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The first of a new series in which writers argue against the standard view of classic albums. Here, Ben Patashnik does battle with NME’s praise for ‘Is This It?’ and lets rip at The Strokes.
Do you agree, or has Ben got it totally wrong? Join the melee by posting a comment below.
In 2001, as we are reminded with the constancy and rude volume of a 2am car alarm, the world of music changed forever. The Strokes! Five skinny mannequins from NYC with a penchant for leather and scowling! Words like angular and garage becoming fashionable again! Oh sweet world, how you bless us with such gifts.
Except, of course, for the Great Unsaid: The Strokes were and are unmitigated crap, and ‘Is This It’ a by-word for everything hateable about music.
Crack it on nowadays and you might be filled with nostalgia, but that’s practically all. None of the tunes, bar perhaps ‘Someday’ stand up today, and it’s because of their nagging ubiquity eight long years ago. The title track is a yawn of boredom strung out for two and a half minutes, ‘Last Nite’ an exercise in taking the constituent elements of a half-decent rock song and beating the life out of them by thinking ‘insouciant cool’ means ‘stand there like a cunt trying not to let your nose bleed over your guitar’, and the likes of ‘Soma’ and ‘Trying Your Luck’ are eminently forgettable; masterclasses in empty arrogance that say nothing of import and mean even less.
To people desperate for something that wasn’t fucking Travis, yeah, there was a modicum of appeal. But to those of us who didn’t and don’t treat music as a series of bandwagons to hop on and off, ‘Is This It’ is a fucking abomination, a sinister example of how The Emperor’s New Clothes are brighter than ever. And speaking of clothes, if the music wasn’t boring enough – and perhaps that’s the problem, ‘Is This It’ is a carnival of dullness rendered by a bunch of goons too distracted to even put a fucking question mark at the end of their non-statement statement – it’s The Strokes’ fault that indie discos, for practically the entire decade, have been full of unimaginative Topshop-humping geeks in skinny jeans, shirts and skinny ties. They allowed a generation of sheep to ‘go indie’ and unwittingly doomed guitar music into being a going concern for department store buyers rather than, y’know, something to believe in.
They did get better, mind. ‘Heart In A Cage’ and ‘Reptilia’ are borderline listenable, and their hiatus since the middle of the decade has been perhaps the best thing they’ve ever done as a band. Julian’s solo record has three and a half nice melodies on it, but Albert Hammond Jr still persists in making music when he doesn’t have to (the bastard!) and The Other Three still hang around like a nagging cough in March.
So, moral of the story: it’s OK to not like The Strokes. Hell, in a sane world they’d have been flayed years ago, so let’s have some indie revisionism and set the record straight.
NME.COM blogs contain the opinions of the individual writer and not necessarily those of NME magazine or NME.COM.
Permalink
Pete [Visitor] //October 21 2009 at 17:04
Who is this guy?
Is This It is an amazing album start to finish! It's one of the defining albums of it's generation. And that's that.
Gamesmaster [Visitor] //October 21 2009 at 17:06
YAWN!!!!!
One For Colin Never Will [Visitor] //October 21 2009 at 17:07
Too right! The Strokes are the most over-rated band EVER
nick [Visitor] //October 21 2009 at 17:08
The Strokes are boring as feck and do symbolise the bland, Topman-raped side of indie. Indie in the 80s and 90s was credible, but for most of the 00s I have been unsure whether it was anymore.
Luckily, if anything, leftfield music has become more eclectic, so The Strokes-effect has a bit of counter-balance.
mrsbrightside [Visitor] //October 21 2009 at 17:10
seriously who the hell is this guy?!
the strokes are great,maybe not the best indie band out there but still pretty good!
im slowly losing respect for you nme....
Teddy [Visitor] //October 21 2009 at 17:13
I'm cool because I hate that thing that everybody loved and then decided it was cool to hate because it was too cool almost a decade ago! Waaaa! This screams of self-important, hit-seeking blog whoredom. Why didn't you write this article in 2001? Your article doesn't actually follow through its premise of exactly how they "ruined indie," it only loudly and vacuously pronounces why you hate them so much.
This is a laughable excuse for an op-ed blog simply trying to cause a stir for the sake of some hits. Know that that's probably the only reason NME decided to run your piece which is better suited to an angry "rebellious" teenager's personal blog.
Jelly [Visitor] //October 21 2009 at 17:22
This a very UK-centered side of the argument, which is hardly fair, first of all (not all 'indie' bands in other parts of the world are defined by what they wear and how they talk). Secondly, the NME can't have their cake and eat it too. Pretty they were responsible for about 95% of the hype surrounding the Strokes, documenting their every move and hyperbolizing it? If you want someone to blame, Ben Patashnik, turn around and look at whoever is giving you a paycheck. The Strokes didn't ask for the hype, and I'm pretty sure they didn't want it, so stop punishing them.
Ben Patashnik [Member] //October 21 2009 at 17:23
Dear all:
This isn't NME redressing the balance or anything; nor is it us saying we were wrong all those years ago. It's a personal response to a band who simply don't deserve anything like the hype they've been given because their debut's a terrible, terrible record. Nothing more.
This isn't NME redressing the balance or anything; nor is it us saying we were wrong all those years ago. It's a personal response to a band who simply don't deserve anything like the hype they've been given because their debut's a terrible, terrible record. Nothing more.
[Visitor] //October 21 2009 at 17:25
stupidest NME review ever
Mindy [Visitor] //October 21 2009 at 17:27
Why do people keep going back to this album now and hating on it? Why give it so much importance? To say that an entire album "ruined" indie music is laughable. Indie music is ending itself with its constant production of boring and unoriginal artists. Leave The Strokes alone, there are much worse artists you can blame for the deterioration of the indie scene.
Julianna [Visitor] //October 21 2009 at 17:36
Now that was a pointless article. Really.
Jelly [Visitor] //October 21 2009 at 17:38
Ben - I understand its a personal response, not one from the NME at large, but I think you should be looking at the hyperbolic nature of modern music journalism (most especially that of your most recent employer). These are the people responsible, not The Strokes. But you made it about the five guys who just wanted to put some music out there, and it isn't really about them. It was never really about them. So grow up.
Connah [Visitor] //October 21 2009 at 17:44
A nowbody reporter trying to make a name for himself by slating a wonderful album, YOUVE LET YOURSELF DOWN NME
Nicolas [Visitor] //October 21 2009 at 17:46
You are writing an article for a magazine that has Paramore on the cover, so... who really ruined "indie"?.
Ben Patashnik [Member] //October 21 2009 at 17:48
@Nicolas: hahahaha! Superb work. Genuinely laughed at that...
jimmy riddle [Visitor] //October 21 2009 at 17:53
though it might have made yr common or garden topman go indie isnt that now exactly the market NME now panders too? and wasnt NME the ones who were wet as an otters pocket for them for at least the 1st half of the decade.
Michael [Visitor] //October 21 2009 at 17:55
This would be a much more compelling piece if Patashnik dissected the NME's coverage of The Strokes circa Is This It, and pulled out, line by line, every bit of hyperbole with which he disagreed. (Because, of course, his musical analysis is too empty to have any real meaning, much less the cultural significance he seems to suggest.) Then he might do the same with Oasis, and the Arctic Monkeys, and so on. In fact, NME could establish a cottage industry wherein their own writers debunk the writings of their *other* writers. I'd read it.
Peter [Visitor] //October 21 2009 at 17:55
This is the same kind of level as people who say the beatles are shit beacuse everyone likes them (obviously the strokes are not in the league of the beatles but the similar idea) and smacks of the NME passion for massive over hype and then petty attacks as soon as every begins to like the band or they stop being "cool" (Muse, Florence and the Machine, Long Blondes anyone?)
Ben [Visitor] //October 21 2009 at 18:17
I have to say I agree with every single word of this article. The Strokes are, and always were, terrible, unimaginative, unoriginal and completely repetitive. And they're shit live too. They've spawned a generation of inane, vacuous people who all look the same, all think in the same depthless way, and listen to the same tedious music.
Ben [Visitor] //October 21 2009 at 18:19
Oh, and they're lazy too. Really fucking lazy, when they have no justification for being so because they are so terrible. The worst thing about them is their false sense of accomplishment. When all you've achieved is the birth of a generation of sheep, there's not that much to be proud of.
Simon Webbon [Visitor] //October 21 2009 at 18:29
Utterly predictable article and quite hilarious considering that it's for the NME - the one organisation that has done most in the last 10 years to commodify and homogenise 'alternative' music.
[Visitor] //October 21 2009 at 18:31
Yeah man your the only one that knows, everyone else is just a faker i only lissen to buskers and childrens tapes is the only true music left. This isnt about this is it being shit its about you trying to be a desent writer by saying something that other people arnt. The only problem is what your saying is wrong, you proberly even know it yourself but your keen to have an original idea that you just said anything you knew you get a reaction. Cheapass shit bit of writing
carol [Visitor] //October 21 2009 at 18:33
Fuck this shit. Strokes used to be freakin awesome and it kick asses til nowadays.
jon [Visitor] //October 21 2009 at 18:36
Ben Patashnik... you can do so much worse than the strokes... you can walk into any best buy, close your eyes and pick out any cd from the indie section and find something worse. Don't point the finger at them for supposedly "starting" shitty indie scene.
and besides... the strokes are one of the most original bands to come out of this decade.
