is bright, upbeat, and (dare I say) grooving. Julian Casablancas's voice is well suited to this, even if I can barely understand him most times. Last Nite is probably the best on the album but there's a lot of good there aside from it.

Is this it - 8/10 The modern age - 8/10 Soma - 7.5/10 Barely legal - 8/10 Someday - 8/10 Alone, Together - 8.5/10 Last Nite - 8/10 Hard to explain - 8/10 NYC Cops - 8/10 Trying your luck - 8.5/10 Take it or leave it - 9/10 81/100

If Lou Reed and Iggy Pop had a baby at a Velvet Underground party, this would be it. Sucks that they had to change the cover for the US release. Not a bad track on this whole album.

good

I like the uncomplicated sounds of this album. It was fun.

Eh? idk j'ai vaguement écouté. Du pop-rock-punk~ish de 2001. Le chanteur à des effets à-la Iggy Pop des Stooges c'est cute.

First suggestion I've gotten on here that I was already pretty familiar with, especially "Last Nite" and "Hard to Explain." Nostalgia for my early college years. 😆 Also the most recent, and the shortest one on the list so far - all the others so far have been over an hour. Wondering if that's just because it's newer?

This is it

sounds like me

As I listened to my daughters’ favorite rock and pop bands it became clear that the Strokes have had a huge influence on the sound of rock music.

Love this one.

It started out so well, but in the end, it changed completely. Was I listening to two different albums?

Boring and derivative. A waste of a spot.

White-bread rock. It's not awful, just bland and boring.

Not quite

This was a good debut Album. Even though is too repetitive at moments, it grows and from Someday on it just brings hits and powerful guitar and robotic vocals.

Needs to be taken in context, but it nevertheless feels like these raw sounding guitars saved us from loads of overproduced mediocrity.

The Strokes came out swinging on this one. Definitely has some 70s/80s new wave hints dashed on this one which you dont hear much in rock music anymore.

Actually quite liked it and saved a song. Nice vibe and will have to listen to some more of the strokes.

Rock perfection

This made being at the laundromat fun which feels 4-star worthy

Ok, I’m 2001 when I was 16 I read about this album in Rolling Stone, saved some babysitting money to buy it Tower Records in Harvard Square, and then listened to it with Eva on her her Sony boombox sitting on the floor of her room. After that it became part of our regular CD rotation, but I was bored by it then and I’m bored by it now. Why so much vocal distortion? Why so little feeling? Why did I listen to this hundreds of times??

Is what it?

Great album. Easy to listen to. Fun. Heard several of these songs on the radio. The Stokes have their own sound and cadence not following a popular trend. 3.5 stars. Only because I know that there are some other more powerful albums out there that would deserve the 4 and 5 star spots.

A couple of catchy tunes. Overall not my style.

Fun album. Simple garage rock. I remember Last Nite getting radio play

This is fire and I’m not taking a separate day to listen to it. Great album. Hugely influential.

I'm a bit depressed and this album didn't help, not my sound for the moment, but avoiding personal feelings: one the best.

This is a good album, there a few stand out songs, but most kind of blend together.

Fine. Don't think i'll be revisiting as wasn't a massive fan.

I love this album

Quite literally one of my favourite albums of all time. Good pick.

This was fine. I remember when people thought these guys were hot shit back in the early 2000s. I never understood why. I’ve always been indifferent to The Strokes. I don’t dislike them, but they rarely do anything for me.

It's just MEH. They sure do know how to make the same song over and over again.

First time listening to the entire album, and it's damn good. It's higher than a 4, but not quite a 5.

another old favorite

A few total bangers

My absolute favorite album of all time. A perfect 10/10, absolutely no skippable songs to be seen.

Sie kamen aus dem Nichts - mich haben sie auf nonchalante Art im Sturm erobert. Kürzlich hieß es im Radio, der Anfang von "someday" sei von Tom Petty ausgeliehen ("american girl"). Der freute sich über die Reminiszenz und lud sie zu sich auf die Bühne ein. Meisterwerk.

Repeat listen

Very nice album

GOATED its a toss up between this and there sophmore album as my favalbum of all time. Banger after banger after banger

LOVE the strokes 😍 so many bangers in this album

It’s like one long extended Strokes song. If there weren’t pauses between tracks, it might be tough to pinpoint where one song ended and the next began. And I like Julian Casablanca’s voice alright, but he affects the weird cabaret singer vibe entirely too much. “Last Night” and “Hard to Explain” are solid though. I just don’t really care that much about the rest of it. It’s ok. 2.7/5 Rounding up cause it’s not a terrible record, just not really worth fussing about, I guess. But it’s not a hard 2.

