So its been a few days since my last Daily top ten, I had some birthday celebrations, some people over, its been festival season and I've been in central every other day so I've been busy, but from now on I should be able to get back to bringing you lastest in music news and reviews. Starting with a review of The Blueprint Part III. I'll also have all my end of year awards, and another live Lily Allen review, so lucky you. But today, I'm tired, I've got a lot of cleaning to do, so I'm going to return to my favourite band, the act that got me seriously into music in the first place, and count down my top ten tracks. So here it is my top ten Strokes tracks;
10. You Talk Way Too Much
When you talk about your favourite band, the one that you have the most love for, it's always going to be impossible hard to pick just ten and in the process I've had to exclude huge dancefloor anthems 12:51, Last Night, Juicebox, Heart In A Cage, You Only Live Once and yes even Reptilia. However in its stead are some of my own favourite gems, and none is finer that You Talk Way Too Much this is one of the many tracks in the Strokes back catalogue that feels like an unreleased single. The song has a lovely short solo but at the core is Julian's desperate croon, as he goes from a defeatist drone "You Talk Way Too Much" do a desperate visceral cry "Give Me Some Time I Just Need A Little Time". It's one of his most affecting works, and a powerhouse track from their second record.
9. The End Has No End
Sometimes you know a track is gonna kick a million types of arse from the opening, and The End Has No End comes in like a thunder bolt, the guitars rip through the silence like a machine gun to start the track before Julien comes in with a killer almost cutesy hook "One By One Ticking Time Bombs Come, It's Not The Secrets Of The Government Keeping You Dumb", it builds with a biting cynical charm before sudden Julian explodes with a primal roar "He Wants It Easy, He Wants It Relax, I Said I Can Do Alot Of Things But I Can't Do That". At it's heart its a slick Strokes single, but it's an emotive beast that rolls from apathy to rage via tranquility before arriving at the gloomy conclusion that the end has no end.
8. Automatic Stop
Now many criticised The Strokes second offering Room On Fire for being too slick, too concise, too sharp and ultimately too damn similar to debut Is This It. However looking back it's clear that Room On Fire saw the Strokes get alot tighter and alot more subtle as musicains, the solos gain solo, and the band created a really powerful dynamic, but most interesting of all they experiment. Julian Casblancas suddenly started exploring new directions, he found soul, and reggae, and The Strokes developed a serious of power soul ballads. None was finer than Automatic Stop, with Julian crooning his arse of with the downbeat and desolate statement "I'm not your friend, I never was". It was tender and bittersweet, Automatic Stop has a wonderfully detached and depressive cynicism towards love and sex, a soulful callousness.
7. Someday
So after a heafty dose of detached cynacism, it's time for sometime more joyous! Now Someday isn't exactly a barrel of laughs lyrical, but that simply guitar riff is just beautiful and instantly uplifting. For a song that speaks of Someday it's rooted in the past and long lost memories, and Julain is just throwing out lyrical dynamite at every oppurtunity;
"In Many Ways We'll Miss The Good Old Days, Someday, Someday,
It Hurts To Say, But I Want You To Stay, Some Times, Some Times,
When We Was Young, Oh Man Did We Have Fun, Always, Always,
Oh Promises They Break Before There Made, Some Times, Some Times"
However, while there will always be an uplifting and hopeful feel to the song it's rooted in deep depths of gloomy depression "You Say You Want To Stay By My Side, Darling You Heads Not Right" and it has one of the most tragic conclusion in music history "Alone We Stand, Together We Fall About". The song is a contradiction, it's uplifting, and heartbreaking but ultimately we can only say fuck it I'm Not Wasting Anymore Time.
6. Barely Legal
So on Ist This It, Barely Legal proceeds Someday, and on my list it's pipped Someday to the number six spot. Barely Legal was a cookie cut slice of the Strokes new musical minimalisms. It was short, sharp and to the point. The guitars buzz and chug perfectly and never over stay there record, its a track that has an authentic indie rough around the edges fuzz, even played today it still feels like its been recorded in an upside down skip. The track buzzes along gloomily before popping out into a bouncing and gorgeously written chorus;
"I Just Want To Turn You Down,
I Just Want To Turn You Around,
You Ain't Never Had Nothing I Wanted,
I Want It All And I Just Can't Figure Out,
Nothing!