Phelo [Visitor] //October 21 2009 at 18:54
Cunts like this are what the NME fucking needs,I don't agree but at least he's saying something with a bit of bollocks.
ankee [Visitor] //October 21 2009 at 18:57
poor, jelous boy
DrSchafer [Visitor] //October 21 2009 at 19:02
do you blame Homer for shit books?
You silly, silly boy. Just an idiotic blog.
DrSchafer [Visitor] //October 21 2009 at 19:09
Only voyeuristic wannabees think any of this fucking bollocks matters these days anyway. Popular culture has diversified way beyond bands like the Strokes having any massive relevance in the way that, say, The Beatles, Dylan, Stones or even punk bands may have done.
Just fucking enjoy it, or listen to something else.
[Visitor] //October 21 2009 at 19:15
And the last time you made an album waaaas way back when exactly?
Fuck off.
Haven't read the NME in so long [Visitor] //October 21 2009 at 19:38
What bands do you like from the past decade?
You write for the NME, which epitomises the vacuous Indie culture far more than one album ever could.
Effectively you're pissing in the wind because you're fundamentally criticising your employers who make a living out of jumping on Bandwagons (Although you're too thick to realise this)
I know NME are the pinnacle of fickle, but the sad thing is I don't think you even believe what you've just written. It's far too contrived, and is a poor piece of journalism. Then again did I really expect to find an intelligent article on this site?
Well done you've got some attention, now go back to wanking over yourself in the mirror. You Tosspot.
JC [Visitor] //October 21 2009 at 19:42
Okay I can take some points from here. I can see how the Strokes INFLUENCED more than created the Topman-humping indie cretins which every sane person should feel the urge to throw acid at. However, also consider that without the Strokes there'd be no Libertines, no Arctic Monkeys to name only two of the bands that sprung up in their wake. Is This It is an album that revolutionised the face of indie music, clearly, and in an event like that it's inevitable that not all bands that are influenced by an album like that are going to be even half decent. However, I'd say the good outweighs the bad by far. Oh and I was only introduced to the Strokes last year, I'd never heard Is This It until then and I honestly love it so it's definitely not a fair description to say it's irrelevant to our times.
Ant [Visitor] //October 21 2009 at 19:46
I reckon the NME sponsored by Topman ruined indie and it happened around the time that bands like The Fratellis and The View got big. I remember that summer 2006 when `indie` went massive..the NME loved all the shit bands and Topman stocked the shit clothes they wore on the front cover of the NME and it became lifeless and soulless and sterile...The Strokes were gone by then, all the `indie` cunts dressed head to toe in Topman didn't even know they existed.
Surprised [Visitor] //October 21 2009 at 20:17
Ben, you are more of a low life than any band, because you spend your time and energy writing this shit. Have you not struggled enough to appreciate the beauty in music that doesn't measure up to your hipster demands? And calling the strokes geeks? Well, read "Teddy's" comments. He says it best.
will [Visitor] //October 21 2009 at 20:32
this guy sucks. i've been listening to all 3 strokes albums lately - good stuff. yea, some of the tracks are skippable but how did this jack-off forget about "hard to explain" - legendary track. "is this it" was awesome and still is - it was such a breath of fresh air compared to all the stale rap-rock and alt-rock shite that permeated the airwaves of the time.
Katie [Visitor] //October 21 2009 at 20:38
Go fuck yourself, asshole.
scarlet [Visitor] //October 21 2009 at 21:13
They hardly runied it single-handedly! It did unwittingly bring about an age of really crap guitar rock (thank god for the electro revival!) but then if you're going to blame The Strokes for doing it, how about The Libertines who were pretty much the same but with English accents? Aren't they responsible for unleashing a pandora's box of rubbish too, spawning so many middle-of-the-road wannabes that it was hard to get through to the good stuff? Or are they too much of a sacred cow for you?
annemarie [Visitor] //October 21 2009 at 22:19
Jesus, if you're gonna slag off an album/band, at least back it up with some arguments that are a little more substantial than "it's shit". All of the arguments you made are subjective, which makes it impossible for this article to be taken seriously. And it's quite unreasonable to say they ruined indie when it was them that basically started it up again back in 2001. And even if "Is This It" were to be a bad album, that does not the downfall of indie make. That could only happen if it had an immense amount of influence the way it did, and it could only have this amount of influence if it wasn't a crappy album.
RedThom [Visitor] //October 21 2009 at 22:48
I for one is glad Ben said this. Each person is entitled to their own opinion surely?
It's not a good album. It has aged terribly, and there are still far too many people who see it as era defining. If it is era defining it is because it defines a time when vacuous, NY-chic songs about nothing were all the rage. The same week as this album was released we had Vespertine by Bjork and a new Explosions in the Sky album, both albums that described the era far more eloquently.
Carla Bradley [Visitor] //October 21 2009 at 23:03
"and perhaps that’s the problem, ‘Is This It’ is a carnival of dullness rendered by a bunch of goons too distracted to even put a fucking question mark at the end of their non-statement statement"
...says the j***-off that wrote a seriously long run-on sentence. Did you really think that you could distract us by putting dashes so it doesn't look like a long run-on sentence, not to mention, using explaination marks in the beginning of the blog like a pansy a**clown... how can you be taken seriously?? Ben, if you are going to spew hateful words like that, you should have at least given good reasons and facts as to why you think it sucks and not supposedly "cleverly placed" insults. Rule # 3 in Journalism 101, "don't write how you speak when writing an opinion piece for a major newsmagazine".
Ben Patashnik [Genital Member] [Visitor] //October 21 2009 at 23:11
Im a self obsessed knob, who is jealous nothing I do will even remotely come close to anything The Strokes have achieved, and cannot express myself without sounding like a young Jeremy Clarkson at a self righteous twat convention. Nothing more.
Will [Visitor] //October 21 2009 at 23:22
I'm not a huge Strokes fan but to say they ruined indie is a bit harsh, we all know it's radio 1 and the countless, faceless, manufactured, "Scouting For Girls-esque" bands who class themselves as indie though they are in fact just the opposite, who've done that. By the way I'm a Geeky guy who owns a pair of Topman Skinny jeans. :(
lalalala [Visitor] //October 22 2009 at 00:02
DIE. Is this it and the strokes single-handedly saved this fucking magazine
Dave [Visitor] //October 22 2009 at 00:23
WTF this is well out of the blue. YOur feature on the strokes a few months back got me into them and ive only ever listened to the first album and its a fucking great album. Stand alone tunes is not what its about, its one of those albums which is a joy to listen throughout track to track. Scouting for Girls and the Hoosiers ruined indie. As did all the topman wearing twats with thier jeans halfway down thier arse.
Scott [Visitor] //October 22 2009 at 00:49
You're opinion makes me sick. "Is This It" and The Strokes have changed my life in so many great ways. They make music people can relate to. Sorry, YOU must be from the wrong generation, pal.
Charlielocal [Visitor] //October 22 2009 at 00:54
I actually think the first album was pretty good. Then they just went a bit shit. That bass player is a bit of a joke aswell can he actually play?
John [Visitor] //October 22 2009 at 01:59
it's not their fault other bands decided to copy their image and sound ( arctic monkeys, the libertines, and many others). is this it is amazing end of.
james [Visitor] //October 22 2009 at 03:10
lets not talk about credibility.. NME lost that years ago... whoever wrote this must be an angry little man..
Tim H [Visitor] //October 22 2009 at 03:27
Pretty sure MGMT's Oracular Spectacular was more overrated.
The Strokes aren't the best band around, and Is This It isn't their best record.
But it doesn't deserve the slandering this aurally retarded writer has given it.
kevin [Visitor] //October 22 2009 at 03:51
@lalalala: point set and MATCH
Alex [Visitor] //October 22 2009 at 05:35
Don't forget that Fab and Nikolai both had their own side-projects as well.
Anthony Lalli [Visitor] //October 22 2009 at 05:59
"I'm a self obsessed knob, who is jealous nothing I do will even remotely come close to anything The Strokes have achieved"
Yes Ben, you would be correct.
Kevin [Visitor] //October 22 2009 at 06:16
NME where do you get these blogging idiots? First you have a guy saying that Flea is the only one in RHCP that cares about music, now you have a guy ripping on one of the most significant indie bands of the last decade? Stop putting your foot in your mouth by bashing a group that your magazine constantly praises. Grow some balls, stick with it, because 95% of your readers love this band, and acting like you're not "hopping off the bandwagon" 8 years later doesn't make you unique, it makes you a twat. Go jerk off to Botch jackass.
Andy [Visitor] //October 22 2009 at 06:25
Pitchfork still loves it. And they hate everything. And they're too cool for everything. So you've out-Pitchforked Pitchfork! Congratulations, King of the Douchebags!
What is wrong with the British? [Visitor] //October 22 2009 at 07:12
Gotta love how the Brits hype so many bands, only to tear them down. Wasn't it NME that called the Strokes the most important band of the new millenium? Hyped the Vines as a Beatles/Nirvana hybrid? Suggested that Arctic Monkeys debut was one of the top ten Brit albums ever released?!? Why does every new band have to be the savior of rock, and why are they dismissed as trash when they don't live up to those impossible standards? Not everything has to fall into two categories: greatest of all time or garbage. Terrible article, and laughable, coming from NME, the rag that hyped the Strokes more than any other.
