This is a big step for a guy who’s always been seen as “the frontman.” However, Phrazes for the Young changes all of that. Not only does it cement Casablancas’ as the driving force behind The Strokes, it presents him as the innovator: the guy willing to take chances.
‘Phrazes For The Young’ easily holds its own amongst not only his bandmates’ albums, but The Strokes output proper.
Phrazes For The Young testifies that the qualities that made Julian Casablancas so noteworthy in 2001 remain in place, just a little more difficult to predict.
The effect is more Tokyo neon than Lower East Side leather. Surprisingly, the sonic leap forward intensifies Casablancas' greatest gift -- melody.
It may not have the sugar rush immediacy of the Strokes, and at times it's downright indulgent, but Phrazes for the Young shows that Casablancas has more than enough ideas for several albums on his own and with his band.
With a new Strokes album looking less likely by the day, I’m thankful for this — turns out Casablancas solo is just as good.
Phrazes For The Young is a successful departure from The Strokes' straightforward brawn, but it's not as different as it's been billed.
It doesn't all work but it is daring and, as with the Strokes, the overall sound is strong and distinct enough to override any concerns about its authenticity.
It’d be nice to get a new Strokes record in 2010, but Phrazes for the Young is that rarest of vanity projects: a successful one.
Phrazes for the Young represents a creative departure for Casablancas and another milestone for his band—marking a point where they’ve produced more quality albums by themselves than as a group.
After Phrazes of the Young, one wonders which route he will take: dance-pop, left-field audience alienation or expected unconventionality. Who knows? He might actually find Jesus.
Whenever Casablancas strains for seriousness, the album loses focus ... When he concentrates on making pop music, however, Phrazes for the Young is a blast.
The irony is that Phrazes for the Young is so smoothed over-- nearly all of Casablancas' trademark vocal roughness is airbrushed into oblivion-- it instantly sounds like a plexiglass-covered museum piece.
As a musical reference point, people have the Eighties all wrong. Comparing new music to an entire decade is a pretty careless move to begin with, but the new artists that attract the comparison tend to be a world away from the spirit of synthpop, the genre that supposedly defines the period. Just because Little Boots, for example, uses some keyboards, it doesn’t make her music ‘Eighties’.
BAND BINGE: THE STROKES (PART 9INE OF 21ENTYONE)
How is NO ONE talking about THIS ALBUM? This is definitely the best solo Strokes album so far in their discography!
Goddamn does Julian Casablanca know how to craft a song. Even in projects that even he doesn't like (Fun fact:
According to Wikipedia, Julian Casablanca said that that this album played it too safe and was 'annoying, frustrating' to make), he is still bringing his ALL creatively. What this album is is a weirder, odder, and more ... read more
Nearing the end of a hiatus for The Strokes, Julian Casablancas puts together the solo record of his dreams. "Phrazes for the Young" is an outstanding synthpop record with all the 80's new wave nostalgia you could want. The production is great, the choruses are as catchy as you'd want them in a Strokes-related release, I love Jules’ vocals on here and there are a great deal of clever lines here ("I live on the frozen surface of a fireball"). I just wish there was ... read more
Just before the release of The Stroke's Angles, Julian Casablancas released his self titled debut album titled Phrazes for the Young. If you could tell at any moment the direction The Strokes would go with The New Abnormal it would be here, the beginning of Julian's experimenting with synthpop. This project may not be as fun as the garage rock Julian and Co. are known for it is fun in its' own quirky ways with the electronics really adding a cool flavour to this album. Also if you could not ... read more
It shows how great of a songwriter Julian is and just how many great songs he has written that this is still not really close to his best work. There's so many memorable hooks and melodies on this album and each song is such an earworm. The production here is a departure from pretty much all of his other work, with influences from synthpop and the wider pop genre as a whole, obviously still with his patented style and sound integrated. Even though this is one of his albums I come back to the ... read more
julian is slowly becoming one of my fav artists of all time
also this album is so underrated like holy shit yall are missing out on some amazing music
1 | Out of the Blue 4:41 | 86 |
2 | Left & Right In the Dark 4:54 | 81 |
3 | 11th Dimension 4:03 | 89 |
4 | 4 Chords of the Apocalypse 4:59 | 83 |
5 | Ludlow St. 5:42 | 69 |
6 | River of Brakelights 5:08 | 83 |
7 | Glass 5:20 | 79 |
8 | Tourist 5:02 | 79 |
#21 | / | Beats Per Minute |
#21 | / | Consequence of Sound |
#27 | / | Stereogum |
#29 | / | NME |
#30 | / | Spin |
#45 | / | musicOMH |