The Strokes is an American rock band from Manhattan, New York, United States, formed in 1998. The band rose to fame in the early 2000s as a leading group in garage rock/post-punk revival. The band consists of Julian Casablancas (lead vocals), Nick Valensi (lead guitar), Albert Hammond, Jr. (rhythm guitar), Nikolai Fraiture (bass guitar) and Fabrizio Moretti (drums and percussion).
Upon the release of their debut album, Is This It, in 2001, the group was met with much critical acclaim, being hailed by some as the "saviors of rock and roll. Read Full BioThe Strokes is an American rock band from Manhattan, New York, United States, formed in 1998. The band rose to fame in the early 2000s as a leading group in garage rock/post-punk revival. The band consists of Julian Casablancas (lead vocals), Nick Valensi (lead guitar), Albert Hammond, Jr. (rhythm guitar), Nikolai Fraiture (bass guitar) and Fabrizio Moretti (drums and percussion).
Upon the release of their debut album, Is This It, in 2001, the group was met with much critical acclaim, being hailed by some as the "saviors of rock and roll." NME made Is This It their Album of the Year. Since then, the band has maintained a large fan base, notably in the UK, US and Australia. As of 2007, Is This It has sold over 3.5 million copies worldwide.
They released their second album Room on Fire in October 2003, to good reviews, but to less success commercially, although it still went gold. The album's sound maintained the Strokes' familiar reference points, while also evoking groups such as The Cars, Bob Marley, and Blondie. In the process, they made the cover of Spin Magazine for the second time, with each member receiving his own cover. They also made the cover of Rolling Stone for the first time. Additional media coverage of the band came from the relationship between Moretti and actress Drew Barrymore, which ended in January 2007.
In late September 2005, "Juicebox", the first single from The Strokes then unreleased third album, was leaked online, forcing the single's release date to be advanced. The single was then released as an exclusive on online download services. "Juicebox" became The Strokes' second UK Top 10 hit, as well as their second US Modern Rock Top 10 success. During November and December 2005 the Strokes did a promotional tour for the still unreleased album, which involved doing one-off shows in major cities around the world.
Their third album, First Impressions of Earth, was released in January 2006 to mixed reviews and debuted at number four in the US and number one in the UK, a first for the band. In Japan it went gold within the first week of release. It was also the most downloaded album for two weeks on iTunes. Fraiture claimed that the album was "like a scientific breakthrough". In January 2006, the band then made their second appearance on Saturday Night Live playing "Juicebox" and "You Only Live Once".
The Strokes' frontman Julian Casablancas and guitarist Nick Valensi started writing new material for their band's forthcoming new album in the latter stages of January 2009, which they were set to go in the studio to finalize in February of the same year. In February 2010, Julian Casablancas told NME that the band's fourth album was set to be released in September 2010. The release date has been pushed back again, and the album, titled "Angles" will now be released March 22, 2011 in America. The album's first single, "Under Cover of Darkness" was made available as a free download from the band's website on February 9, 2011 for a 48 hour period.
The Strokes' fifth album is called "Comedown Machine" and was released on March 26th 2013 In North America and March 25th in the U.K. The first single is called "All the Time".
They released their first collection of material after their departure from RCA, the Future Present Past EP, in June 2016 through Casablancas' independent Cult Records label.
Later that decade, the Strokes began working with Rick Rubin on a new album. In April 2020 they released their first studio album in seven years, The New Abnormal, through Cult and RCA. Critics generally considered the album a return to form.
Official website: http://www.thestrokes.com
Upon the release of their debut album, Is This It, in 2001, the group was met with much critical acclaim, being hailed by some as the "saviors of rock and roll. Read Full BioThe Strokes is an American rock band from Manhattan, New York, United States, formed in 1998. The band rose to fame in the early 2000s as a leading group in garage rock/post-punk revival. The band consists of Julian Casablancas (lead vocals), Nick Valensi (lead guitar), Albert Hammond, Jr. (rhythm guitar), Nikolai Fraiture (bass guitar) and Fabrizio Moretti (drums and percussion).
Upon the release of their debut album, Is This It, in 2001, the group was met with much critical acclaim, being hailed by some as the "saviors of rock and roll." NME made Is This It their Album of the Year. Since then, the band has maintained a large fan base, notably in the UK, US and Australia. As of 2007, Is This It has sold over 3.5 million copies worldwide.
They released their second album Room on Fire in October 2003, to good reviews, but to less success commercially, although it still went gold. The album's sound maintained the Strokes' familiar reference points, while also evoking groups such as The Cars, Bob Marley, and Blondie. In the process, they made the cover of Spin Magazine for the second time, with each member receiving his own cover. They also made the cover of Rolling Stone for the first time. Additional media coverage of the band came from the relationship between Moretti and actress Drew Barrymore, which ended in January 2007.