[Visitor] //October 22 2009 at 08:41
Bloody vacuous, topman wearing people!
julian soft [Visitor] //October 22 2009 at 08:51
the strokes are one of the best bands of thier time. LA is filled with distortion and screaming instead of singing. most people especially guys are jusr jealous of thier looks. the guys talking shit are fat metal heads with narrow minds. or people who listening to classic rock music and say things like, "the strokes are gay" well what about you sitting there watching robert plant and axl rose dancing around shirtless and in spandex. you know the exact size of their dicks. dont pretend you don't notice. is this it is one of the best albums of all time. if they really were a bandwagon band then people would have forgotten about them already. like they did my chemical romance and all those other main stream bands. bands that pass through generations are obviously good bands. wow and you took alot of time to write about how much you dislike them. almost like a highschool girl talkin about how ugly the girl thier boyfriend thinks is hot is.
Luke [Visitor] //October 22 2009 at 08:54
BEST ARTICLE EVER!
SO TRUE!
Brian [Visitor] //October 22 2009 at 08:58
As has already been mentioned, the NME was and is the sole reason the Strokes were everywhere in 2001. The 10/10 album review, on the front cover once a month, every news story no matter how insignificant given a full or double page spread. They might as well have been your fucking sponsor 'The NME, brought to you by the Strokes'. Ok, this is just an opinion piece by someone who knew there would be a big response for writing something so 'edgy' and had it been written on any other websites blog it would have been easier to stomach. The Strokes basically released an above average indie album in 2001, everything after that fact is down to your employers
Travis_are_Gods [Visitor] //October 22 2009 at 09:03
I hate The Strokes, because they killed Travis, Badly Drawn Boy, Turin Brakes & all those other amazing bands of the New Acoustic Movement (NAM).... It meant that I had to stop wearing baggy jeans or combat trousers and T-Shirts that didn't really fit properly. God it was good before the Strokes came along.
John Robb [Visitor] //October 22 2009 at 09:10
At last someone has said it!
The Strokes were a very average indie group who were hyped way out of proportion to heir actual talent. i remember their first tour when everyone said you have to check this group out they are like the Ramones or the Stooges live...and was really bored to watch a mundane indie band with no charisma run through their set of tuneless songs.
Their album sounded awful- in that expensive lets pretend we are lo fin kind of way, it had two ok songs on it and I bet most people who bought it never listen to it now.
the music press decided to make them the 'band of their generation' whilst most people were forming bands inspired by Green Day or other stadium filling American rock acts.
James [Visitor] //October 22 2009 at 09:12
Ben this is an attempt by you to make a name for yourself by attacking things people like. Yawn, you're an uninspired writer who needs to stop copying Mark Beaumont's gimmick.
Think it's time for you to wake up and realise that maybe writing wasn't the job you were born for. Have you considered becoming a postman?
Sandwell [Visitor] //October 22 2009 at 09:15
blaming the strokes for the gay indie scene of the moment is abit like blaming footballer players for football hooliganism or scientists for Hiroshima. its not their fault and "is this it" is a seriously great album. You obviously have a deeper problem with the strokes Ben but why air it here? and frank turner is shite!
Ana [Visitor] //October 22 2009 at 09:19
Why was this article necessary?? I don't understand, you just had to dish someone so you chose The Strokes or what? Stupid article.
Groanin' Jock [Visitor] //October 22 2009 at 09:29
Fantastic - I've been saying the same thing since 2001. NME's arselicking of The Strokes when there were much better bands in Britain was shameful.
Howie [Visitor] //October 22 2009 at 09:36
Typical NME . .
- Find a band with a hit record.
- Jump on the bandwagon.
- Hype them up to the max, splash them all over your cover every week.
- Get bored with them and knock them down.
Incidently, didnt NME start the whole Topman/Skinny Jeans/Indie boy scene in the first place? I seem to recall several instances where i have seen NME/Topman promotions in both the magazine & Topman.
I find the writers ignorance & hypocrisy highly amusing.
Yet ANOTHER ridiculous article from the NME.
James [Visitor] //October 22 2009 at 09:43
Without The Strokes, NME wouldn't have had anything to write about in the 00's. Maybe Metallica and how cool Kurt Cobain was, but The Strokes sevrely saved NME's arse. Bands like Coladplay, Snow Patrol and maybe recently Kings of Leon that are ruining indie. Total tosser.
[Visitor] //October 22 2009 at 09:51
Well done! Someone needed to say it! I just wish The Strokes never happened, then Arctic Monkeys & The fucking Libertines would have never happened. Finally some one at NME has a pair of bollocks that aren't encassed in TopMan denim.
Gnarcoleptic [Visitor] //October 22 2009 at 10:05
Ben, Whether or not you like to admit it, Is This It was a very important record, and still stands up today. Just because an album doesn't fit in with the current scene does not mean it should flayed, as you so eloquently put it.
I think you are overlooking the effect it had. Do you recall the music scene at the time? Limp Bizkit? Linkin Park? I could go on. It was awful.
From NME's pov, it dragged indie back into the mainstream, and drew a new crowd of young impressionable teens to your magazine. I'm sure Kerrang have a good reason not to like The Strokes, but it is the reason why you still have magazine to write for.
As for the songs, I fear you may have overlooked modern classics such as "The Modern Age", and "Take It or Leave It". Yeah every album has a bum note (Digsy's Dinner, anyone?), and you have attempted to drag the album down by overlooking these.
This is just lazy, controversy media. Yeah, The Clash, they are shit, they are sooo 30 years ago!!
Tim C [Visitor] //October 22 2009 at 10:08
The godfathers of landfill indie. All the lyrics are about not being able to think of any lyrics.
Simon Burnett [Visitor] //October 22 2009 at 10:12
Dont know who wrote that, but what a load of shit. Is this it is a fucking top album. Probably the best album since Whats the story mornin glory.
RedDavid [Visitor] //October 22 2009 at 10:32
"But to those of us who didn’t and don’t treat music as a series of bandwagons to hop on and off,"
From an NME writer. Oh god. Bwaaaaahahahahahah.
Alan Woodhouse [Member] //October 22 2009 at 10:35
I don't entirely agree with Ben, but take his general point about people pouncing on them like they were the second coming.
I thought 'Is This It' was a good album, but grew tired of it quickly. I do, however, accept it was a 'year zero' kind of record for a lot of people.
Since then, however, they have recorded little of note (though 'You Only Live Once' is fantastic) and live they are awful.
mg [Visitor] //October 22 2009 at 10:43
It's good some cracking songs on it, but some real crap. The big problem is EVERY GOOD SONG off the album was released on their two singles before the LP came out. This was one of the reasons they were so hyped - the debut single was 'The Modern Age / Last Night / Barely Legal' - and next was 'Hard to Explain / New York City Cops', and we all thought - this is the band of our dreams, although Barely Legal and NYC Cops were pretty good b-sides, nothing more. Problem was, all these were on the album, which was filled out by some real, real crap. The album was rushed out, and I always thought it was pretty rubbish - though listen to the orginal versions of the songs on that debut single does make you realise what the fuss was about.
Anto [Visitor] //October 22 2009 at 10:51
Well said Mr Patashnik.
For those who think the writer is being perverse for its own sake penty of people have despised the Strokes since 2001. I know I have cos they're empty, pampered Trustafrians who think reedy vocals denote and basic chords denotes "indie".
Their records are diluted "punk rock" for those who would never dirty their hands on an Iggy Pop lp and think Talking Heads are "like a bit too weird".
The Buzzcocks "Everybodys Happy Nowadays" offers every thing the Strokes could but sharper, wittier, better and 20 years earlier so there.
Huh? [Visitor] //October 22 2009 at 10:56
What a pile of revisionist toss, the people who pounced on them the most was the NME! The debuts a classic record and their second LP remains underrated.
FrogStupid [Visitor] //October 22 2009 at 11:23
the NME ruined indie, by wanking itself daft over absolute dogshit such as the The Pigeon Detectives, the Wombats and any other shite that record company publicists throw at them over a line of coke in the Elephant and Castle toilets. The NME is the prime promoter of "topshop indie".
06/07 was the worst era for this.
Dan [Visitor] //October 22 2009 at 11:27
Is this It is a great album. This article is so subjective it doesn't stand up as a viable piece of criticism whatsoever.
Fair enough if this is his opinion, but to say that it's The Strokes' fault for a 'decade of Topman humping indie discos' or whatever the quote was is laughable. The Strokes didn't create that, everyone else did. The Strokes made a great record, the copycats are the people who need lambasting for making rubbish records heard in aforementioned indie discos.
Why is it that all NME blogs read like a sixteen-year-old's coursework as well? I thought it was supposed to be a reputable magazine, but every blog I've read is just full of nonsensical sentences, terrible grammar and crap metaphors.
What happened to the good NME of the early 1980s? Nowadays it's full of drama students with too much money and nothing better to do.
sk [Visitor] //October 22 2009 at 11:46
its hard for me to call my favourite album of the decade "over rated".
"is this it" is a classic and deserves a place in the "best albums ever made" list.
[Visitor] //October 22 2009 at 11:51
This is Bullshit.. Is This It Is One Of The Best Albums Ever & If It Wasn't For Them There'd Be A Heck Of A Lot Less Bands Out Today..Kings Of Leon Anyone?
Joe Bananas [Visitor] //October 22 2009 at 12:01
I couldn't agree more! Utter rubbish from start to end. Poor musicianship, overly deriviative songs and about as much originality as a photocopy. This has to be the most accurate piece of journalism from the NME in YEARS!
bob [Visitor] //October 22 2009 at 12:01
@Tim C
Good comment ref godfathers of the landfill indie generation. (IIG)
Leum [Visitor] //October 22 2009 at 12:20
I agree This Is It is very overated. I respect how they managed to influence a new generation of guitar bands such as Bloc Party and Franz Ferdinand but when you really liste to their music it is actually really boring. I have a feeling Ben wrote this blog because everyone else in the NME office voted it the decades best album for an upcoming special issue methinks.
