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.
Strange Tidings
Albert Hammond Jr. Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I got so confused
But I left you in the morning
When the news was rather new
I won't go back again
My hours are through
I know she's on the mends
Watch what you say
If I'm guilty
I will pay
Watch how it goes
If I'm guilty
It'll show
So watch
Whatcha say
If I'm guilty
I'll walk away
I won't wait here
For an hour or two
'cause you left me in the bathroom
When there's other things to do.
Watch what you say
If I'm guilty
I will pay
Watch how it goes
If I'm guilty
It'll show
So watch
Whatcha say
If I'm guilty
I'll walk away
Control, it is so hard to find
I can't believe I've lost my mind
I need you now, I need you then
All and all, we're not friends
The lyrics of the song Strange Tidings by Albert Hammond Jr. seem to be about a tense and confusing situation between the singer and another person. The singer seems to be grappling with guilt or accusations of wrongdoing, and possibly a strained or broken relationship. The lines "Let's just wait here, I got so confused, but I left you in the morning when the news was rather new," suggest that the singer may have left someone or something behind in haste, possibly in response to something unexpected or distressing. The singer is adamant that they won't return, and seems to be aware of the other person's potential attempts to intervene and reconcile.
The refrain of "Watch what you say, if I'm guilty I will pay, watch how it goes, if I'm guilty it'll show, so watch whatcha say, if I'm guilty I'll walk away," implies a certain defensiveness and sensitivity on the part of the singer, who seems to be wary of being unfairly accused or judged. The repetition of the phrase "watch whatcha say" adds to this tension, and implies that the singer is on edge and perhaps not entirely in control of the situation. The second verse echoes the first, with the singer refusing to wait around any longer, and accusing the other person of similarly abandoning them.
Overall, the lyrics suggest a fraught and possibly damaged relationship, with both parties struggling to communicate effectively and understand one another. The use of repetition and tense language emphasizes the unresolved nature of the situation, and the unresolved guilt and confusion that the singer is grappling with.
Line by Line Meaning
Let's just wait here
Let's just take a moment to reflect before taking any actions.
I got so confused
I was emotionally torn and didn't know what to do.
But I left you in the morning
I left you during the early days of our relationship.
When the news was rather new
When there were recent events that affected us.
I won't go back again
I won't make the same mistake again.
My hours are through
My time is up and it's time to move on.
I know she's on the mends
I'm aware that she's recovering from the damage I've caused.
There's nothing you can do
You can't change what happened or how I feel.
Watch what you say
Be careful with your words, they can have consequences.
If I'm guilty
If I'm responsible for something wrong.
I will pay
I will face the consequences of my actions.
Watch how it goes
Keep an eye on the situation's unfolding.
If I'm guilty
If I'm responsible for something wrong.
It'll show
The truth will come out eventually.
So watch
Be mindful of what's happening.
Whatcha say
What are you saying?
If I'm guilty
If I'm responsible for something wrong.
I'll walk away
I'll accept responsibility and leave the situation.
I won't wait here
I won't just sit around and do nothing.
For an hour or two
For a short period of time.
'cause you left me in the bathroom
Because you abandoned me in a time of need.
When there's other things to do.
When there are other important things that require attention.
Control, it is so hard to find
Self-control is difficult to maintain.
I can't believe I've lost my mind
I can't believe I've lost my sanity or composure.
I need you now, I need you then
I need your support both now and in the past.
All and all, we're not friends
Despite everything, we're not on good terms anymore.
Contributed by Jack H. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@lesiegelad
Seriously this is such an amazing song. It's one of those songs where it makes your insides swell up from the beauty of the music.
@markdog912
Definitivamente subestimé mucho este EP.
Todo lo que hace Albert está bien? El tipo está iluminado 😔😭🙏
@JorgeC__R
La verdad sí, Albert es un genio.
@TDK1939
This song is amazing. I used to think that Julian could be the only member to go solo but this song proves not.
@Pineappleespresso15
Listen to his first album: yours to keep. Pure genious right there
@Jarstlord
dsd The best in my opinion, but this EP will make a worthy second place for me :)
@bmxxxxxxxx
THEDARKKNIGHT1939 Your's to Keep and Como Te Llama are better than any given Strokes EP.
@Jarstlord
bmxxxxxxxx What do you think of the new album? For me it's YtK > AHJ / MM > CTL, although I like all records :)
@senorstronk
+THEDARKKNIGHT1939 his first two albums are better bruv
@umrequited
love this so much. incredible ep, albert <3