The son of Gibraltarian-British songwriter Albert Hammond, Albert Jr. was sent to the elite boarding school Institut Le Rosey in Switzerland at the age of 13. While there, he met Julian Casablancas, who would go on to be a fellow band member.
In 1998, Albert met up with Julian in New York City and together they formed a band with Julian's former schoolmates: Nick Valensi, Nikolai Fraiture and Fabrizio Moretti.
His trademark is wearing formal suits, usually a different one for each show. Albert is usually seen playing an olympian white Fender Stratocaster, or bandmate Nick Valensi's Les Paul Jr. He is usually associated with the "rhythm" guitar portion of the majority of Strokes songs, and most solos are played by Valensi. The solos in which Albert does play are Last Nite, Trying Your Luck, Take It Or Leave It, Under Control, The End Has No End, Ize Of The World, and Vision Of Division. His solos tend to focus largely on more emotional, "bluesy"-type melodical work, and the guitar tends to have a cleaner, softer tone in comparison to Valensi's (with a noteable exception found in Vision Of Division). He often holds the guitar in a high horizontal position, similar to Bob Dylan and Ian Curtis.
Although vocalist Julian Casablancas is the major contributor to the songwriting process for The Strokes' music, Albert has been known to write a few pieces of his own. He has been credited to writing three mostly instrumental songs (Swiss Beats, Holland, and By The Way) for the bands' 2001 tour video entitled "In Transit". He had also written a song called "Elephant Song", in which Albert used when he was was required to record a song for his Sound 101 class in freshman year, using the school's recording equipment. The song was played at a few shows before the release of their first album. The Strokes were to later rerecord the song as a special giveaway for fanclub members.
Hammond released his debut solo album on October 9th in the United Kingdom. Entitled "Yours to Keep," the album features musical guests such as Sean Lennon, Ben Kweller, and even The Strokes' manager Ryan Gentles and lead singer Julian Casablancas. Bassist Josh Lattanzi and drummer Matt Romano serve as the backing band, with Albert the main singer and guitarist. It was produced by former Thin Lizard Dawn vocalist Greg Lattimer at the Electric Ladyland Studios.
Hammond played his first solo dates at the end of October in a few cities including New York City and Philadelphia. He is set to tour the UK and Europe in November and December 2006, and provides support to Incubus on their forthcoming US tour of January/February 2007.
Albert has finished working on his second solo album with the title "Como Te Llama?", which was released on 8th of July in 2008. The new CD gets 8/10 in NME! This 8th of July is incidentally the first date of his world tour, which kicks off at the Virgin Store in his hometown of NYC. Dates in LA, as well as Japan and Australia have been already scheduled. Cont.
St. Justice
Albert Hammond Jr. Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
But I can't explain it
Something you said to me
I, I know you've asked it
Somehow you found me
The words are in motion
Somehow you found me
The words are in motion now
I, I got locked in myself
And I don't know what to do
There were dreams in my eyes
That now - Don't shine through
Something you said to me
I, I can't explain it
Something you said to me
I, I know you've asked it
Somehow you found me
The words are in motion
Somehow you found me
The words are in motion now
I'm beginning to feel that
You don't know what you do
Is it possibly true that motions
Get lost on you
Get lost on you
And you never grow up
And you never did see
The worlds coming down
Was crashing right upon me
Upon me
And everyone knows
That you never go back
'Cause you never did see
'Cause we never attack
Forget me
I'll forget you
Something you said to me
Something you said to me
I, I can't explain it
Something you said to me
I, I know you've asked it
The lyrics of "St. Justice" by Albert Hammond Jr. convey a sense of confusion and uncertainty. The song starts with the singer pondering over something that someone has said but cannot explain. He feels lost and trapped in his own self, unable to pursue his dreams. However, someone has found him, and the words of that person set everything in motion. The singer feels like he is beginning to understand that the other person doesn't know what they are doing, and their actions are lost on them. As the song continues, the singer begins to realize that the other person is someone who never grows up and could not see the world crashing down upon them until it was too late. The song ends with the singer stating that he will forget that person and move on.
The song's lyrics are open to interpretation and could be about a range of situations, including relationships, growing up, and introspection. The singer appears to be grappling with an internal conflict, trying to understand who he is and what he wants. The words spoken by the other person stir something within him, which he cannot explain. The use of the phrase "St. Justice" in the song's title is interesting, as it could be seen as a reference to a mythical figure, a person or a sense of justice that exists only in one's mind. Overall, the song is a compelling piece of art that tells a story of confusion, self-discovery, and growth.
Line by Line Meaning
Something you said to me
The words someone spoke to me have been lingering in my mind
But I can't explain it
I cannot find the right words to illustrate my feelings about it
I, I know you've asked it
I am aware that you inquired about it
Somehow you found me
Despite my efforts to conceal myself, you discovered me
The words are in motion
The thoughts and feelings we have are constantly in flux
I got locked in myself
I became trapped in my own head
And there were dreams in my eyes
I once had hope and ambition
That now - Don't shine through
But now, those aspirations have dimmed
You don't know what you do
You act without realizing the effects of your actions
Is it possibly true that motions
Perhaps it is accurate to say that movements
Get lost on you
Escape your notice or are unimportant to you
And you never grow up
You refuse to mature or learn from your mistakes
And you never did see
You were unaware of or ignored the impending disaster
The worlds coming down
Everything is falling apart
Was crashing right upon me
The downfall was directly affecting me
And everyone knows
It is clear to all that
That you never go back
You refuse to look back at the past and attempt to change it
Cause we never attack
We do not take action or confront the problems we face
Forget me
I suggest you erase me from your memory and move on
I'll forget you
I will attempt to forget about you and our troubles
Contributed by Mateo J. Suggest a correction in the comments below.