Julian Casablancas Releases New Single

The frontman of The Strokes, Julian Casablancas, released a new single a few days ago. I have taken my time in reviewing the track for [cl] because I have been apprehensive to make up my mind too quickly about the track. As a huge fan of The Strokes, any side project (or main project… erhumm) released by any member of the group excites me. Power guitarist, Albert Hammond Jr., has been recording and performing solo under his own name for the last two years as bassist Nikolai Fraiture is operating under the pseudonym Nickel Eye and drummer Fabrizio Moretti has been touring with Little Joy.

However, up until this point, we have not heard much from Julian Casablancas except for the occasional appearance on one or two of Pharrell-produced cuts. With 11th Dimension, we hear Casablancas reiterating the eighties sound that the band experimented with on their most recent album, First Impressions of Earth, which was released in 2006. Hammering bass lines, a running and high-pitched guitar riff and steady, up-tempo percussion complement Casablancas’ vocals perfectly.

The LP, Phrases for the Young, will be out on October 19 in the UK and released October 20 in the US courtesy of RCA Records.

Julian Casablancas – 11th Dimension

7.4/10. A strong first single from Casablancas but there doesn’t seem to be much movement away from his style on the latest album from The Strokes, First Impressions of Earth, where he experimented heavily with eighties synth and percussion (hinting to how Phrases for the Young might end up sounding).

Lewis Corson

2AM Club @ Santos Party House, NYC

Material: 7.8/10

Live: 7.2/10

Went to a totally random show at Santos Party House in Tribeca in New York City last night. The venue is small and smoky (the result of a fog machine and not cigarettes, of course) with a disco ball eight feet in diameter spinning from a hold in the middle of the ceiling, two bars (with $4  Budweisers) and a stage at shoulder level.

Not much was known about 2Am Club, a band that recently signed with RCA Records out of New York City. We got there about fifteen minutes before the band stormed the stage and had a couple beers as we watched a mid-twenties crowd mill around and socialize. The audience rushed the stage quickly once the band came on and starting jumping around to some of the opening songs. The flatness of the first five or six songs didn’t seem to deter the audience as we saw jumping, shoulder-sitting and what seemed to be a competitive sing-along competition.

As the song quality began to move linearly, there was a noticeable difference in the band’s sound and on-stage energy. While the first half of the show as unequivocally poppy, the second half featured a few notables showing some musical richness including a new-wave inspired solo from guitarist Matt Reagan and some movement away from the rap/rock/pop cliché that threatens to pigeonhole the band.

Vocal duties are shuffled between singer Marc Griffin and emcee Tyler Cordy in a fashion that some might compare to Crazy Town (those guys that did “Buttefly” from forever ago), but don’t be fooled.  These guys are musicians that value quality and talent, with influences ranging from The Beastie Boys to Stevie Wonder and The Strokes. The band carries these influences with them when they step into the studio and they also looked capable of bringing their musical backgrounds onstage with them at Santos.

2AM Club – Nobody’s In Love

7.5/10. “Nobody’s In Love” is the perfect lead-off single for 2AM Club as it showcases their vocal and overall musical versatility. The track is bass-driven and danceable.

Lewis Corson

The Strokes… Maybe

If you’re into Albert Hammond Jr. or The Strokes you will definitely want to be reading the article below. Also, School of Seven Bells has some content that you just have to check out whenever possible.  It may be up your alley, or not, but it’s worth expanding your horizons nonetheless.  There’s this great speak-easy in the LES (Lower East Side) of NYC that a member of Albert Hammond Jr.’s band by the name of Matt Romano founded called Cabin Down Below.  Read the article below from Rolling Stone’s Smoking Section by Austin Scaggs that you can view on their website.

Our buddy, Matt Romano, who plays drums in Little Joy and in Albert Hammond, Jr.’s band, just opened an amazing bar in New York City. It’s called the Cabin Down Below — it’s literally under Niagara — but it’s only accessible through a secret door in an East Village pizza parlor.     

We partied there on Saturday night and Sunday morning and we saw some old friends like Little Joy leader and Strokes drummer Fab Moretti. Just about two weeks ago the Strokes reunited in New York to begin writing their fourth album. And though the details of what Fab told us are a bit hazy, the gist is that the process is going well. With everyone’s input they have strong ideas for ten songs. (Focused, they’ve resisted any urges to jam on old stuff). But don’t expect an album too soon. And they won’t tour without at least a pocketful of new songs.

P.S. We also ran into Ryan, who manages the Strokes, who told us he’s now working with School of Seven Bells, the awesome trio featuringBenjamin Curtis from Secret Machines and the stunning twins,Alejandra and Claudia Deheza.

If you haven’t heard them, check out “Half Asleep,” from their ’08 debut LP, Alpinisms. 

Lewis Corson