Julian Casablancas - Phrazes for the Young

I was never a Strokes guy. When all those "The ____s" bands came out in the early 2000s I was completely indifferent...and probably a little oblivious. Listening to Is This It today, I realize that it is a damn fine record, but to an 8th grader into Pink Floyd, I never really jumped on that bandwagon.

Several years and two mediocre records later, The Strokes are laying dormant for the time being, while members sort out their respective solo projects (Check Albert Hammond Jr.'s stuff. Trust me). Casablancas premiered some of his solo tracks earlier this year and later announced he would release an LP. Phrazes for the Young is pure pop gold. Songs like "Left & Right in the Dark" and single, "11th Dimension" offer a synthesizer landmine of electronic pop. While tracks like the digital blues number, "4 Chords of the Apocalypse" and "Ludlow St." offer a more traditional indie rock sound. I recommend listening to this album in your car. Once you learn the words, you'll be at the optimal listening state of mind. Go a little over the speed limit, enough to feel badass (you are listening to an album by Julian Casablancas), but don't get pulled over because then you'll have to stop listening to this record. After you've reached a reasonable illegal speed, turn up your volume. Rinse, repeat.

Seriously though, this record may seem short. But it clocks in at 40 minutes, giving you enough time to make a few loops on the highway or just around your block like 30 times. I don't know where this will end up on my year end list, but this record is pretty good. And definitely better than the 5.5 it got from our dear friends at Pitchfork.

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