An album that suffers from severe bloating. There's simply too many songs on this album, too many mediocre tracks that sour the incredible highs speckled through its runtime. The 14 tracks on this project end up bleeding into each other and causing the overall experience to sound messy and confused, but, at the same time, several songs on this album are like oases in a desert, outstanding tracks that manage to hold the experience together, if only barely. It's decent, no better, no worse.
In part, this is my favorite album due to some parts nostalgia and other parts bias. It's mostly purely subjective, but it found a place in my heart for a reason. This album is 35 minutes of top tier indie rock. The musicianship of The Strokes is put on full display, with each instrument from the bass to both the rhythm and lead guitar being utilized in simplistic perfection, all with Julian's crooning vocals riding every track. From beginning to end the album has nothing it doesn't need, and ... read more
A beautiful, tragic masterpiece bursting with emotion and painting detailed, depressing imagery with its dramatic instrumentals and vocal performances.