Hooray For The Strokes

Julian, Albert, Fabrizio, Nick and Nikolai. Are these five of the most important names in modern music? If an era-defining album is the requirement then the answer is straightforward (the yellowing poster in my old bedroom certainly answers it on a personal level). Yes, ‘Is This It’ sent cataclysmic shockwaves from a grotty Manhattan alleyway across the world, inspiring legions of copycats to pick up guitars, battered leather jackets, skinny ties (Kaiser Chiefs!) and an insouciant swagger (hello, The Libertines). But what’s happened since? Uncertainty, side projects, rumour and conjecture, that’s what.

This week The Strokes return to stoke the fire. ‘Under Cover Of Darkness,’ released for download yesterday, is the first single from ‘Angles,’ an album that threatened to rival Dr. Dre’s newie (the next, next episode, maybe it’s on +1?) and Guns N’ Roses for inexplicable tardiness. ‘First Impressions Of Earth’ delighted and frustrated in equal measure when it was released no less than five whole years ago. Questions, dissatisfaction and a palpable sense of unease surrounded the record. Where have these hair metal guitar lines come from? Why does ‘Heart In A Cage’ sound like System Of A Down? After the abject reaction to ‘Room On Fire’ (in spite of the brilliant 12:51) in 2003, Jules and co. could have been forgiven for wondering if they could ever please everyone again. Maybe that’s the problem. Was ‘Is This It’ just too good?

The reaction to the new single from the bastion of music criticism that is YouTube is almost uniformly, often glowingly, positive. Ranging from ‘I’m French and so so happy!’ (good to know) to ‘I literally cried, welcome back you talented bastards,’ and ‘Nice song!!! We want The Strokes live in Malaysian!’ (what does that even mean?), the comments exhibit the juvenile excitement and excessive punctuation that anyone who fell in love with the band all those years ago will be compelled to use. ‘Under Cover Of Darkness’ has the same inimitable guitar lines, tin can drums and nonchalant drawl that captivated so many in 2001. A mixture of childish excitement and the unremarkable nature of its quality make it challenging to criticise. It just sounds like The Strokes, with backing vocals. It is neither surprising nor breathtaking; The Strokes could never make a bad record, only one that doesn’t quite live up to their debut. Julian asks ‘Are you ok?’ before enunciating, like a man who’s been knocking back a mixture of beer and gravel, “I’ll wait for, will you wait for me too?” We’ve waited bloody ages already Julian!

Was it worth it? Time will tell, but it feels pretty good to have them back. Instead of the relentless stream of criticism and dissatisfaction that is directed at Jules and the gang, why not just appreciate The Strokes for what they are – a truly influential band that have retained every ounce of cocksure arrogance, talent and audacity that made them so damn lovable in the first place. ‘Under Cover Of Darkness’ then, yet another cracking single from a band that will never be able to do right by everyone.