Man, music was desperate for the next big thing in 2000-2001! How many bands/artists got a crack at the wheel? At the Drive-In, Ryan Adams, Interpol, The White Stripes, The Hives, the Vines, Jet, Wolfmother, Thursday (love ya, Steve) and like 47 other bands I can't even remember right now. Apparently we REALLY needed a new big thing, y'all. And, of course, The Strokes. I expected to be disappointed from listening to this again, not unlike my experience with that White Stripes record that was on this list. But not so much this time. I think I prefer their record after this (if memory serves), but I'm still very drawn to the guitars and bass here. I like the sound, I like the melodies, I like the rhythm. It's hard to separate the singing from the overall experience, but it's my least favorite part of what this band does. In fact, listening this time I was struck by how poppy some of these tunes are. Kind of makes me wonder what they would sound like with a singer who had more range and was able to lean into that side of their arrangements more. That said, what's there doesn't annoy me. Totally get the kidz bop reference though. There's for sure a whole air of adopting an aesthetic from a time period these dudes weren't even alive for yet. And that shit does kind of drive me crazy. (Looking at you Greta Van Fleet!) But over time I think that stuff fades away a bit and seems relatively harmless. The hype was probably only half their fault to begin with, and they definitely did not get to be the next big thing for very long. At least that one dude in the band got to date Drew Barrymore. Anyway, I'm watching a hockey game and they played "Unsung" by Helmet on the house P.A. during a stoppage in play, so I'm gonna go high-five myself.