Not generally a fan of garage indie rock but this one does hit all the right notes .. it’s messy but at times emotional with solid lyrics …

This is a decently catchy album, although I do feel it is one that benefited greatly from arriving at just the right time and place to make the impact that it did. If this had been released a few years later, would it have been as widely celebrated as it was in 2001, where you had nu metal circling the drain, mall emo in its relative infancy etc? Debatable. Nonetheless, this does a grand job of combining scrappy garage rock energy with hooks, optimistic tones and melodies. It's well-documented that The Strokes could barely play their instruments at this early juncture of their career, giving Is This It an endearing charm which I think made it relatable to a lot of people. I was just about weaning off nappies in 2001, so I don't have the same degree of attachment to this as I'm sure others here will, but I did enjoy giving this another spin after a little while away.

Super tight album with great songs. Reminds me of college.

A great album. In as much as every song my is punchy and takes the total listening to just beyond 35 mins, but also in that it did help revive interest guitar based music in the UK after so many years of pop shite.

Debut album from The Strokes. Great album. Has a driving alt/indie guitar sound and interesting lofi vocal filter. All the songs are good. Enjoyed a straight through listen. Favorite songs The Modern Age, Soma, Barely Legal, Someday, Last Nite, Hard to Explain.

Not a bad album. Wouldn't rate it among my favourites.

Not for me

it was pretty good haven’t really listened to strokes before but they are actually pretty good

Absolutely incredible (debut) album! Amazing production, songwriting, lyrics, vibe and pacing. Not one bad song. The weakest one is "Trying Your Luck" which contains the best solo of this album. I do wish that "When It Started" was included, but tbf I don't know where I would put it (before "Last Nite" maybe? Or after "Someday? Probably not). Julian with his amazing and kinda cryptic lyrics paints such beautiful pictures of love, envy, anger and "douchebagery". Personally, one of the best albums ever

The Strokes are probably the reason that "New York City Indie" means *anything*. The components are simple, ultra slick pop songs, a little garage grit and some really great vocal performances get you just about there, but The Strokes' sound here is bold and distinct despite the simplicity. An interesting exercise is going back to listen to the home recording demos of some of these songs if you have a chance. They come across as lo-fi garage rock, but the magic is there. The Strokes really just cleaned up their playing and slapped slightly shinier paint on it and we made it here. Of arguably greater note is that the vocals sound approximately the same between the demos and finished songs, and I think this is a particularly inspired choice. Julian Casablanca's blown out, gritty delivery gives so much to this project. But, as I implied, this is an album that really lives and dies by its songs: And the tracklist largely rocks. The singles are iconic, a lot of the deep cuts are still earworms too, although there are a couple of songs here that are in one ear and out the other for me. Also, while I'm complaining a little, why would you name a song "Barely Legal", it's weird, and Julian Casablancas already kind of comes across as an ass sometimes, so this doesn't help. In the grand scheme of it, these are pretty minor complaints though, and I do like this album a lot.

Exceptional. One of my favourite albums. Incredible stuff.

I don't know if I'd listen to these guys over the White Stripes if I want this kind of sound idk. I liked the energy but otherwise everything was just adequate.

Ugh. I just really don't like The Strokes, man.

It sounds pretty amateur, and that's why I think it's pretty good. 8/10

Guitar classic from the 2000s Favorite track: last nite other picks: the modern age, someday, hard to explain, barely legal

Favorites (nearly the whole album): Is This It The Modern Age Barely Legal Someday (++) Alone, Together Last Nite Hard To Explain New York City Cops Trying Your Luck Iconic album - from the album art story to the crisp 'new rock' sound. 'Someday' is a big favorite. You can hear how modern indie rock has been influenced from this album (speaking on the mic like in the intro to New York City Cops, strong electric guitar hooks throughout with thin drums). Stellar for a debut album!

this is it

Looooved this!!! My kinda jam!

All time great 2000’s alt rock album. Always on repeat.

This album has a special place in my heart - one of my all time faves. One of the first songs I ever tried to record a cover of with all instruments and do all the mixing was "Is This It".

Excellent album. Possibly peak strokes.

Solid, Cool.

Wouldn't be mad if this were on at a restaurant. Singing a little out of tune but jams are pretty good.

pas ouf ou peut être j suis juste aigrie mais bon pas ma came

Didn’t find it good, always almost the same sounds

🧡

Objectively quality, not for me

(1 of 1001) Undeniably iconic, nervous, gangly, twitchy, skronky and beautiful. Rock for girls. I still basically hate it because it's essentially the sound of terribly cool beautiful young people with no real problems getting loaded and having sex, circa 2001, and I was just out of step and not cool or beautiful enough for this to be my soundtrack, it always felt like it was for someone else, and it still does. The overall effect it has on me is honestly a bit depressing, due to my own history and hangups.