And All Together It Went Well,
We Made Pretend We Were Best Friends,
Then She Said "Oh I Can't Wait",
They Ordered Me To Make Mistakes,
Together Again Like The Beginning,
It All Works Somehow In The End,
The Things You Did,
The Things We Hide,
But For The Record It's Between You And I"
It's a powerhouse of a chorus and it somes up the entire record, such dense lyricism and musician ship crammed into such a small perfectly formed space, it hits the spot every time.
5. New York City Cops
This is dirty gritty sexy rock and roll. It's sleazy as fuck, it feels like your running through New York at night alone, your feet being driven by the pulsating guitar line. This is dark and danky indie rock and roll, the track is tight, but there is no sheen this is music to get drunk and fall out bars to. It rocks your socks, it's raw and fresh, Julian sounds like he's making the lyrics up off the top of his head whether it be the "Ah....no I Meant Arrrh" ad lip or when he demands the band "Stop" half way through, it's organic, grimey, skanky, New York City Rock and how badly did were we missing it in 2001, thank fuck for The Strokes.
4. Evening Sun
Now it's time for something different. First Impressions Of Earth would see The Strokes pushing out in all directions, and expanding there sound, it lead to a bloated record, that was still musical sharp, but was rather hit and miss (or should that be Take It Or Leave It), it didn't dissapoint, it just felt like a detour. Evening Sun was one of the albums great tracks, it had a soft almost child like joy to it, and it built slowly to possible Julian's greatest song writting moment with one absolutely killer final line;
"Oh Actors They Pretending,
And Singers They Will Sometimes Lie,
Kids Are Always Honest,
Cause They Don't Think There Ever Gonna Die,
You're The Prettiest Smartest Captain Of The Team,
I Love You More Than Being Seventeen"
3. What Ever Happened?
So how do you kick off the follow up to one of the all time great debut albums? Well with a slice of lyrical genius "I Wanna Be Forgotten, And I Don't Wanna Be Reminded", Julian has always been accused of being shallow lyrically, and for the most part this is true, but the man does have an incredible turn of phrase and on What Ever Happened? we find him throwing out these great turns of phrase in between some of his most passionate and emotive crooning. It's a poweful track that feels emotionally lost, almost in a state of jaded depression mixed with these sudden burst of quizical rage "I Wanna Be Inside Her, But She Wants To Be Admired". The guitar work is again subtle and poignant and serves as a perfect counter point to Julian's croon. Yet inbetween all the of soul, it's always been one quizical throwaway line that's held my attention "Top Ten Ideas For Count Down Shows, Whose Culture Is This And Does Anybody Know", I know it's complete inane and ironic to say this while writting my own top ten, but while watching these pathetic award shows and count down on the likes of Channel Four I can't help but wonder whose culture is this and does anybody know?
2. Hard To Explain
Hard To Explain will always be may favourite of the Strokes singles, it just kicks and buzzes perfectly, the metronomic drum beat is just perfect, the sliding guitar line is right on the money, and Julian's vocals are sublime, the sung structure still feels remarkable unique, switch between a retold argument between two people from different generations, to a poetic rant, and best of all at the end of the chorus the beat drops, and everyone gets to strike a pose on the dance floor, and even the most cynical reader will admit that that is a hell of a lot of fun. Best of all is the chorus, this song is so well known it feels pointless describing it in greater detail and I'll leave you with Julian's own words;
"I Say The Right Thing, But Act The Wrong Way,
I Like It Right Here, But I Cannot Stay,
I Watch The TV, Forget What I'm Told,
For I Am Too Young, And They Are Too Old,
Oh Man Can't You See I'm Nervous So Please,
Pretend To Be Nice, So I Can Be Mean,
I Missed Last Bus, I'll Take The Next Train,
I Tried But You See, It's Hard To Explain"
1. Trying Your Luck
Those of you familar with my blog, will be familar with this track, it's probably my personal favourite track of all time by any band. I've written about it at lenght many times, including in the last Daily Top Ten, so I'll spare you reiteration and just let you enjoy this beutiful cut from Is This It. And after all, being number one, the music should do the talking.
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