Virgil Dime [Visitor] //October 22 2009 at 12:22
I agree with the article to some degree. Is This It was a great antidote to the insipid soft-rock churned out by the likes of Coldplay and Travis back in 2000. I became obsessed with the Strokes. But their sound has aged terribly.
The best thing that can be said about Is This It is that it opened the door for the Libertines to seize the music scene a year later with Up The Bracket
Dan [Visitor] //October 22 2009 at 12:22
On the Topman point, isn't it the NME that gives away a Topman-sponsored Freshers guide at the start of the university year?
Talk about taking a shit with your clothes on. And besides, as you have argued that The Strokes are responsible for all of these Topman indie bands, isn't it a good thing for the NME? For a start their sponsorship of your university guide probably pays for it to be produced, and the bands that followed in the wake of The Strokes have filled 90% of your column inches since 2001.
Baker_Insistor [Visitor] //October 22 2009 at 12:36
Ben, what bands to you listen to then? Although great and Strokes-alike, I'd say The Libertines were responsible for the Topshop-clad fools and style-over-substance scenster pap that your mag champions nowadays. (In the UK anyway.) Doherty in the bloody hat, anyone?..... And the Strokes are infinately better than NME's most over-hyped band ever... The Arctic Monkeys. Absolute tosh they are.
Steve [Visitor] //October 22 2009 at 12:36
ITI is overrated, but its an important album for this decade theres some classics on there but by and by the Libertines were the more intresting of the two. The Libs didn't feel as rigid and structured.
Robert John [Visitor] //October 22 2009 at 12:37
Alot of what this piece said is true - the title track in particular is a shocker (& I remember thinking the bass line was quality in 2002!) I think the Strokes could release a good 10 track album of stand out tracks from their 3 albums. As follows - You Only Live Once / Juicebox / Heart In A Cage (they picked their singles well of that album - that 'Mandy' song is dogsh*te) / Someday / Hard To Explain / Modern Age / What Ever Happened? / Reptillia / The Way it Is / Then chuck in that 'Stroke of Genius' mix and there you have it. Hopefully new album will be quality - but what it will probably be is 3 or 4 good tunes....bet NME give it 1 out 10 and say they hated them all along :)
RedThom [Visitor] //October 22 2009 at 12:47
@Ben, please don't think that these opinions are the majority. Some of the ill informed stuff people have said so far... So the NME wrote positively about someone eight years ago, and one of their writers now looks back and says that in his opinion, they weren't all they were cracked up to be? Eight years ago. Yeah, way to flip flop on the subject...
First of all, the Strokes weren't original, they were just different to what everyone was doing at that time. At that time guitar music consisted of Limp Bizkit or Travis. They were forced into being the face of "a new movement". They ticked all the boxes- looked cool, sounded like cool bands, looked like the Ramones, were the first band from the New Rough Trade...
There is a remarkable tendency to mock the era that has gone immediately beforehand. 80's synth pop is the epitomy of cool at the moment, while Britpop is now seen as "a bit shit". I can remember during the Britpop era that there was nothing less fashionable than 80's sounds. Occasionally though, there is a good reason to point out the flaws in a sacred cow. This is one such reason.
[Visitor] //October 22 2009 at 12:48
An NME 'journalist' using the following line is hilarious
ut to those of us who didn’t and don’t treat music as a series of bandwagons to hop on and off, ‘Is This It’ is a fucking abomination, a sinister example of how The Emperor’s New Clothes are brighter than ever.
Since when did anyone at the NME not treat music like that.
[Visitor] //October 22 2009 at 12:50
Grow up kids, it's a fucking article! Not all of the NME staff think like this man, even though he is right. Most of the NME, TopMan wearing staff are probably flicking paper clips at him with rubber bands right now for writing this.
AdeofSpades [Visitor] //October 22 2009 at 13:12
Well said sir! A bit heavy on the hyperbole, but then I spose this is written for the NME. That particular album is, in all fairness, not particularly good, but it was of it's moment and gave everything a deserved kick up the arse. I just wish it hadn't generated the horrible bandwagoneers -the (early) Kings of Leons and Razorlights who were all swagger and "attitude" but not much musical substance.
AdeoSpades [Visitor] //October 22 2009 at 13:15
On another matter, kudos to NME for the independent journalism that allows an article like this to appear despite it contradicting most of the previous Strokes related articles and mocking lucrative "corporate partners".
Smuj [Visitor] //October 22 2009 at 13:16
Spot on. Particuarly about how insipid this whole decade has been (on the whole). Now take on The Smiths and The Clash with the same venom. You could say pretty much the same things about them as well.
Atamski [Visitor] //October 22 2009 at 13:22
Glad someone has finally said it. It's dull, dull, dull. Another coupe of years and no-one will remember it. It's an OK album, that's it. Like Northern Uproar, only American.
Gobes [Visitor] //October 22 2009 at 13:46
Retarded review.
The Strokes did however 'inspire' a lorry load of shit bands, who the NME bum to high heaven, proclaiming the next saviours of indie, before they crash and burn, and everyone realises they were a bit shit really. And this prick has the stones to criticise the strokes?
Visitor [Visitor] //October 22 2009 at 14:06
i like alot of music and i will agree The Strokes is not the best i've ever heard and is this it is good music and in no way shape or form deserves the slander given here.
4kingkas [Visitor] //October 22 2009 at 14:35
Strokes first album is GREAT.
You sir Mr writer are a goon. just look at the adverts on the back of NME. i can say confidently in the past 10 yrs that TOPSHOP has been one of the biggest if not THE biggest advertiser in the NME. your awards are sponsored by fucking SHOCKWAVES. Im a massive strokes fan and i was 18 when that came out. i never wore skinny jeans... in fact i sneered at the skinny jean brigade at the time. YOU made Indie a commodity... YOU made it acceptable for pop music (la fuckin roux) to be liked by indie types. deal with the legacy of Conor Mcnichols and your AOL merger. dont blame the strokes for making a good album. My younger brother hates the strokes. he thinks it all sounds the same. this is a fair comment and a much better arguement than you have presented. blaming skinny jeans on the strokes is like blaming football hooliganism on Oasis, or Nirvana for suicide. your a prick mate. you have a nothing arguement. i clicked on this link thinking i might see some sort of balanced arguement. fat chance eh?
Sirloin4U [Visitor] //October 22 2009 at 14:36
Ok, you don't like the band. How does this make you qualified to deem them 'total crap' up against who...the stones?!? Ha, boob. The Strokes gave birth to a sound that many bands have grown from. Not to mention Julian's lyrics although somethimes not audible, on paper are genius.
Supertramp25 [Visitor] //October 22 2009 at 14:50
Stop talking pish and go and listen to Glasvegas! A lame attempt to stir controversy!!? Its not their fault for all the shite that came after them as a result of being successfull!!
wayne coyne's fuzzy hair [Visitor] //October 22 2009 at 15:05
the generation of sheep go indie comment is the truest thing that has ever been said about the stroke. good point well made, sir.
[Visitor] //October 22 2009 at 15:16
is 'is this it' overrated?
no.
Irf [Visitor] //October 22 2009 at 15:26
Joker
Fuckhead dlux [Visitor] //October 22 2009 at 15:39
Never liked them anyway. They suck and always did. Portland (where I'm from) had The Exploding Hearts who are still the best band of the 00's so fuck these guys and mainstream BS!
Mike [Visitor] //October 22 2009 at 15:40
Curiously, I went and re-listened to 'is this it?' recently for the first time in what must be years. Is it overrated? Yes, probably. Is it a terrible album? Absolutely not. Listening to an album out of the context of when it was released and what the impact of it was *when it came out* will always give you a different view, but if you handed that album to an alien who just landed and said "whaddya think?"...they'd probably give it 3 stars out of 5, at worst.
Could be worse...he could've said limp bizkit was good.
Marc [Visitor] //October 22 2009 at 15:40
It's one of the best albums of the decade. I don't care if they're all rich kids: This album contains 11 of the best written songs of this decade: All killer, no filler. Is it their fault that their look was resposnible for 2312 cheap offsprings? I don't think so, it's rather a compliment for the band...
TSV 1860 go! [Visitor] //October 22 2009 at 15:45
I do not agree about „Is This It“. That record changed nearly everything. I mean, I’ve been an indie DJ for year - my set six months prior to „Is This It“ was unrecognisable to that six months later. This record had such an enormous impact on other bands, on peoples looks and attitudes. It reshaped what peoples idea of Indie was and it is not true that tunes didn’t age well. Still today, you can put on almost any song and the crowd will go wild. Only Klaxons „Myths Of The Near Future“ was going have a similar impact years later.
I do agree that the Strokes as a band are overrated though, because they became incredibly lazy. Their second record had hardly any good tunes, the third had precisely one. Even worse, I heard Julian Casablancas solo record last night and apart from the single it’s a ploddering indulgent dirge. It is such astonishingly bad non-event I actually got angry by the end. I mean, nobody expected much from Nickel Eye, but „Phrazes For The Young“ is even worse.
This band have become way to complacent. They need to get their their shit together. But maybe it’s partly our fault. We have accepted subpar stuff from them (Juicebox, anyone?), we’ve been spoiling them. This has got to stop.