10/10 no Notes Best Song: Take It or Leave it Rating: 10/10 Stars: 5/5

Mid

Good

I thought it would be like 300 albums, not 3 before I got to one I've heard all the way through lol Fun album overall, I don't actively hate any of the songs (I do think Last Nite is just alright), but maybe I just enjoy them individually and not all at once. I can understand why people say it gets repetitive. Having my music player loop back to the beginning did make me appreciate the slower tempo and the bassline on the first track even more; stands out from the rest. I do prefer The New Abnormal; that ones like a 9/10 for me. This one is an overall 7.5/10 Favorites: Is This It; Someday; Alone, Together; Soma

Great, would come back to it definitely, not very diverse however

I love the story and the importance of The Strokes more than I love their music. So this gets a couple of stars for the actual songs, and one because they did have an important hand in helping to resuscitate rock music in the early 2000s.

12/08/2025 I knew it liked their famous songs, I didn't know I'd like them this much.

2.5

2nd half is better.

Iconic album of my formative years

Game changer. Wrote the blueprint for rock in the new millennium. And just full of great tunes

Banger after banger. Will definitely try their other stuff

Can’t believe I never listened to this before. Instant classic

indie classic that gets better on every listen and is a key influence in the indie genre for the next decade

A great debut but by no means is it their best album.

Solid modern rock album. Definitely not perfect, though. I don't like that they use a lot of the same rhythms in every song, so a lot of it blends together. When I try to remember one of the songs I like, I have to wonder, "was it this one or the other 4 that do the same thing?" Also, it's hard to tell what's going on with the vocals in the songs because the singer just does the same drone-y talk-singing on every track. Favorite tracks: Someday, Last Nite

Absolute classic. Pretty much a no skips. Easy 5 Heard before? Yes Owned: Yes. 4/1001, 4/15 (26%) Will I get? Already have Recommend: Yes

Love it

High energy, fun and catchy. Some standout hits and solid tracks otherwise. Pretty good…not nearing perfection for my ears though

(Heard the version with NYC cops in it, cause thats the artwork seen on the website), This album still slaps, was a fresh breath of air when i heard it and is still is. Maybe for those who were older like Bowie did not like it, but whatever. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y3ak4Ms8XQ0 (If you want to know whats the sound that kickstarts the album)

good energy to wake you up in the morning without being overwhelming. glad they brought back the acab song.

Modern garage pop rock perfection.

10/10 do that cry queerbaiting nepo baby

PEAK

I've listened to this before. I like it but have never really loved it for some reason, though I have enjoyed listening.

Pretty basic guitar rock dressed up with distorted dispassionate vocals. I don't hate it, but I don't love it.

Easily one of my favorite albums of all time and it's always held a special place in my heart. This influenced so much of my taste growing up. The uniqueness of tonalities in both the vocals and guitars keeps every song, no matter the tempo, feeling energetic. This one's like a time capsule and I just can't get enough. Too many favorites to name.

This is the first album generated where I already own it on vinyl. Needless to say I love this album. I prefer New York City Cops to When It Started. I love the guitar tones, the tight songwriting, the lyrics. It all radiates such youth and energy.

Without a doubt the strokes best work. This album gives me feelings of Nostalgia and I don't know why. The way the two guitars just flow with each other is really amazing

love

A pleasant album by a band I knew nothing about. I didn’t find it particularly original or groundbreaking, but the mix of punk-ish beats and late 90s indie rock vocals gets the job done if you’ve got half an hour to kill. Nothing memorable, but on this list I’ve learned to take what I can get. Who knows what horror I’ll have to listen tomorrow.

Classic jangle pop inspired rock album that made them the biggest band on the planet for 25 minutes. Good stuff, but I don't like it as much as everyone else.

naspa 4/10

I really love The Strokes, I love early 2000's indie rock, and this has some absolute classics. However I can't say I find it that remarkable, they're very repetitive and I get a bit tired of their sound after half an album. The New Abnormal their 2020 album I would give 5* however.

What a record.

A really tedious listen with the constant droning guitar chord

Solid album. Knew 2 songs

I love, love, love this album and I’d listened to it in full many times before it was recommended to me.

