Track Listing

1. Letters
2. City Life
3. Little Black Backpack
4. Tail Of The Sun
5. Washin' + Wonderin'
6. Make It Last
7. Are You In This?
8. Not Nothin'
9. One Time
10. Down
11. Angels
12. Tear Me In Two

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #35213 in Music
• Released on: 1999-09-07
• Number of discs: 1

Amazon.com
They may seem like the latest in an endless line of overnight sensations, but San Francisco foursome Stroke 9 have been playing together for over 10 years. They formed the group as a high-school senior project, and jammin' 'n' groovin' since their teens has given Stroke 9 the kind of musical chemistry many outfits only dream of. Theirs is a story similar to that of teen-sensation-turned-multiplatinum rock band Live, and appropriately, Stroke 9 worked with Live producer (and ex-Talking Heads keyboardist) Jerry Harrison on their debut album, Nasty Little Thoughts. An upbeat collection of strummy rockers and jangly ballads, the album combines the earnestness of a band like R.E.M. with the hook-laden songcraft of acts like the Connells and the Counting Crows. Luke Esterkyn's vocals are consistently emotional without sacrificing melody, and guitarist John McDermott coaxes a rainbow of textures and tones from his instrument without straying from the simple core rhythms of the songs. But most importantly, Stroke 9's energetic pop is utterly infectious, making songs like "City Life" and "Little Black Backpack" echo through your head long after you click off the CD player. --Jon Wiederhorn

Customer Reviews

Gem
This album is one of those rare pop gems that appear from the dull grey "rock" that's out there. Their other albums are not nearly as good, and unlistenable for me, but this one just keeps me coming back to it. If these songs had the typical "one-riff", "just play the chords" arrangements it would be terrible. These pop arrangements are meaty, multi-layered, clean and simple. The melodic hooks are catchy without being simplistic or redundant (which is tricky). The lyrics are clever, ambiguous and often terrible, but the awkward words/lines are not distracting because there is plenty of interesting material to listen to. Only one song on here that I skip (track 10. Down ... terrible song!) The rest of the album is classic in my opinion, and (for reference sake) my favorite album of all time is OK Computer. Genuine, unappreciated talent in Stroke 9, just can't figure out what happened after this album.

Wonderful Album
If you like alternative rock, this album is for you. The lyrics and the music just flow wonderfully in the album, and though I do not believe it to be their best album to date, it is way up there on the list. There is quite a mix of styles, meaning not every song sounds exactly the same like most of the bands out there today. Not to discount those bands, I enjoy some of their music, but this album really has a richness to it that is lacking in much of today's music.

I am quite suprsied to find out how many people are listing these guys as one hit wonders or claiming they have disappeared. They are quite alive and have actually released two albums after this one, one of which is much better I believe, and are on the way to releasing a third. They also have many albums that proceed this one, so check them out as well.

One Hit Wonder
Well, for one hit wonders, this was a gem of a band. 'Little Black Back Pack' itself is worth five stars, but the other songs are great as well. A great buy if you are a Third Eye Blind fan.