Is This It

The Strokes | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (October 9, 2001)
• Original Release Date: 2001
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: RCA
• ASIN: B00005QIPH
• In-Print Editions: Vinyl  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (889 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,509 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)
  • #12 in Music > Rock > Oldies & Retro > Garage Bands
  • #29 in Music > Alternative Rock > New Wave & Post-Punk > New Wave
  • #61 in Music > Indie Music > Rock > General

Editorial Reviews

STROKES THE IS THIS IT

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

64 of 76 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Honestly, In My Top Five--Ever., June 12, 2005

By 

Bernard Chapin "Ora Et Labora!" (CHICAGO! USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Is This It (Audio CD)

What if I could offer you instant happiness? This happiness could be obtained without having to take any pills, invest large sums of money, vote Socialist in the next election or meet any new and interesting friends in the county lock-up. My guess is that most of you would be interested in my offer. Now, that you're interested, all you have to do is find your way to the nearest mall or dot com so you can obtain the 2001 release, "Is This It", by the band The Strokes. It is not merely a collection of tunes; it is an ecstatic dose of acoustic Wellbutrin.

I'm still trying to figure out what happened with this record even though I bought it over three years ago. One minute I was slogging along with my anti-pop culture friends and deriding this age of musical nihilism and the next I'm in my living room singing "He won't decide but he won't debate."

I purchased the CD after hearing the addictive radio single, "Last Night." I usually don't buy a lot of new releases, as I'm often severely disappointed. It is rare when I find the popular stuff worthwhile. Yet, the first time I heard the record I knew it was special before the sixth or seventh song even began to play. Their sound is effervescent and stimulates regardless of the volume at which they are heard. Many may dismiss their compositions as being merely "catchy" but I think this is incorrect. There is a quiet complexity to their sound and, as my friend Grange put it, "They're so smooth it's actually deceptive- because there's actually a whole lot going on."

I will acknowledge that their physical appearance is not confidence inspiring. They appear on television in ultra-trendy dress and their liner note photos make them look as if they each individually drank three barrels apiece from the fountain of youth. Yet inexperience and glamour do not contaminate the end product which vibrates from your speakers.

The truest proof I can offer of their excellence is that "Is This It" did not leave my CD player for three months time after purchase. I'd give it a quick play on a daily basis. Only now have I reached the point where the record infrequently breaks into the rotation but I still appreciate it whenever it does.

The Strokes have become my default option whenever the need to buy a gift arises. For my mother's birthday last year, I decided to amazon her the album (along with a bunch of other stuff). My mom loved it and when I visited for Christmas I found the record on her passenger seat, which suggested heavy use.

One of my friends was going through a nasty bout of melancholia so I decided to give it to him as a present. He reported to me that the vitality of the melodies actually made him feel better.

Is this a hybrid, commercially fabricated band? Who cares. They're great and that's all I care about. Sometimes a band of mercenaries can be melded into a unit and the end result is a Stanley Cup champion or a Super Bowl victory. Regardless of influence or history, The Strokes sound grand and that's enough for me. If you're in the need for cheap euphoria, get ready because this is it.

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Fresh and energetic..., October 20, 2001

By 

Simone Oltolina (Morbio Inferiore, TI Switzerland) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Is This It (Audio CD)

"Is this it" brought pre-release hype to new heights so now that the record is out the obvious question is: Does it live up to the hype? Well, of course not. People were expecting the second-coming of the Rolling Stones or the Velvet Underground (post Cale) and the Strokes ain't either. But on the other hand this is a brilliant album and it's most likely to end in my TOP 10 this year. In a time when most (indie) music is ethereal, intimate, slow-paced and, let's be honest, BORING, this comes as a fresh breath of air! The Strokes' most obvious influence is New York Punk from the late '70s (they're always compared to bands such as Television, the Stooges, Velvet Underground and a bunch of others). I particularly love The singer's raw vocals, delivered, as Amazon states, with "weary nonchalance". All in all, this is a must-have!

42 of 53 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Ignore the pretentious crap--this album rocks., November 21, 2001

By 

"m0untaingirl" (Detroit) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Is This It (Audio CD)

"Blah blah blah, I'm too indie for you, this album sucks, it's too hyped, it's been done, etc." Sound like anything you've read recently?

The funny thing about hype--I think--is that it works both ways. People complain that an album sucks because it's "too hyped", but, aren't they really just buying into the hype? I had never even heard of The Strokes until I downloaded some of their stuff off of epitonic.com. I was totally blown away. I am a die-hard fan of vintage rock and roll, and rarely listen to anything made past the 1980's, and I love this album. Yes, they have influences--every band does--but they have added something to the old "insert 1 part angst, two parts catchy guitar riffs, 1 part good hair" formula that people have been copying for years. One thing is apparent about this album that I value: The Strokes aren't trying to hard to be obscure and different--they're just playing good old rock and roll for music's sake, and what, may I ask, is wrong with that?

But, whatever, I'm not going to lend a hand to you clueless fools who choose to buy into the pretentious anti-hype. You can listen to the indie-posers and I will keep The Strokes all to myself. Thank you!