James [Visitor] //October 22 2009 at 15:48
"unimaginative Topshop-humping geeks in skinny jeans, shirts and skinny ties"
you've just described the NME's target audience, scruffy indie twats.
Furthermore you can't claim that this is an "individual response by one member" if the article is marketed as the 1st in a series of writers argueing against the accepted view of albums. It's just a ploy to garner attention, and seeing as its got over 100 comments, i'd say its worked young benjamin.
Flowers In The Dustbin [Visitor] //October 22 2009 at 16:08
it’s The Strokes’ fault that indie discos, for practically the entire decade, have been full of unimaginative Topshop-humping geeks in skinny jeans, shirts and skinny ties. They allowed a generation of sheep to ‘go indie’ and unwittingly doomed guitar music into being a going concern for department store buyers rather than, y’know, something to believe in.
--- 100% Agree ---
The Strokes are the lesser evil than the SHIGHT that followed: Razorlight, Arctic Monkeys, Pigeon Detectives and all the other Unwashed Studenty Crud that wear the Oxfam reject, look at me posing, aren't I retro looking goons that grace Brixton Academy every other week.
Jelly [Visitor] //October 22 2009 at 16:48
I find it terribly sad that because a band happens to be overhyped (and not by their own doing), people think that anything they say about them is fair game and demands no evidence or statements to back up their claims. The Strokes' album might have been good at the time but it is not relevant and sounds terrible now? Really? What exactly makes you say that? Because all of the people I know who love music still pop in that album every now and then, and it still gets a great reaction. The NME may have overhyped The Strokes eight years ago, but that was then and this is now, right? Well, wasn't it just a few months ago that they had a special 10 year issue completely dedicated to The Strokes? Please, at least think a little bit before you speak, and research what you are talking about. Why do we feel the need to bitch about the things people love? And if you want to do that, at least be able to back up what you are talking about. This is why no one takes music criticism seriously anymore, and why the NME and others are the ones who aren't relevant.
new musical express, they ain't too smart [Visitor] //October 22 2009 at 16:49
i was too young wen 'is this it' came out to experience any hype. Picked it off my dad's shelf a few years bac and fukin loved. Every song is a gem. Emperor's clothes? dull? nah. it's exciting, rough and damn catchy.
So take it or leave it, Is This It's a classic.
tony [Visitor] //October 22 2009 at 16:58
is this some kind of sick joke?
Gaz Hat [Visitor] //October 22 2009 at 17:07
...possibley THE best thing i've ever read in NME, thank you Ben, let me buy you a Stella or 12, from the moment these fucking jokers appeared in 2000 or whenever it signalled the decline of indie music from then until present day, and its a bleak musical landscape our there at the moment, nothing but copy cat kids following each other like sheep....
bobcat [Visitor] //October 22 2009 at 17:16
like a kids..
the horse [Visitor] //October 22 2009 at 17:20
i wouldnt go as far to say it was terrible like the blog says, its just boringly average. its not as if i dislike the strokes - i wouldnt choose to listen to them but they dont exactly offend me - i just have no idea how people can say they are one of the greatest bands of the decade, i really cant see it at all. but the people saying the nme is at fault for most of the hype do have a very good point...
Scotty [Visitor] //October 22 2009 at 17:26
One of the best albums ever written, funny who wasnt written in 2001, or mabey the author was too busy enjoying this album
mrs brightside [Visitor] //October 22 2009 at 17:30
i seriously do not get what the big deal is with topman? just because you wear skinnies etcc means you're indie? stupidest thing i've ever heard!
and does he not realise that the strokes influenced alot of indie/rock artists nowadays?
and good point about the libertines...bu does anybody complain about them? no!they call them amazing influences or whatever.
and if nme hated the strokes so much,why did they have julian on the front cover not so long ago?
so dear mr reviewer...go fuck yourself and write for some magazine where people will actually bother about what you think.
ieshg;oiaeig [Visitor] //October 22 2009 at 17:37
we're all going to be seeing another stupid journalist writing about how the arctic monkeys really aren't that good - its not like NME promoted these bands at all...is it? *sighs*
coughcool [Visitor] //October 22 2009 at 17:52
.......................someone needs to count how many times the Strokes was on the cover of NME........TONSov times!
James from the Sun [Visitor] //October 22 2009 at 17:52
Ben.... I think YOUR an overated album
yeah [Visitor] //October 22 2009 at 17:56
Wow, i thought id never see the day when the NME (or one of its journos) would actually look at the strokes and think, "yeah, they were a bit shit actually". He has got a point, just listen to the album now and think about how dated it sounds. And i like the strokes. Also, LOL at the narrow minded people who can't seem to accept that different people have different opinions sometimes......
max [Visitor] //October 22 2009 at 18:21
Dear Ben you can hate them and you can be jelous, it's your right. I first heard The Strokes somwhere LAST YEAR. The song was Trying your luck and I found it amazing. I discovered "Is this it" and for me this album is absolutely unique. Then I got ROF and FIOE and now I love almost every song. So it seems that "Is this it" is still very important for the people and The Strokes have many new fans. This is true - check the Internet so get a life and don't spread bullshit.
Dave [Visitor] //October 22 2009 at 18:22
Im not being funny, but what was great about indie before The Strokes? I see what your trying to do, Indie's got so dull and boring and everyones doing it we need something new. Not saying i wont still like the good indie bands such as the Arctic Monkeys, The Strokes and Kings of Leon. Its just now its all sounding the same. This blog is written poorly, not the best place to put it either seeing as most NME readers love The Strokes. Give me one exciting new band at the moment?
simion [Visitor] //October 22 2009 at 18:23
That album is great and they are a brillant band. Its because of nme that we have crap bands around now making music like the over rated queen wannabes muse or the jam rip offs the enemy. I used to but this magzine every week but stopped as i was bored of seeing oasis, muse or kasier chiefs on every bloody cover. Accept the fact that a band are only as good as u make them if u put them on a platform and say there great then like sheep we will all follow. The strokes i think couldnt give a monkeys about any of this there just happy making music and playing gigs.
Evening Sun [Visitor] //October 22 2009 at 18:31
"They love you or they hate you but they will never let you be."
ROYD: USA, TX [Visitor] //October 22 2009 at 18:38
Quite simply this Ben Patashit’s review was allowed to be published for one reason and one reason only. NME wanted to test The Strokes following, to see whether or not a scourging review such as this would cause an uproar from fans or be dismissed due to lack of interest in the band. In other words, NME just wanted to test the waters and see if The Strokes where still a significant subject matter. Personally I could not care less if Patshit really believes what he wrote, “Is This It” is at the top of my favorite albums list and the Strokes, other than RadioHead, is one of my favorite bands. Oh, and judging by the number of posting, I think that NME found what they were looking for.
[Visitor] //October 22 2009 at 19:01
the strokes arent bad overrated nothing fantastic but they arent shit either but yeah you want to talk about the destruction of music why the fuck are paramore on the front cover this week why have they suddenly become credble among people who arent teenage girls there still playing fucking boring unimaginative safe and non threatening rock n roll
[Visitor] //October 22 2009 at 19:10
Stokes suck. Nearly as much as Oasis. It's just the truth.
JamieTea [Visitor] //October 22 2009 at 19:25
Wow, a lot of NME readers really don't like seeing a bit of independent thought do they? Sounds like most the people commenting on this blog are the very Topshop humping geeks the Strokes created. Obviously Ben P is talking absolute bollocks but I'm sure even he realises that. Best summed up by this sentence-"None of the tunes, bar perhaps ‘Someday’ stand up today, and it’s because of their nagging ubiquity eight long years ago." What he's saying is it's a bad album because it's popular. How very mature.
Nick [Visitor] //October 22 2009 at 19:30
The Strokes aren't responsible for the hype. Impressionable young teenagers with a hint of juvenile journalism, searching for the next hot band is.
The Strokes are the one the most grounded and shy bands in indie. It's impossible to get a straight answer out of them without clamming up, and they could've very easily gone down the selling-out massive arenas route. But they didn't. And because of that, they are highly regarded as one of the best indie bands of the Noughties.
What a twerp you are.
Dan [Visitor] //October 22 2009 at 19:31
I like Is This It, I don't think its the supposedly groundbreaking album of the 21st that people say it is, but its a great record. However, it did practically start the mill of dull indie fashionista bands that have polluted British music and worst of all it has started the indie scene fad, which has filled clubs and gigs with people who don't actually listen to the music, a scene which thankfully is slowly dying.
sean [Visitor] //October 22 2009 at 19:35
just last night i was reveling in how awesome this album. who is this douche?
hardcore since 94 [Visitor] //October 22 2009 at 19:44
what the fuck, this is the biggest pile of shite i've ever heard, i may not be old enough to properly remember 2001 (being 15) but i have just recently gone out and bought is this it, and i must say, it's one of the best £10's i have ever sent, so if your sayin that the strokes are overrated and outdated how come most people my age are still listening to the strokes?
adam [Visitor] //October 22 2009 at 19:48
this guy is an idiot
Jimbo [Visitor] //October 22 2009 at 19:50
Too right, Ben! Plus can we also dispel the myth that their skinny and good-looking? Julian has always carried extra weight which I wouldn't care about except he's always called "skinny".
kieran [Visitor] //October 22 2009 at 19:55
good music is good music, as a journalist you can't state your opinion as fact... this article could be a lot shorter
"i don't like the strokes"
some fuckin douche criticizing the melodies? oh man! listen to him, he knows! he..he writes for nme!
mr. brook [Visitor] //October 22 2009 at 20:10
So let me get this straight, do you like 'this is it' or not???