In late September 2005, "Juicebox", the first single from The Strokes then unreleased third album, was leaked online, forcing the single's release date to be advanced. The single was then released as an exclusive on online download services. "Juicebox" became The Strokes' second UK Top 10 hit, as well as their second US Modern Rock Top 10 success. During November and December 2005 the Strokes did a promotional tour for the still unreleased album, which involved doing one-off shows in major cities around the world.
Their third album, First Impressions of Earth, was released in January 2006 to mixed reviews and debuted at number four in the US and number one in the UK, a first for the band. In Japan it went gold within the first week of release. It was also the most downloaded album for two weeks on iTunes. Fraiture claimed that the album was "like a scientific breakthrough". In January 2006, the band then made their second appearance on Saturday Night Live playing "Juicebox" and "You Only Live Once".
The Strokes' frontman Julian Casablancas and guitarist Nick Valensi started writing new material for their band's forthcoming new album in the latter stages of January 2009, which they were set to go in the studio to finalize in February of the same year. In February 2010, Julian Casablancas told NME that the band's fourth album was set to be released in September 2010. The release date has been pushed back again, and the album, titled "Angles" will now be released March 22, 2011 in America. The album's first single, "Under Cover of Darkness" was made available as a free download from the band's website on February 9, 2011 for a 48 hour period.
The Strokes' fifth album is called "Comedown Machine" and was released on March 26th 2013 In North America and March 25th in the U.K. The first single is called "All the Time".
They released their first collection of material after their departure from RCA, the Future Present Past EP, in June 2016 through Casablancas' independent Cult Records label.
Later that decade, the Strokes began working with Rick Rubin on a new album. In April 2020 they released their first studio album in seven years, The New Abnormal, through Cult and RCA. Critics generally considered the album a return to form.
Official website: http://www.thestrokes.com
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The Modern Age
The Strokes Lyrics
Up on a hill is where we begin
This little story a long time ago
Stop to pretend, stop pretendin'
It seems this game is simply never-endin'
Oh, in the sun, sun havin' fun
It's in my blood
I just can't help it
Don't want you here right now
Let me go, oh, let me, oh, g-g-g-g-g-g-g-go
Leavin' just in time
Stay there for a while
Rollin' in the ocean
Tryin' to catch her eye
Work hard and say it's easy
Do it just to please me
Tomorrow will be different
So I'll pretend I'm leavin', oh yeah
Our fears are different here
We train in AVA
I wish you hadn't stayed
My vision's clearer now, but I am not afraid
Flyin' overseas, no time to feel the breeze
I took too many varieties
Oh, in the sun, sun havin' fun
It's in my blood
I just can't help it
Don't want you here right now
Let me go, ooh
Darlin' let me, let g-g-g-g-g-g-g-go
Leavin' just in time
Stayin' for a while
Rollin' in the ocean
Tryin' to catch her eye
Work hard and say it's easy
Do it just to please me
Tomorrow will be different
So this is why I'm leavin'
Lyrics © Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Julian Casablancas
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
To comment on specific lyrics, highlight them
Gerru
Lyrics:
Up on a hill is where we begin
This little story a long time ago
Stop to pretend, stop pretending
It seems this game is simply never-ending
Oh, in the sun, sun having fun
It's in my blood
I just can't help it
Don't want you here right now
Let me go, oh, let me g-g-g-g-g-g-go
Leavin' just in time
Stay there for a while
Rolling in the ocean
Trying to catch her eye
Work hard and say it's easy
Do it just to please me
Tomorrow will be different
So I'll pretend I'm leaving
Our fears are different here
We train in A-V-A
I wish you hadn't stayed
My vision's clearer now, but I'm unafraid
Flying overseas, no time to feel the breeze
I took too many varieties
Oh, in the sun, sun having fun
It's in my blood
I just can't help it
Don't want you here right now
Let me go
Darling let me g-g-g-g-g-g-go
Leaving just in time
Staying for a while
Rolling in the ocean
Trying to catch her eye
Work hard and say it's easy
Do it just to please me
Tomorrow will be different
So this is why I'm leaving
Steve Cabral
“Up on a hill, here’s where we begin/This little story, a long time ago” Maybe New York City isn’t technically a hill and maybe 14 years isn’t so long ago, but, excepting that, the opening line from “The Modern Age” could serve double-duty as the first words in the story of The Strokes. After all, the song was the title track and one of three songs included on the EP the band released in 2001 that set off a bidding war for their services and cranked up the hype machine to deafening levels.