Man, this album. The genre and time period of The Strokes is highly relevant to my interest in music, but something about this band has just kept me away. In my admittedly prudent ways, it’s probably the album cover. I just don’t like it, and my dislike of the artwork is only exacerbated by how iconic it is and how much I want to like it on those grounds. Anyways, it’s great that I’m finally getting around to hearing another landmark, big time album. The last one was Ten by Pearl Jam thirty albums back, so I like to think it’s been a good while. I’m looking forward to hearing this one, and I have a good feeling that I will come away liking it. Yeah, this music is competent. Quintessential early 2000s indie. I admittedly prefer the more artful offerings from this period of music as opposed to the commercial, harsh sound of this album, but I can’t complain. “The Modern Age” is good. I like the guitar riffs, especially during the guitar solo. The heavy percussion during the bridge is good, too. “Soma” is a solid follow-up. The weightless atmosphere of that track is immensely gratifying, and the guitar performances are, again, very good. Is This It goes out to lunch with the next couple of tracks, but comes back with “Hard to Explain”, which is solid. The electronic sound that peeks its head into the track is married nicely with the lo-fi guitars. Despite having so many harsh sounds, the song somehow manages comes away with a soft and mellow sound, which I appreciate. On an unrelated note, I’m pretty sure I’ve heard The Modern Age, Barely Legal and Last Nite before, though I’m not exactly sure. The harsh lo-fi sound kind of conceals how recognisable this music is, which is a phenomenon I’ve never had when listening to albums before. Gonna do my homework and read the book entry for this album. “...an exhilarating debut”. The rest of the entry is about the band’s many creative influences. In any case, I can’t fault this album. I’m unsure of the relevance that The Strokes have in current year, but it’s a very good rep for the time period and I’ve seen this album on the Internet quite a few times now, so I like to think this recommendation is on good authority.

EASILY a no skip album!! I absolutely loveeee the first song and it completely set me up for no disappointment! It’s hard to really describe but it just sounds amazing? The whole album is just pleasing to the ear! I will probably relisten!

This was a fun listen. I don't think I'd actively seek it out, but I wouldn't mind if I heard it again.

I could never understand why everyone went wild over this album at the time of its release. It's good, sure . . . but not THAT good. Strokes, Franz Ferdinand, Interpol--I was always about a half-ass fan.

One might want to not like this nepo-baby super-hyped cool kids record, but one cannot choose that option: it's pretty great. Some Lou Reed vocals, a few Television guitar solos, but really, it's the sweet hooks with long grooves. Not a lot of range, but what they do, they do really well.

Perhaps not the epochal album it was heralded as at the time, but still sounds tight and was fun to listen to. Between a 3 and 4 for me, but rounding up because it ends on such a high note with “Take It or Leave It.”

please give me an album i haven’t heard mr generator

Really enjoyed the album top to bottom, love the hits still, surprised by a few I hadn't heard before

No es del estilo de música que escucho

The singles are the hits on this one but a very important indie progenitor.

Didn't much care for them when they came out. The album is fine. Their hits aren't bad, but just overplayed.

7.5/10 Good stuff this. Sounds like an era in music - partly because it is very of its time, partly how it helped define it. Plenty of music that followed is clearly inspired by this. Languid garage post punk, they found a vibe and stuck to it. That is good and bad - the first half can sound a little same at points. Then it hits Someday and takes off. Lots of bangers on the second side. Best: Hard to Explain

This was pretty good and was the first album where I enjoyed the beat of the music.

Never listened to The Strokes, only heard Last Nite from them and I liked it kinda. When I landed on this album, I didn't expect anything and I thought the album would be mid, because the album opener wasn't that good, however songs started to get increasingly good and I enjoyed this album so much. It's a 5 for me Best song - NYC Cops Worst song - Is this is

Enjoyable album more poppy than I expected but I liked it a lot. 4.2/5

oh, this actually is it?

One of the best debuts of all time hands down.

Incredible debut album, enjoyable, listenable and a landmark for garage and indie rock. A band that came to tear down walls with other bands of its time.

This is a good album, perhaps not quite so good as the press at the time made it out to be. Clearly influenced by 70s American music such as Iggy & The Stooges, Television and even Blondie. There's little variation on the album, but it does have a certain charm to it and is enjoyable. It just squeaks 4⭐ Would I listen to this album again? Yes, I should play it more. Would I buy this album? I did. 1 "Is This It" - Great bass line. Odd choice to open an album. - 4⭐ 2 "The Modern Age" - 4⭐ 3 "Soma" - 3⭐ 4 "Barely Legal" - 4⭐ 5 "Someday" - 4⭐ 6 "Alone, Together" - 3⭐ 7 "Last Nite" - This is a great song, - 5⭐ 8 "Hard to Explain" - 3⭐ 9 "New York City Cops" - Musically good and interesting compared to what has come before but the chorus spoils what would otherwise be an excellent song. - 4⭐ 10 "Trying Your Luck" - It's as if they suddenly realised that the album needed a touch of variety, and added it to the end of the album. - 3⭐ 11 "Take It or Leave It" - 3⭐ Total - 40 Average - 3.64

I love this album. Not sure if it's their best. Definitley probably a top-3 album of theirs, in my opinion.

