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Their prospects dangerously over-inflated by pundits who often hailed their debut as nothing short of rock-messianic, New York City's Strokes got a lesson in cynical rock-press dynamics when their biz-troubled, if similarly toned, '03 follow-up was dutifully dismissed as the proverbial sophomore slump. A lesser band might have been chastened by the experience; this one responds with a third album that positively bristles with energetic challenges. Revolving around a loose concept that allows songwriter/frontman Julian Casablancas to adopt a viewpoint that's as detached as it is world-weary and bemused, it's a record that quickly trades the often precious production conceits of its forebears for a muscular confidence that's notable from the infectious, back-to-the-'80s opener "You Only Live Once" to its perfect bookend "Red Light."That often inviting sonic remodeling may come in part from Bangles/Sublime/Sugar Ray producer David Kahne (who replaces previous collaborator Gordon Raphael on all but a handful of cuts), but the band clearly has expansiveness on its mind, from a running length nearly twice its predecessors to such stylistic excursions as the cinematic, back-to-the-future riffing of the single "Juicebox," the spare, electro-baroque moodiness of "Ask Me Anything," and the dense, surprising prog flirtations of "Electrocityscape." "On the Other Side" finds Casablancas convincingly casting himself as the anti-Bono while crooning "I hate them, I hate them all, I hate myself for hating them" before chiding humanity as "seven billion people who've got nothing to say" on the otherwise upbeat closer, "Red Light." Wrapping such cynicism in more populist musical trappings is no mean feat, and the sheer reach of the Strokes' ambitions here insure they occasionally fall short. But it's a consistently intriguing effort, one that seems calculated as much to challenge the faithful as expand the band's own considerable horizons. --Jerry McCulley

CUSTOMER REVIEWS (Average Customer Rating: 4.0 based on 211 reviews)

Outstanding by Will Bernbaum

5 Stars
September 26, 2009
Simultaneously energetic and world-weary, The Strokes' third effort adopts a cynical perspective without dismissing the catchy, upbeat fundamentals that make for easy listening. The album clocks in at a lengthy 52 minutes, a considerable expansion from the band's previous productions, each lasting just over half an hour. In spite of this, at no point does the album feel overdone or longer than necessary; in fact, after my first listen I still found myself wanting more. I would heartily recommend First Impressions to long-time fans and first-timers alike. It is easily one of my top five music purchases in recent memory.

First Impressions Of Earth by Mark Twain (Florida, MO USA)

5 Stars
January 02, 2009
I was really impressed with the way their last album, Room on Fire (2003), sounded and I really liked the band's sound. I was interested to see where they were going with it and I was completely shocked when I heart the first single from First Impressions Of Earth, "Juicebox." I was a little bit disappointed at first because I wanted to hear more songs like "The End Has No End," but after hearing a few more songs off the album, I was addicted. The guitars are ferocious and the vocals are dark and stranger than ever. After one or two listens I came to the conclusion that this was ten times better than either of their other albums, even if it was completely different. Despite the unanimous five star reviews for their previous albums, critics gave it mixed reviews. Magazines like Spin only gave it two and a half stars when NME named it the 8th best album of 2006. I don't care what critics have to say. Buy this album. Now.

The Strokes - First Impressions of Earth 5.5/10 by Rudolph Klapper (Los Angeles / Orlando)