It also is one of the most memorable tracks on the band’s debut album Is This It, an album that somehow managed to exceed that hype. The Strokes’ sound, which combined the ramshackle attitude of garage rock with the arched-eyebrow posturing of art rock in striking fashion, receives a lot of that credit for the band’s success. But that sound wouldn’t have meant quite as much if it weren’t attached to memorable songs courtesy of lead singer Julian Casablancas.
“The Modern Age” is a fine example of this alchemy. Chunky staccato guitars in the intro eventually open up into a buoyant bass line from Nikolai Fraiture and stomping drums from Fabrizio Moretti. Nick Valensi takes off on a searing guitar solo in the middle portion of the song, yet the melody in the chorus balances that out with its melancholic chord changes.
Casablancas’ vocals contain that same kind of variety, as he trades off between dejected monotone and animated braying, like some unholy cross between Ian Curtis and Jim Morrison. The lyrics also can’t decide whether they want rhapsodize about some idealized afternoon in the sun or moan about the peripatetic nature of 21st-century life.
Along the way, Casablancas’ lines, seemingly tossed off and nonchalant, start to draw blood. “Stop to pretend, stop pretending/It seems this game is simply never-ending,” he sings, seeming to reference the chasm between childhood playfulness and adult seriousness that the young-at-heart futilely try to bridge. When he sings, “Work hard and say it’s easy,” it’s an interesting theory for this at-the-time budding rock star to put forth: that the appearance of nonchalance may be crucial to success, but the practice of it is career suicide.
Through the song a loose story about the narrator trying to shake free from a clinging suitor runs, but “The Modern Age” is after bigger fish than that, as evidenced by the song’s title. The pleasures are ephemeral (“No time to feel the breeze”), the coping mechanisms are numbing (“I took too many varieties”), and, when you can’t make it work, it’s best just to bail and try again another day (“Tomorrow may be different/So this Is why I’m leaving.”)
Speaking about his band’s enduring popularity in a 2014 Rolling Stone interview, Casablancas shook off the plaudits. “It feels humbling and validating that you’re doing some things right,” he said. “But it’s the same thing with an actor: If a movie does really well at the box office, they make 10 of those afterward because that’s what they think people like. . . . If something has commercial value, it doesn’t mean it’s good.” False modesty and indifferent cool is all well and good, but many have tried to copy The Strokes formula in the wake of Is This It and have fallen well short. And the story the band started with “The Modern Age” still enthralls.
Alex W
I’m not exaggerating when I say this. This is one of the best rock performances of all time in my eyes.
I know bands need to evolve, but I’m truly upset that The Strokes gave up their Is This It/Room On Fire sound for what it later became. I’m sure some will disagree, but they were simply never the same after approximately 2005. Not sure if it was Julian’s drinking or the collective desire of the band to go in a new direction. Granted, Julian did admit that his “iron-fisted” control over the band led to a lot of creative problems.
Regardless, songs like The Modern Age, Barely Legal, Hard to Explain, Someday, Meet Me In The Bathroom, I Can’t Win, You Talk Way Too Much, Soma, and What Ever Happened will always hold a very special place in my heart. Last Nite is obviously great as well. And don’t get me wrong, songs like Under Cover Of Darkness and You Only Live Once are great, but they released a lot of boring, poppy songs during that era too. They weren’t The Strokes I fell in love with.
If I remember correctly, watching this particular performance of The Modern Age is what really got me into this band. The energetic, yet melancholic vibe is just so addicting, unique, and thought-provoking.
Their reign at the top was so short-lived, unfortunately. The Is This It era was undoubtedly the height of their fame. Room On Fire didn’t do nearly as well as Is This It, which I can understand somewhat, but there are still numerous great tracks on there.
I don’t even hear The Strokes that much on the radio these days. If anyone I talk to about them DOES know their songs, it’s usually just Last Night and Someday. Shame.
icedlemonade101
A few things:
1. Julian is cooler than ice.
2. I'm never going to get tired of that solo.
3. This song is timeless.
level_ken
@LEGIT Brigade that jacket is a Marine Corps dress blues jacket, right? I'm not seeing things, right?
Count Choculitis
that last note in the solo punches me right in the dick
Maria Luisa Abelleira Novas
Timeless indeed
Naked Mario
No actually its modern (joke)
Cristian Newbury
This song will for ever be in my heart
Marco Labarile
Usually, after falling in love with a band, I try to find out bands sounding similar and with the same vibe. The Strokes are the only ones which made me fail at that. There's something in Julian's voice and in how guitars intertwine with each other that is absolutely unique
yung toxic
Acid ghost castlebeat current joys a bit a lot of newer artist tbh
Angel Sunlight
I feel this comment. Besides Television
Patrick
@MONSTER WITH 21 FACES they're both really good, that's about where the similarities end for me lol