Easily one of my favorite all time albums! This is one that I kinda liked when it came out but over time my appreciation for this one has grown to the point to where I’d place it pretty high on my top 100!

I never got into this band. I guess we'll see what old man me thinks.. Yep, I remember the Last Nite song. Hard To Explain was ok. This just doesn't get my loins moist. 2.5.

I think I get what they were going for with the retro sound, but I couldn't really get into this.

The Dostojevski of Rock music (derogatory). I hate the album cover, always have. Putting women's body parts on covers is outdated, makes me uncomfortable. This whole album is incel paradise. Whining about how everyone else is stupid and wrong (title track), using drugs as escapism and being annoyed when their behavior is pointed out to them (Soma; Alone, Together). They are making young adult angst songs that are contrarian without merit (New York City Cops), the protagonist is a gaslighting asshole boyfriend who is unable to communicate with his girlfriend (Last Nite, Trying your Luck), only caring about conservative ideas when they stand in the way of him getting laid (Hard To Explain). I know exactly the type of guy who'd like this album, and I don’t like him very much. I don’t want to hear about guy problems anymore. These songs are sonically and lyrically so mediocre und uninteresting that it's pissing me off - what album by a woman was omitted for this? His voice sounds like he's drunk at a karaoke bar, just wailing and slurring and carefully constructing a certain carelessness that does nothing for me. Themes: The discrepancy between modern day angst vs. dancing the pain away („Still, I will try my best“ - Someday). The darker sides of escapism and cutting ones vulnerability.

I fucking love the strokes it’s my intro band

I’m not a big punk fan. I can appreciate the album, but it’s not really for me. I did like “Alone, Together” most of all the songs.

Easy to see why this was so influential, all the singles are bangers and the album tracks are no slouches. Wonderful instrumental interplay and endless hooks.

Often duplicated, never replicated or whatever the phrase is

Amazing. One of the best albums of all time.

amazing!

00s rock

I used to be so obsessed with this album. Still really good but it just doesn't have the same luster to me now

Quite similar to the previous listen of Vivid by Living Colour with no songs necessary standing out immensely for being great or poor. However it did lack a little something which Living Colour did possess and thus this album will be receiving a standard 3/5 rating.

Thought this would be a get a higher rating since I'm familiar with the Strokes. Its ok. First Impressions of Earth is a far superior album. 3/5.

As overrated as it was when I first heard it. Only interesting to someone who didn't listen to New York music of 1975 to 1980(ish). And that albim cover? Jeez.

Bängää

Not the revival of rock as it once sort of positioned as but catchy as hell!

When you listen to The Strokes, you have to remember the progression that led there, otherwise this just sounds like 'some music.' The dirty, callous bombast of 80's hair metal (a failed cultural attempt to capture the same lightning in a bottle as Eddie Van Halen) gave way to Seattle's grunge movement in the early 90's (still crunchy, less technically-focused, sensitive and singer-songwriter driven). The post-grunge sound (let's just say Smashing Pumpkins) was cleaner but similar in theme -- dark, emotional -- but redeveloped some of the hard rock technicality, and by the late 90's, that had given way to a lot of nu-metal slop (due respect to a few honest weirdos like Deftones and Incubus). That turn-of-the-millenium nu-metal phenomenon contained a bunch of neat rhythms but a also a ton of the heavy, depressive moods of the preceding decade (and if you're using Limp Bizkit as your yardstick, three whole brain cells). The Strokes and the White Stripes burst into widespread consciousness hot on the heels of Limp Bizkit's cultural domination with a stripped-down sound and way less focus on breaking stuff and doing it for the nookie. It's just a bunch of chimey guitars, rock beats and bright melodies. And for some reason, vocals that sound like they're from the other end of a rotary phone. The Strokes moved rock and roll back from the dark, angry place that nu-metal had dragged it. To be clear (and even more digressive), music can certainly be great and angry (Rage Against The Machine) but when the economic incentive is for that sort of negative emotional spiral, the quality underpinning that expression drops. At least bubblegum pop makes people feel good; doing it all for the nookie is a cash grab that makes everyone feel bad -- neither means nor end are justified. If this seems like a long review of a Limp Bizkit album that I didn't even listen to, that's kind of what makes The Strokes interesting. They're reasonably fine musicians in their own right but the thing that made them important was the cultural moment that they helped to rescue us from. It's both important to understand that to place them in their proper place and also hard to get into the vitality of their music when they're not a breath of fresh air. Anyway, 'Someday' is a catchy tune and the album gets 3/5 on its own merits. It'd be 5/5 for helping to rescue us from The Nookie but I don't need rescuing anymore.