3 Stars
July 24, 2008
First Impressions of Earth is the sound of a band trying to grow. After the Strokes 2003 release Room on Fire was critically slammed for simply retreading the ground covered by their debut album, the band spent two years focusing on making a record that would sound, well, different. Whether this was necessary or not is debatable; Room on Fire was a perfectly fine sophomore effort by a band that was overly hyped to begin with, and if you're dating Drew Barrymore and being hailed as messiahs of Rock, why change? The Strokes' attempt to throw some new musical tricks into their tried-and-true style garners them mixed results. Some songs on First Impressions of Earth sound genuinely fresh and interesting, while one can hear in others the almost palpable strain of a band forcing itself to grow. When you first start up the disc, the most noticeable difference from previous Strokes offerings is the vocal mix; singer Julian Casablancas' lyrics are actually intelligible, and his voice is surprisingly audible above the standard-Strokes droning bass and sharp guitars. The album starts up with promise; opener "You Only Live Once" is vintage Strokes, with a dance-able beat and urgent, staccato guitar bursts framing Casablanca's narrative. The next song, single "Juicebox" revolves around a ridiculous James Bond-esque bass line and sounds unlike anything else on the album. Why they chose this for airplay is beyond me, as it is possibly the most divisive song on the record. The next two songs "Heart In A Cage" and "Razorblade" are excellent tunes, benefiting from Casablanca's clearer singing and the melodic guitar playing. On the latter song Casablancas sings "Oh no, my feelings are more important than yours / oh, drop dead, I don't care, I won't worry / let it go." This self-centered musing encapsulates the main lyrical theme of First Impressions of Earth; Casablancas is world-weary and incredibly cynical. His one-dimensional lyrics can sometimes become grating, as on "On The Other Side," where he whines "I hate them all, I hate them all / I hate myself / for hating them." This album is ambitious, to be sure; its nearly twice as long as Is This It and Room on Fire, and the musical chances the band takes far outstrip the simple yet effective formula of those two releases. Songs like "Electricityscape," with its cascades of drum rolls and funky guitar lines show the Strokes growing up and trying out some new ideas. But, as with all ambitious musical projects, there are some failures. On "Evening Sun," they take a stab at a slow (for them, at least) song, with a jittery cymbal rhythm anchoring the song. Here, Casablanca's voice is actually a detriment to the song; his voice is not particularly great, and when he shifts into screaming mode, its positively painful without an interesting beat to mask it. "Ask Me Anything" is the most obvious sign of the Strokes trying to do something new, and not a good one. The song uses a single instrument, an increasingly annoying synthesizer, and has Casablancas singing "I've got nothing to say." Indeed. It almost screams, "Look! We can do a slow, arty song too!" Unfortunately, it's just boring. Ironically, the best song on the album, closer "Red Light," most resembles tracks off the previous Strokes albums. Overall, First Impressions of Earth is neither an unequivocal success nor a complete failure. It offers a definite new sound, a refreshing change from their previous albums, but some missteps along the way as the band tries desperately to please its critics. Songs like "You Only Live Once" prove that the Strokes can still be original and relevant without compromising their unique sound. Hopefully their next album will be more of the good kind of growth, instead of sounding forced and self-conscious.

This is the beginning by Jacquelyn V. M. Taylor (Kalamazoo, MI USA)

4 Stars
March 25, 2008
In my opinion, this is the first album, before the next album, which will be The Strokes finally coming into their own. Although I have written reviews for both the other albums and I gave "Is This It" five stars, and "Room on Fire" 3 stars, I do feel good about where this band is headed. Now that I have listened to both the other albums many many more times I realize that this album is SOO much more evolved than the other two. The songwriting is better, the arrangement is way more savvy, and the lyrics are in a totally different place, much more visionary and less adolescent. I am so confident about the next album, I am going to go ahead and give it Five Stars right off the bat. The reason this doesn't get 5 stars is just because it doesn't seem as sure of itself as it could be. There is a lot here...if you look for it. But it doesn't seem nearly as confident or complete as "Is This It." To me it still seems like they are feeling their way into a new style. Very enjoyable. And it is rumored that they are starting on the next album at the end of this year. But who knows...also, if you want to supplement your Strokes craving, go and buy Albert Hammond Jr.'s album which is totally stellar as well.

Music limited by Poor Vocals of Casablanca by Sizzlechest_K (Chicago, IL)

2 Stars
February 28, 2008
I am new to the Strokes, but really wanted to like them after playing Reptillia on Rock Band. The music has a nice sound to it. It is sufficiently different enough, that I did not tire of it. The thing that kills this album is the limited vocal range of Casablanca. His voice is utterly average and it breaks all of the time. You get the feeling that someone in the shower could sing as well as he does. Lack of range and inability to hold a note are not good traits for a vocalist. He sounds best when he is just "talking loudly" during certain songs versus actually trying to sing. Sometimes his voice degenerates into words that cant be decifered. The vocals are somewhat akin to Thom Yorke's, except that Yorke has much more talent and he sounds better. Its a shame because Casablanca limits the otherwise decent music.

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