The Strokes are one of the biggest bands in music history, having released six studio albums and two live album/compilation projects. They’ve also starred in their own TV show!
The band formed in New York City in 2001 when founding members Nick Luscombe (rhythm guitar) and Julian Casablancas (lead vocals) met while attending college at Columbia University. Their friend Albert Hammond Jr. (bass) joined soon after, creating what would become The Strokes.
Hammond is now the group’s sole member, leaving Luscombe to commentate on The Stroke‘s legacy as guitarist and songwriter. He has since started his own solo career, recording an EP last year that featured collaborations with musicians including Alessandro Modesto (Ten More Years), Ben Allen (Millionaire), Russell Reeder (Florence And The Machine, Twenty Four Seven) and Austin Wintory (South Park).
Casanova hit number 1 across all charts this week, making it seven #1 songs for the band so far. It spent five weeks inside the top 5 before debuting at number 2 behind Only Way Is Up by Drake. Both tracks were co-written by Metro Boomin, who made his name producing for artists like Migos and Young Thug.
What makes The Strokes stand out from other rock acts is their use of lyrics and melodies designed to appeal to both casual listeners and professional critics.
The Strokes are one of the most well-known bands in music history. They formed back in 2001 when only eighteen years old, and have never stopped putting out quality music ever since!
The band originally consisted of four members – no lead singer, just musicians that played instruments and made up the songs as they went along. But now, almost ten years later, only two remain from that original lineup.
Singer/songwriter Julian Casablancas left the group in 2016 to pursue his own career. Now there is just one remaining member — guitarist Paul Benjamin.
The second studio album from The Stroke, their debut LP, is titled Songs About Jane. This title suggests that this album may be about relationships or love songs. However, it is actually very different than that!
The Album Is About Surviving Addiction
It takes place in the past where the narrator has just broken up with his/her significant other and is now spending time alone. He (she) begins to feel lonely and depressed, which only makes him (her) want to use drugs more.
At times, he (she) will overdose on heroin and wake up in the hospital. Even though he (she) has healed physically from the drug use, he (she) still feels empty inside.
This song is inspired by the author’s personal experiences of addiction. She wanted to create an honest portrayal of what it is like to struggle with mental health issues while simultaneously trying to stay clean.
She hopes her music can help others who are struggling to understand and cope with depression. It was important for her to write about her own experience because she wants to see people get the help they need.
Her music is not designed to be entertaining, but rather to make you feel emotions. You will laugh, cry, and appreciate the lyrics at many points throughout the record.
The Strokes have always been shrouded in mystery, which is what made their rise to fame so spectacular. They built up an incredible reputation for being secretive individuals before anyone really knew them. Even now, when they make major appearances or announcements, there is still very little known about them.
The band formed back in 2001 in New York City. Guitarist/vocalist Julian Casablancas (the main lyric writer of the songs) was already well-known as one half of popular indie rock duo The Voidhangers. He met drummer Nick Stahl while performing with him at a music festival. Both musicians were looking to form another group together, and after some brainstorming sessions, they decided to add second guitarist Albert Reynolds.
A few months later, the three men had gathered enough material to create their first EP. But it took almost two years until they felt ready to release it under their own name. By that time, they had changed the band name from The Phoenixz to The Strokes, inspired by the song “I'll Take You As My Love Song” off of their self titled debut LP.
The Strokers, as they are popularly known, have always been in the music business since their first meeting back in 2005. They consistently put out quality songs that get radio play and lots of attention. Their catchy melodies and lyrics have attracted many admirers across different genres.
Their success comes from creating relatable music with incredible vocals and rich instrumentation. Not only do their listeners relate to what they say and how they feel, but also because they sound like them!
The band has featured members who have changed positionally within the group, making it seem more fluid and natural. This helps promote unity among the members, which is important for lasting success.
Overall, The Strokes have succeeded due to their hard work and dedication to their craft. They know when to take breaks and focus on other projects, keeping themselves busy so that no one feels pressure about sticking around for a while. An easy way to stay motivated is by having someone you trust tell you that you are doing a good job.
They continue to grow and succeed not only as musicians, but as people too. People talk about how kind and friendly they are, and this makes an impression that will last a long time.
The Strokes released their fifth studio album, titled ‘Someday', in April 2018. It is their first release since they broke up back in October of 2016! They re-formed as a duo with guitarist/vocalist Julian Hamilton (formerly of The Office) and bassist Nick Steinhardt (formerly of For All I Know).
The pair met while performing together in a band that later disbanded. After recording several songs, they decided to make music as a side project and eventually asked New York musician Albert Hughes to join them as the lead singer.
Hughes, who has performed with artists such as Passion Pit and Matchbox Twenty, said he was surprised by how well the trio meshed musically.
"We had some good chemistry right away," he told Billboard. "It wasn't like we spent days trying to figure it out -- it just kind of happened.
The Stroke is an iconic part of New York music culture. It was coined in 1983 by rapper Nas, who used it to describe his group, Queensbridge-based crew A-Trak and their frequent collaborator DJ Khaled. Since then, it has become synonymous with any artist that makes lots of mainstream or popular music.
The term quickly caught on outside of hip hop as well. Artists like Jay Z have incorporated the word into songs and even made it a badge for success. He uses it more than anyone else, including himself at one point.
Jay Z says he will never be considered famous because he doesn’t know what it means, but he also notes that being famous isn’t all it's cracked up to be. He seems to imply that there are too many people using the word "famous" these days.
In fact, some artists feel so pressured about how they should use the word famous that they don’t even want to use it themselves.
The seventh studio album from the Strokes is their most famous. Released in June of 2012, it spent three weeks at number one on the Billboard charts. It also reached number two on the Rock Albums chart, which was impressive for an indie rock band!
The song that made this album popular? That would be the radio track “New York City.” This catchy tune features some great vocals by lead singer Julian Casablancas and lyrics such as, “I wanna see you try / Try to hold back your tears.”
This brings us to our next topic – why it's so hard to listen to the early Stroke albums.
Many music fans consider The Strokes to be one of if not the greatest bands ever. They are constantly praised for how well-written their songs are and how strong of musicians they are. But unfortunately, very few people like their earlier work.
It is difficult to understand what makes The Strokes special unless you have listened to all seven of their original albums. Most people cannot appreciate New Yorkerism or the use of slang in their lyrics until after 2001’s Acheyic.
But perhaps my biggest reason for discouraging people from listening to the first five albums is found in the lyrics of my personal favorite song off Hard Out Here - "You Only Live Once.
The eighth studio album from the band is their latest, First Impressions of Earth (20th anniversary edition). It was released in September 2019 via Republic Records as an early Christmas present for all their dedicated followers!
The eight-track LP features six new songs written by the band and one reworked song that originally appeared on the first three albums. Two additional tracks are remixes of previous singles with some extra vocals.
It also includes a brand new cover version of Bob Dylan’s famous track I Want You. This coversation was done quite beautifully, staying true to the original while adding your own spin on it.
What makes this album special isn’t just the great songs, but the legacy that the band has built over the past two decades.