Rating: 9.5/10 One of the best debuts of all time. Incredibly catchy and fun throughout and some fantastic interplay between the guitars and bass.

Unskippable.

It was ok. Didn't love it, didn't hate it. I probably would have liked it better if we were listening to it at a lively bar, instead of at home.

i lik

this is what smoking a cigarette and getting a dollar slice in nyc in 2001 probably felt like and i want to be there...this is what mary kate and ashley's new york minute felt like for everyone who couldn't get the simple plan tickets but still had a subway pass and a dream...

jokes on you juyeon!!! apparently i know this album and really like it!!!!! i too have had my lil alternative indie era! i just never remembered who sang what lmfao but the album cover looked familiar and then certain songs played and i was like hey this went triple platinum on my old ipod! still cute! still fun! still love!

Not my genre

One of the best albums ever made. Very very good.

The opening song was terrible. It only got slightly better and I didn’t really enjoy this album. I liked Last Nite and that’s about it.

Really great rock album 9/10

Buenu que dirt-e, ja el coneixia i increïble albummm :3 m'encanta pero no t el 5 pq no es perfecete i pq existeix the new abnormal jeje

Well known group and debut album. This album has their well known hit - Last Nite - this album is really good. No surprises and nothing to add. Best Songs Is this it Someday Last Nite Hard to Explain

3.5 rounded down consistent ! but maybe that’s not always the best thing …. too much of a good thing or something like that highlights: last nite, hard to explain, take it or leave it (sep 11 2024)

I came out with a headache but the album is cool. 3/5

Rather monotonous

It is what it is, which is pretty good.

not sure what to say about the strokes. i feel like i should really like them, but they're just kinda ok. they definitely have a sound. they found themselves. they have some big hits and recognizable songs. i'll give it three stars for quality music with the caveat that i wouldn't listen again without some prompting.

They remind of the Velvet Underground. They also remind me of Railroad Jerk if Railroad Jerk wasn't trying so hard to be hard to listen to. It's fine. I want to give it 2.75 stars but I guess I'll round up.

I remember when this came out and people freaking out about it, but I never quite understood the hype. "Last Nite" is great, and I like "Hard to Explain," "New York City Cops," and "Take It or Leave It," but this never struck me as a generation-defining album or anything. It's fine.

Had to go into my EQ and make sure I hadn't accidentally shelved everything off at 5khz. There's a weird master choice for the the first four songs of the album. I can hear this band's influence in other stuff from the next decade. The guitar stuff going on is fine. Vocals aren't my jam. At least they made sure it's not as annoying as it could be by sitting it so far back in the mix and rolling off everything that's not 1-3khz. Can't decide if this is a 2 or a 3. Everything but the vocals and mix is fine, probably 4 quality. The master gets better partway through the album. The vocals stay awful the whole time. No song sticks out as the hit here, my chosen marker for a 3, but there's enough consistent good across the album, if you ignore the vocals, that I guess it combines to a good song. A 3.

Iconic album that defined a genre for a generation, tight 38 minutes with no skips and catchy songs all throughout. The re-listening experience is laden with nostalgia but there's some real artistry to be found in this album. Songwriting is great, bass lines and riffs are immediate ear-worms, and the up-tempo drums are infectious. This album has energy man.

Overhyped. Maybe it "reignited" jangly alt rock at the time, but the actual music just good, not great

Great. Edgy at times , great vocals and a couple of breakout tunes

Ok so most of the songs on the album sound very similar but if they’re good does that actually matter? A really enjoyable listen with not really any poor song in there.

An easy one for me to rate as it is probably in my top 10 albums of all time. The Strokes just ooze coolness and this album effortlessly combines that raw garage sound with flawless production. The songs are short and snappy with their trademark swagger, punchy guitars and growling vocals. So many good tracks that it is difficult to find an average one. There is a case for any of them to be the lead single. I am aware that there is limited variety in the songs, but what variety combined with the shortness of the songs and album make this the perfect debut album.

Never enjoyed these guys. Nothing other than I find their music incredibly dreary. Sorry, not sorry.

Boring, boring, boring. The annoying guitar ugh. They sound like those School of Rock kids bands that you have to struggle through at sumer event's

Not a bad song on the album really. This hit at a musical peak for me so I’m totally biased but it’s a killer album and still holds up. My faves: “some day”, “take it or leave it”, “New York city cops”, and “last night”.