Coj [Visitor] //October 22 2009 at 20:19
"a bunch of goons too distracted to even put a fucking question mark at the end of their non-statement statement". Bit of a silly point, since you could say the same thing about The Jimi Hendrix Experience and 'Are You Experienced'; a great band and album respectively. I hate rising to the bait, since this has been written purely as a means of provocation (for both supporters and detractors), but The Strokes are amazing!
IKnowWhoIAm [Visitor] //October 22 2009 at 20:19
Why would I even care what anyone else thinks? I don't need anyone to tell me what is cool(to me). I'll leave that to the sheep!
Moi [Visitor] //October 22 2009 at 20:26
Strokes are boring, over-rated band, true. Also true for so many bands of this decade, all hype and no substance. Two, three records and they're gone, bored to death with their own music. Finally the best way to see what they're worth is to see them live. Strokes were horrid when I tried the experince. Now what about MGMT? they were so embarassing live, incredible Hell, those guys are not even musicians and the hype they got ... it's ridiculous
Adam [Visitor] //October 22 2009 at 20:51
Just because Oasis became shitty doesn't mean we have to go back and reassess Definitely Maybe as being a load of shite... I still love Is This It, I hate NME for displaying a lack of integrity but submitting this tasteless rant.
Hmmmm [Visitor] //October 22 2009 at 20:53
In all fairness, The Strokes are terrible, so the man has a point.
breakerfall [Visitor] //October 22 2009 at 20:57
You wouldn't have a job you pretentious asshole if it wasn't for The Strokes and the fact of your magazine jumping on the indie bandwagon in the early 00's. You're a stupid rich boy twat yourself just like all NME writers, preferring to try and make a name for yourselves (Tim Jon'z'es 'Morrissey is racist ' article anyone??? Your magazine sucks some major ass and deserves all the hate it gets for this pathetic excuse for journalism and the fact that you promoted rubbish like Razorlight and The Hives.Is This It was as important as Surfer Rosa or Murmur in terms of influence musically and culturally.
[Visitor] //October 22 2009 at 21:00
'Is This it' along with 'Up The Bracket' is the best piece of music recorded this decade. Every song could have been a single and 'Last Nite' is a fucking anthem. I'd be lying if i said i respected your opinion, you talk utter shite. And to any one who sais it sounds dated... yer maw's a slag!
Nacnud [Visitor] //October 22 2009 at 21:01
'Is This it' along with 'Up The Bracket' is the best piece of music recorded this decade. Every song could have been a single and 'Last Nite' is a fucking anthem. I'd be lying if i said i respected your opinion, you talk utter shite. And to any one who sais it sounds dated... yer maw's a slag!
Averson [Visitor] //October 22 2009 at 21:03
I think most of you are way off in the fact that they were no where near as popular as everyone is making them out to be. Influence Kings of Leon - I doubt they ever heard of them
Neverland [Visitor] //October 22 2009 at 21:06
I think NME is overrated.
"Barely Legal" Shite [Visitor] //October 22 2009 at 22:04
Who ever said the Strokes were indie? Is This It changed as many people's lives as Definitely Maybe did back in the days. It it is a piece of compelling optimistic rock for the whole world to hear, so as to briefly forget that this same world is so fucked up and packed with tedious bloggers. Just confess you have a fat ass, and bear a grudge against the band who made you wear skinny pants.... What's your next target? Exile On Main Street? Bet your CD collection isn't worth a new Is This It copy
Nick [Visitor] //October 22 2009 at 22:17
I stopped reading NME years ago (other than online) because of the over-hyping and bandwagon-hopping. But this article is great. I don't wholly agree, but check out the number of antagonised commenters. Great stuff. I'll read Ben's next blog (and doubtless tirade from commenters...).
Blago [Visitor] //October 22 2009 at 22:55
I've been waiting years to hear someone say this.
Matt [Visitor] //October 22 2009 at 23:19
Strokes are shit, they can't play their instruments and each time LAST NITE comes on in a club I die a little inside and wait for the four unchanging minutes of musical dirge to be over. Without a doubt, one of the most boring bands that has ever existed in relation to popularity / talent. Do you like The Strokes because of their music, or do you like them because everyone else knows the lyrics to their shallow, pretentious, fucked up 'indie' pretty boy rock and roll? The Strokes have never done anything good musically; their desire for banality and mediocrity have put 'indie' back several years in terms of what it could have achieved. Thank fuck someone at NME actually thinks they're shit. He's my new BFF.
common! [Visitor] //October 23 2009 at 00:02
common! whats indie now? la roux? little boots? fuck no,not even the cribs,nothing is fucking indie now but everyone put themselves the name so qeep saying shit about that 5 wankers and keep listening plastic indie
Boombox [Visitor] //October 23 2009 at 00:40
If I were a dude, I wouldn't be the least bit interested in the Strokes. Julian is the most gorgeous man alive, and his voice is like Spanish Fly to me. I couldn't care less about their music; I thought the whole point of them was to have an excuse to look at Jules.
Bob [Visitor] //October 23 2009 at 02:11
Whether you love or hate the strokes, I'm sure you all can agree with me that NME is a terrible excuse for a music magazine. It's more like a gossip tabloid than anything else.
Luke [Visitor] //October 23 2009 at 03:35
If you're going to say an ablum's bad, give more reasons than "it's boring" or "it's a bit shit", especially when it's (for a good reason) one of the best albums ever. It's like saying "Loveless" or "Psychocandy" aren't fantastic because "they're noisy".
thedamnedear [Visitor] //October 23 2009 at 06:47
Just try dissing that cover!
Wave Pool Murphy [Visitor] //October 23 2009 at 07:24
For someone that hates the Strokes so much you sure know a lot about their career, albums, song structure and personal lives. Is This It to me is still their best album. First Impressions takes a minute to settle in but it's a prog record what do you expect, they matured and are at a position in their lives where they can write "borderline listenable" material if they feel like it. I sure trust their taste more than yours. The Strokes are legend and inspired everyone after them. You sir have a sick fixation for them or something because you went out of your way to write 4 paragraphs about how much you hate something. You my friend suck.
P.S. NME...
Why no love for radiohead? For the love of God are you really going to stand there and tell me the Arctic Monkeys wrote a better album than Kid A? Hail To The Thief? That should be the top 3 with In Rainbows at number 1. Even the Strokes would agree with that. And Oracular Spectacular is a modern classic as well. Expand man. I'm rooting for you you guys used to showcase The Beatles..all caps. Yes, I'm from the states, with love. Show up.
You know... [Visitor] //October 23 2009 at 07:30
I do remember I certain magazine praising them to high-heavens. What was it called? I'm drawing a blank, but if you want to blame any band for dull, bland British indie scene blame the fucking Libertines. Or, better yet, blame the magazine that hypes all of these shit bands in the first place. What was it called again? Hmm...
kevin [Visitor] //October 23 2009 at 09:29
I hope the strokes use this article as inspiration for a song
alex [Visitor] //October 23 2009 at 09:55
this is the same guy that said John Fruscinate was a average guitarist.. Nuff said.
Krakatoa [Visitor] //October 23 2009 at 10:25
This 'Sacred Cows' stuff is soooo boring. It's so easy, too.
E.P [Visitor] //October 23 2009 at 10:39
YAWN
YAWN
YAWN
YAWN
It's unfortunate, really,
that you could never amount to anything as great as The Strokes, but I suppose no really expected that of you.
did they.
Ari from Aus [Visitor] //October 23 2009 at 10:55
Shit man, that's harsh to blame The Strokes for how 'indie' is suddenly the new thing to subscribe to and how the whole genre is slowly going stagnant! I'm 15 so I wasn't around to see the 'great moments' in 'indie' music when all the new bands broke . . . I was even too young to jump on the Arctic Monkeys bandwagon when they were new on the scene but I've gone back and educated myself in this music because I love the sound. I fucking hate skinny-jean-wearing scenester posers as much as the next person but when it comes to the music, the people who've written before me make a good point - Where are the exciting bands of today?? Answer: there aren't (m)any. Whether you like their music or not it's undeniable that The Strokes inspired heaps of new bands this decade and surprisingly not all of them have been shite! If anything the NME being so fickle is part of what's making things worse for your beloved 'indie' music. Don't hype a band then dump them - listen to the tunes and base your reactions on THAT. Don't get all high and mighty about musical integrity and quality when you publicise fucking La Roux! And don't blame the movement of the sheep towards indie on the bunch of fresh-faced New Yorkers that your publication has been only too happy to brag about 'breaking' over the past eight years. Fucking hypocrites.
steve [Visitor] //October 23 2009 at 10:56
ah man i know i should be adult and look the other way but i can't....... you're wrong . the strokes are and always will be a fantastic band.
"Jules Casablancas" [Visitor] //October 23 2009 at 11:00
Hey Ben! Come say this to my face bitch!
Mark [Visitor] //October 23 2009 at 11:03
What a clown. - Let's all go back to listening to Limp Bizkit and Linkin Park, cos that era was really great.
Julian CAsablancas [Visitor] //October 23 2009 at 11:04
Is this it was a quality album, my follow up to this album was, however, was dissapointing. This loser does not know what he is talking about!
ali b [Visitor] //October 23 2009 at 12:25
the strokes are amazing, this was a great album, everyone has different taste so i don't blame the writer.
IT WAS A GREAT ALBUM- end of story
You're funny ben [Visitor] //October 23 2009 at 12:56
But i didnt expect anything more from someone who listens to narrows. LOL.