This album knows what it’s about.

I remember the hype when this came out and it still holds up pretty well today. Solid stuff and I do think a turn to a more natural, garage rock sound would be needed today.

This was boring. Some catchy stuff here and there, but really not that interesting.

It may be nostalgia that accounts for the fifth star, I can't be sure, but this album is an all-timer. Very of its time, yet the melodies and and hooks are so dialed in, I think it has entered and deserves its place in the rock canon.

I really enjoyed this album. I thought the singers voice would get tiring after a while, but it really fits with the crunchy guitar riffs.

Absolutely classic. One of my favorite albums, have spun this hundreds if not thousands of times all the way through. Never gets old for me.

Love this album. I might be biased, but I think it's a perfect alternative album. It has multiple hits: Last Nite, Someday, Hard to Explain, and Soma, and the songs in between are great too. Well produces, great sound all around. Have listened many times before, and it made me want to get back into the Strokes.

This is another great album I remember listening to a bunch back in highschool. A few stand out tracks with an up beat and energetic flow made this a joy to come back to. Listening to it from start to finish has been enjoyable also. Someday, Soma, and the modern age are my favorites and to me really encapsulates what this whole album was for me.

I enjoy Strokes songs individually but I find it a bit samey to listen through a full album. Still, it's snappy and distinct.

Groot fan. Het hele album lang genieten.

Legendary! Modern day classic

This was good. A solid 3.5. It started slow, but really caught fire at the end. Is it just me or does their singer always sound either flat OR like he is peaking the mics or both? I don't like his voice. The rhythm section and Instrumentals are GREAT tho. This was a solid listen. The last two songs may have been the strongest part. Liked Songs: "The Modern Age" , "Barely Legal" , "Someday" , "Alone, Together" , "Last Nite" , "Trying Your Luck" , "Take It Or Leave It"

liked songs: Sometimes, Last Night The vocals being "not trying very hard" but also clipping every time it gets loud is grating after a while. Otherwise not bad. 3.25

Someday is a certified banger. Awesome album really enjoyable! 7.3/10

good stuff

Okay not a big fan

This is solid, ‘00s post-punk/garage rock revival. I like their combo of indie emo, propulsive drums, and rocking out. But it’s nothing super compelling.

Not tooooo captivating, not much material standing out to me??

Strokin!

They really defined a sound that for years everyone tried (and failed) to follow up on

I am sorry for sleeping on you The Strokes. I had no idea. Please forgive me.

Didn't like it much at the time, and prefer „The new Abnormal“ by far.

Really enjoying the first few tracks. Never listened before to the whole album. Sounds like Gang of Youths, a favourite.

Some great songs and some just sound the same.

35m49s of sheer unadulterated joy.

Lightning strikes behind the BDO MainStage. Is this it?

That's a solid album. I've heard bits of it but never the whole way through

yes. it is it (highly overrated)

This album was the soundtrack to late teens. Many a drunk nights in clubs and just sitting in my car solo screaming the lyrics, guitar solos and bass lines all by myself!

It’s so classic. Julian Casablancas has such a unique sound, and nobody was doing this at the time. Sounds so NYC. Great record, love revisiting it.

Yikes.

Неплохой альбом. Alone, Together и Trying Your Luck достойны внимания.

i convinced myself i hated the strokes. i was wrong best track: take it or leave it worst track: hard to explain

Ben niet perse heel hyped

Ok

Wiffs of velvet underground and joy division, what an amazing debut album to skyrocket to fame with… Features very highly on “music connoisseurs” list and in many topster but never got further than a few of their hits. Even though the song structure is not always very complex and the album is only 35 mins long, this was an amazing listening experience. The music that “liberated” millenials. Absolute banger 5/5

Did they put an ass on the cover because I the Strokes it to ass

Great album. Have always loved this one.

Always knew about this stud

love this album, very formative for a guitar player in the mid to late 2000s. room on fire is the better album by a slight margin - if only because Last Nite got overplayed and i find that track a little annoying... when that bass comes in on Is This It though....

Like a bleached white roman replica - perfected the form in every way and with greater emotionally resonance highs: hard to explain, soma, take it or leave it lows: mayybee trying your luck?

A great record start to finish

This felt like basic radio rock: nothing overly groundbreaking, but also quality craft. But personally I just wasn’t feeling it - not something I would choose to play much again.

Is This It is often praised as a landmark album that helped launch the garage rock revival of the early 2000s. With its tight production, short and punchy tracks, and effortlessly cool attitude, it’s become a modern classic for many. But for me, it doesn’t quite hit the mark. Julian Casablancas’ vocals, which some find iconic, come across more irritating than engaging. The distant, filtered sound feels monotonous over time, and I miss a sense of warmth or variation. Musically, it’s tight and stylish, but also a bit too slick and repetitive for my taste. There’s no doubt about the album’s influence and significance, but personally, it leaves me a bit cold. 3/5

Before listening to this album, I was relatively familiar with The Strokes, especially their singles. 'Is This It' was an interesting listening as it was me experiencing a lot of the material I'd not heard by them. First thing to mention about the album, I love the production. Simple, stripped back, the subtle distortion on Julian's voice sets a great tone. Next thing is how good a set of musicians The Strokes are. That may seem naive of me to say, but for a debut album they lock into their parts. No one gets in the way of each other, the bass lines are playful when the guitars are simple, the drums are on point. Overall, this was a great listen. The tracks that stood out to me were 'Soma', 'Someday', 'Last Nite' and 'Hard To Explain' as each of these very clearly outline the identity of The Strokes in their early years. 4/5

I’m not a hater but this album feels so outdated

Much better than the last time I listened to it. I do think its a very pleasent listen and it deserves to be called a modern classic. Its just not music I go back to often.

A band that mastered their sound from the first album. Appreciate the conciseness. 11 songs in 35 minutes. The Velvet Underground is always brought up as a major influence on early Strokes, and I would agree with that when it comes to their image and general NYC attitude, but musically they sound much more indebted to New Wave and Post Punk. I honestly hear a lot of the Cars in them.

really good

Boring

I feel like I've tried to listen to this album multiple times in the past and could not get into it. And what's weird is I flat out don't remember it sounding like this. Dunno what it was, but I would have given it a 3 back then and just be done with it. But what's nice about doing this project is it allows you to revisit stuff and realize albums you didn't get into before are absolute bangers. For some reason, this album is just hitting hard for me. It's fun, bouncy, sunny, happy. Everything you want in a great album. Honestly, I think the reason I'm able to get into it this time is me gaining a deeper appreciation for post-punk through this 1001 album project. Not that this album necessarily sounds like the other post-punk on this list (maybe closest to New Order, which their album Technique is easily my favorite post-punk record I've discovered on this project), but there's just something there that kinda unlocked my appreciation for this record. Great record. Will have to listen to it more to figure out what to playlist. (Whoever decided the original cover was too risque for the US and made them make a new one needs to be shot, lol)

Pretty boring in my opinion.

In theory this should be a nostalgic ride for me, but the album is inherently intertwined with the cultural mess that followed 9/11. It's a really solid album and it's important to realise how unusual this sounded coming along in the midst of all the bright Millennial pop. Sometimes you just need something a bit grimy that sounds like it hasn't slept in days. Alone, Together is the best track.

Such a cool little album. Great sounds all the way through.

This app needs 1/2s

Solid but waaaaaay over hyped

I am not a huge Strokes fan but there are a few tracks on this album that I appreciate.

💯

so many fun tracks, love the spunky guitar

Similar to Meat is Murder, while I love the band, this isn't my favorite album by then. I'll take Room on Fire, First Impressions of Earth, or Angles over Is This It. Nevertheless, this album is a fun listen and Last Nite is an awesome song.

Fun story: A girl I had a crush on in high school was big into the strokes. Once on an orchestra field trip, we got talking about music; I broadly acquitted myself well, and she told me I had to listen to an album she really liked, passing me her ipod and headphones. I don't remember what happened after, but it was accidentally set to repeat song, so I only heard the one song (Macchu Picchu) on repeat for half an hour before we discussed further. I didn't have much interesting to say. Anyway, this is less repetitive than that. Moreover, it's pretty good! This band was rightly beloved by indieheads in the 2000s. For whatever reason, it doesn't quite move me the way I want from music, even as I recognize that everything here is very well-executed. So it goes. 3.5 rounding up.

The Strokes have one sound. Don't get me wrong. It sounds good, but I wish there was more diversity to their sound. 3.5 stars, rounding up to 4 just because, again, it is a good sound.

there are very few albums i love more than this one---enough that it is in my spotify top 5 every single year for the last 10 years. i don't know what it is about this album, ostensibly there's nothing truly magical about it in the same way that other albums are in this list. and yet, and yet, and yet,

Someday und Is This It sind durchaus ganz cool, der Rest ist mir zu hart

Absolutely iconic album.

Excellent album! But for what I’m feeling these days just ok

Ehhhh. There's like 2 or 3 popular songs but this is really all just the same song remixed like 16 times. Good background music. Still fun tho.