Liam [Visitor] //October 23 2009 at 13:35
hehe what a silly silly man
JonFKomedy [Visitor] //October 23 2009 at 13:36
I thought I was writing then it dissapeared. Anywho, to cut a long story short, everyone's getting a tad carried away. It's just an opinion, and it's at least an amusing if not particularly intellingent article. Though he does have a point. I love the Strokes, they're an incredible live band and I don't think they as a band are over-rated but Is This It itself probably was. I can't remember the last time I listened to the album all the way through, it didn't even make it onto my ipod. Room On Fire and First Impressions of Earth however are sensational and the last album may be one of the finest recorded by any band. Ever. They're a band that just get better and better with every record but I have to agree, Is This It is no classic.
JonFKomedy [Visitor] //October 23 2009 at 13:55
...and it would appear I can't spell "disappeared", or "Intelligent".
That's fairly embarrassing , but it's still a damn fine post.
Billy Squier [Visitor] //October 23 2009 at 14:45
I just wanted to thank them for the homage.
[Visitor] //October 23 2009 at 15:46
nope.
Jonny [Visitor] //October 23 2009 at 16:59
Wow, this was probably the biggest waste of time in my life.
It's okay if you don't like them but to blame them for a horrible indie culture is just ridiculous. Why pick on The Strokes when you have a million other bands who had a very similar style?
You obviously haven't done research either. The other three members hanging around? Ever heard of fucking Little Joy and Nickel Eye?
Anyways, this is what the world needed after 9/11. Fuckin' back to basics rock music. Starting from year zero and building it back up.
ghehe [Visitor] //October 23 2009 at 17:11
This guy hasn't got a clue when it comes to music. He probably likes Jet too.
Ben Patashnik [Member] //October 23 2009 at 17:13
@ghehe - I've been biting my tongue all this time, but I HAD to chime in:
I HATE JET.
I HATE JET.
Kings of Leon [Visitor] //October 23 2009 at 18:05
Care to discuss how hilariously overrated WE are? Too early?
uujhuijnin [Visitor] //October 23 2009 at 21:21
he couldnt be more wrong
[Visitor] //October 23 2009 at 21:56
this kind of crap article shouldnt be posted, im dissapointed at nme, they even have it at the front page, if this is what you do for a living you should try to do better cause this is worthless anyone could write this, youre just ranting about the strokes without any musical background or basis your just saying random stuff and being a bitch. do better next time and try to talk about their composition, their music not their image.
why [Visitor] //October 23 2009 at 22:45
who gives a shit. the strokes are okay. getting too worked up about their success is annoying and reveals more about the "hater" than it does about the actual album. shitting on records you don't like is the same as bitching about movies u don't have to watch. stop wasting time insulting a record that no one cares about and find some good new shit for me to hear!!!!!!!!!!!!
George-O [Visitor] //October 23 2009 at 23:10
I hate the fucking Strokes.
Nina Boyd [Visitor] //October 24 2009 at 00:15
Amen. Jet suck! And there is WAY worse 'indie' bands around than The Strokes, which by the way i haven't heard a single from in about 3 years (in NZ). So who cares. Mabye if the NME stopped running stories about them they wouldn't all this 'undeserved hype' everyone keeps bitching about.
Rossyross. [Visitor] //October 24 2009 at 17:59
You wanna talk about overrated? Talk about the Kings Of Leon's new album.
Jude. [Visitor] //October 24 2009 at 22:11
hah. loser.
Gabe [Visitor] //October 25 2009 at 02:10
Sorry Ben, but your article has a lot of fluff and no real concrete substance. Who cares what clothes they wore? Why is it their fault that people tried emulating what they wore? If you thought the Strokes were making poor music in 2001, who do you think wasn't? Who instead should we have been paying attention to all these years?
cess [Visitor] //October 25 2009 at 06:04
wow this guy definitely doesn't know what he's talking about. loved the strokes back then love them now. it was refreshing to hear their first album because it was different and had a vintage feel to it. i still listen to all their albums today. "Trying your luck" is one of my all time favorite songs, so i don't know how he can say it forgettable. it's an opinion i guess but i can't say he makes any good points to validate what he says. sucks that he has to bash in order to make his writing seem interesting. too bad it it didn't work because this article has no point to it.
Will [Visitor] //October 25 2009 at 11:34
Can you do Elephant by the White Stripes next? I've no idea why that album gets so much love.
N [Visitor] //October 25 2009 at 11:58
this is the worst reviewe in the world! the strokes are the best band on the planet! and i love them to bits :D
Mike Widdows [Visitor] //October 25 2009 at 13:26
Get...A...Hobby. Seriously 'Is This It' was probably the best album released in the last decade. I don't really know anyone who doesn't like The Strokes...But everyones got an opinion, just that yours is a crap one.
Mateo Ruiz [Visitor] //October 25 2009 at 16:58
Pal, is not enough to just say "the're crap"... you have to give (good) reasons, and you sound more like a kid angry at being spanked and not liking it, than a music critic. Cheers
Oscar [Visitor] //October 25 2009 at 17:42
to be honest though, The Strokes are shit...and the whole idea of this blog is to have someone to stand against the common view on albums like this. Not everyone has to like it. Admittedly the argument isnt exactly great here, and seems to be more concerned with everything about The Strokes other than the album. But yeah they suck balls.
Jase [Visitor] //October 25 2009 at 18:14
100% agreed!
Digio [Visitor] //October 25 2009 at 18:34
The Strokes is Rock&roll: music for the sake of music and that's all that matters!
If you don't like it, you could try to masturbate your pseudo-superior taste to some other music style, we don't mind...
Meanwhile, 'Is this it' will keep us dancing and drinking and screwing because there's nothing else to do!
joe [Visitor] //October 25 2009 at 18:38
have an opinion, yes. but also have some respect. they did a lot for british music. american music is still boring boring boring but they are an honorary british band - like it or not. lets face it: no strokes = a much more boring and bleak catalogue of british music. i hate to think of the amont of groups that would not have been given a chance if not for the strokes. libertines anyone?
[Visitor] //October 25 2009 at 21:15
this guy obviously doesnt know what hes talking about.... the strokes are the best
Valeria Arg [Visitor] //October 26 2009 at 07:37
cannot believe this... The Strokes have been, still are, and will be the best band EVER. why? people still hear them after eight years and this doesn't happen with most bands... I have never got fed up with any of their songs and I've been listenging to them since I was 13, so it's not ok to not like the strokes, darling your head's not right!
Doesent matter. [Visitor] //October 26 2009 at 15:37
I think this enitre thing was just built up for eveyones comments. gets the fans mad, and get the ones who dont like it agreeing. congrats, i think you all fell in a trap
Rope [Visitor] //October 26 2009 at 15:57
So I would like to know what records you Strokes-Bashers find good....compare them to 'Is This It' and your argument is turned into complete waste. Sort of like you.
[Visitor] //October 26 2009 at 19:32
Indie Kids have ALWAYS wanted to dress like their favourite bands. Fact! Before the Strokes though had nothing since Adidas trackie tops. We were living through a dead-time of post-britpop boredom that only produced a few bands that still mean something (Doves, Super Furries). And then came The Strokes. At last there was a band it was worth wanting to look like again and we started shopping in vintage stores, not Topman. Because of the Strokes, indie clubs became cool places again, where you could go and show off your new/old leather jacket, and then the snowball started! High street stores started buying up whatever faux vintage they could get their mits on because they're clever like that, buying stuff that's becoming fashionable. Now the bands born out of the indie clubs of that time (Klaxons etc) are influencing this generation to dress like them and the kids are just too damn lazy to bother looking anywhere else and now we've all just started to think they started it all along. I don't think though that many people who got into the "scene" (kill me now, i said "scene") at the time, shop in Topman now! My jeans are a regular fit from Burton! Anyway Ben, you're wrong. In the simple fact that if Is This It was rubbish, Topman would have gone down like Woolies. And I miss pick'n'mix!
Jime [Visitor] //October 27 2009 at 01:39
Oh, YOU don't like The Strokes..?
well, who likes you anyway???
loser.
DPOA [Visitor] //October 27 2009 at 04:29
Ben is a closet Limp Bizkit fan. The Strokes ruined nu-metal with Is This It. And that is why it should always be remember with fondness. As for aging well, you either like it or you don't. I wholeheartedly agree with the comment that he is hating something because everyone else loves it. If you are going to present an argument, next time give us a reason to be persuaded like possibly naming one other band that is not on your bandwagon. I know you. You are the guy that calls bands sell outs if they sign with a major record label, instead of struggling with an indie label. Well, to each their own. Yet, I would like to point a fundamental point in expository writing. Evidence. Give us a reason to believe that the album is crap because really all you have made me do is like it even more. You wouldn't be caught dead at a Strokes show. You know how I know? No true music fan would ever post comments and replies to your own article. Very un-cool. Very unStrokes.
fed up at work [Visitor] //October 27 2009 at 16:03
the strokes did have topman adverts on the back of their product, but a certain mag did!! if only i could remember which one!!!!!!!!!! get a life man, the strokes saved the indie from weepy grasp of bands like travis! thanks god for the strokes, as they had a heavy influence on the libertines, the arctic monkeys, early KOL and many more great bands.
pretty [Visitor] //October 27 2009 at 19:48
this bell-ends view is terrible. the strokes kickstarted the revival of genuine artists who were making great music, kol, libs, monkeys all owe it to jc and co. the strokes was the first evr gig i went to and it blew my mind and inspired me to pick up the guitar. and now what have we got thanks to nme? FUCKING LA ROUX. Klaxons were terrible. while lies, forence and the machine. . hopefully in a few years we'll see another band like the strokes who will get us out of this 80s wasteland we are in today
mike B [Visitor] //October 27 2009 at 20:16
the modern age in and of itself defines how great this cd is... i m not a huge strokes fan but it isnt really hard to discern how fucking great these guys are ... they've some how merged a sound that falls somewhere between the velvet underground and the ramones...short punk rock songs like the latter and just smart original songs like V.U. the disconnected voice like reed of casablancas, the repetetive riffs like the great UK band The Kinks and The Who...so many great lineages they come from but you can always tell who it is when the song comes on, its The Strokes, and that is what always makes a great band, they sound like no one else...to call them derivative or un original or whatever other non sense here i mean, it's just so stupid that it defies sense, it's sorta like calling layla bad, it may not be some one's cup of tea but it's empirically a great song
ugh [Visitor] //October 27 2009 at 20:30
You are so obviously after page views. I am embarrassed that I fell for it.
neil [Visitor] //October 27 2009 at 20:41
the strokes were the first band in the new wave of "the" bands, the first band to get skinny (even though julian and nikolai are probably 14 stone plus. i.e. you look like a fuckwit), they were the band that made me grow up. and im not thankful for any of those things. cunts. is this it sucks. i hated the way this album was revered then, and i still do now.i hate the bands that have spawned from the success of this album. this is the album that made me stop buying the nme. its not a patch on the avalanches "since i left you", released in the same year. the nme didnt place that in its top 50 end of year poll - which says it all.
Brit in California [Visitor] //October 27 2009 at 21:53
I disagree with the majority of the comments in this article: Is This It is, for me, a truly brilliant record - even if the comments about indie-dicos and the insouciant cool of the band themselves are irritatingly close to the truth.
What is far more commendable, however, is that the NME actually appears to be publishing genuine, opinionated and (well, almost) edgy music journalism for the first time in my music-loving lifetime at least.
Next phase: stop dressing the magazine up as if it were Smash Hits!
Jonty [Visitor] //October 28 2009 at 02:01
All idiots it has to be said. The Strokes are probably one of the defining bands of the late 20th and early 21st.
They invented a new side to Indie, one I personally fell in love with. Second of all, it is because of The Strokes we have inspired artists such as The Libertines and more notably Arctic Monkeys. The Strokes are one of the greatest bands of my generation and I personally feel their talent is overlooked...
JUST THE WAY I LIKE IT! Not mainstream and didn't sell out like KOL who are complete prats, having seen them for the first time at Reading, I can safely say that will be the last time.
Strokes!!!!
mark [Visitor] //October 28 2009 at 14:39
this man just basically hates the strokes.
Lol [Visitor] //October 28 2009 at 20:36
Never listened to the record front to back, so now I'm trying. Soma just finished and I'm bored to death. I completely agree with the writer, this record might have been new and exciting when it was released, but it's really utter crap.
Gundo [Visitor] //October 29 2009 at 08:33
Leave Travis alone. 12 memories is a great album!
Andrei [Visitor] //October 29 2009 at 11:10
I take it, Ben simply dislikes the album. How can one call any band overrated, is beyond me. Even in pop, which I usually hate.
The thing is, if an artist goes big that means his/her music touches a hell lot of people, they can relate to that music, no matter how actually bad it is.
I know my music, and for some people it may seem bad, but not to me. to me, Is This It is flawless. In fact, ANY The Strokes record is flawless to me (even though First Impression was pretty much of a grower). Their solo efforts are great as well. But that is me, right? If I don't like some music, that's my problem in the first place. Well, okay, some albums I've heard are REALLY totally bad. but that's kind of a rare thing.
So Ben, just admit it, - YOU dislike The Strokes, and we can all go play some games, watch some porn, etc ;)
Aleks [Visitor] //October 31 2009 at 15:46
Ben, I really got the impression that you' re one of those hateful wannabe critics who actually don't get a thing about music. You know a shit about the Strokes and the same thing with music. You have mentioned their looks and the hype around them.. damn boy get on the fucking ground its about music, the music and only the music.
Instead of hating music I would suggest hating people like you.. the always critical, hateful and supersmart attention whores.
Common you did'nt even tell us your likes in music man
whats your point man ..
feeling hate towards music , dont care which kind.. makes you a fucking bad critic ..
Sorry man but I kinda have that impression that you've been bullied at school by similar looking guys.. you really feel hate towads their hype .. good luck man
have fun struggeling through your problems
but do me a favor .. stop being so sure ..
Dano [Visitor] //November 1 2009 at 01:07
thank you for saying all this. I can't stand the Strokes. I am often a follower who enjoys the suggetions of critics however, This Is It unfortunately didn't do it for me. whole affair sounds like it was recorded on downers. It just doesn't sound good. The image is even worse. They just ripped television off and made it easier to swallow for college aged girls.
Cory [Visitor] //November 1 2009 at 23:39
I wonder what bands this Ben guy listens too? haha
Elmer [Visitor] //November 2 2009 at 17:27
Here in America, we never got into the whole Strokes thing as much as Britain It was like Iggy pop without the smack.
Keith [Visitor] //November 2 2009 at 20:35
For once, I agree with someone writing for NME, it had a massive impact on music in the uk (some positive, mostly negative) and you have to give them kudos for their attitude (don't-give-a-fuck and 45min length gigs) but the album itself was very, very average.
oh dear. [Visitor] //November 3 2009 at 03:13
"The first of a new series in which writers argue against the standard view of classic albums."
what the fuck? no, seriously.
if people bum the music so much till it becomes widely known as a classic, then why can't you let it be?
"Here, Ben Patashnik does battle with NME’s praise for ‘Is This It?’ and lets rip at The Strokes. "
so this basically means, out of lack of anything productive, our dear writer aims to be unnecessarily controversial by turning on NME itself.
Complete absence of accommodation to your readers is not admirably individual Patashnik.
Go ahead, try and piss the world off - go crazy. But don't do it by talking bollocks about the credibility of Is This It, or The Strokes for that matter.
Jimbo [Visitor] //November 3 2009 at 04:06
Classic Nme. In a bad way that is. Why hype up crappy bands who are all like "look at us, we dress and are so fucking strange and we play on casserolls in our new album" and trying to tear down bands who are successful. The Strokes are catchy, honest. What is wrong with you Nme posers anyway? get a life..
n [Visitor] //November 3 2009 at 19:21
'But to those of us who didn’t and don’t treat music as a series of bandwagons to hop on and off...'
i'm pretty sure jumping on and off musical bandwagons is nme's job
Chase [Visitor] //November 11 2009 at 19:08
Is This It? is fantastic. 30-odd minutes of great, catchy rock and roll.
Articles like this exist for the sole purpose of rattling cages and chains. It's a great album and has been (and will be in years to come) remembered as such. But hey, opinion is opinion.
James [Visitor] //November 15 2009 at 02:01
isnt Ben Patashnik the same bloke who criticised the roses debut, yet his criticisms were weak, clichéd and forced. He'd criticize for the tiniest things in order, to well, criticize. Its nothing but a vehicle to generate attention, ben is a complete gutter journo with absolutely no taste and deserves to be shot for his lack of any musical taste
Jonathan [Visitor] //November 17 2009 at 13:15
Can Ben let us know who he voted for in the best albums of the 2000's now that Is This It has been voted No. 1 in the NME list??!!
Ben Patashnik [Member] //November 17 2009 at 13:18
With pleasure. This was my submitted list in order; obviously, not all of them made the final rundown...
Botch – We Are The Romans
Capdown – Civil Disobedients
Arcade Fire – Funeral
Bloc Party – Silent Alarm
QOTSA – Rated R
The Streets – A Grand Don’t Come For Free
At The Drive-In – Relationship Of Command
The National – Boxer
AYWKUBTTOD – Source Tags And Codes
The Lawrence Arms – Oh! Calcutta!
A Wilhelm Scream – Career Suicide
The Dillinger Escape Plan – Miss Machine
Yeah Yeah Yeahs – Fever To Tell
The Hold Steady – Boys And Girls In America
Squarepusher – Ultravisitor
LCD Soundsystem – Sound Of Silver
Explosions In The Sky – The World Is Not A Cold, Dead Place
Manic Street Preachers – Journal For Plague Lovers
Against Me! – Reinventing Axl Rose
Fuck Buttons – Tarot Sport
Botch – We Are The Romans
Capdown – Civil Disobedients
Arcade Fire – Funeral
Bloc Party – Silent Alarm
QOTSA – Rated R
The Streets – A Grand Don’t Come For Free
At The Drive-In – Relationship Of Command
The National – Boxer
AYWKUBTTOD – Source Tags And Codes
The Lawrence Arms – Oh! Calcutta!
A Wilhelm Scream – Career Suicide
The Dillinger Escape Plan – Miss Machine
Yeah Yeah Yeahs – Fever To Tell
The Hold Steady – Boys And Girls In America
Squarepusher – Ultravisitor
LCD Soundsystem – Sound Of Silver
Explosions In The Sky – The World Is Not A Cold, Dead Place
Manic Street Preachers – Journal For Plague Lovers
Against Me! – Reinventing Axl Rose
Fuck Buttons – Tarot Sport
lockjaw [Visitor] //November 27 2009 at 03:07
you all have no taste for music. fucking everybody thinks they are a critic. I enjoy the strokes and so do alot of people so eat it!
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