Track Listing

1. You Only Live Once
2. Juicebox
3. Heart in a Cage
4. Razorblade
5. On the Other Side
6. Vision of Division
7. Ask Me Anything
8. Electricityscape
9. Killing Lies
10. Fear of Sleep
11. 15 Minutes
12. Ize of the World
13. Evening Sun
14. Red Light

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Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #1794 in Music
• Brand: RCA
• Released on: 2006-01-03
• Number of discs: 1
• Format: Explicit Lyrics
• Dimensions: .26 pounds

Amazon.com
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

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Customer Reviews

4.5 Stars... Strokes issue early challenge to best album of 2006
The Strokes came on the music scene ablazing with 2001's "Is This It", one of those perfect "once-in-a-blue-moon" debut albums. 2003's "Room on Fire" was a far too predictable sequel to "Is This" and thus a disappointment, while pleasant in its own right at times. But it was clear that the Strokes needed to expand their musical pallet. And that, they have!

"First Impressions of Earth" (14 tracks; 52 min.--and that's not a typo!) feels like the first really full album of the Strokes, and not just because of the length of it. Singer-songwriter Julian Casablancas is not rushing songs, instead taking the time to let them blossom musically. I divide the album in 2 halves: songs 1-7 and 8-14. While many feel that the stronger songs appear on the first half, I actually feel differently. Not that the first half is weak. Songs like "You Only Live Once", "Heart in a Cage", "Razorblade" (with the eye-wink to Barry Manilow's Mandy!) and "On the Other Side" are great songs. "Ask Me Anything" is a curiosity: just Julian and orchestral instrumentation, if you can believe that. But then the album really takes off: "Electricityscape" blasts through your speakers with urgency, and you just want to play it again and again. Same with "Ize of the World", the other truly outstanding track on here. "Fear of Sleep", "Killing Lies" and "Evening Sun" are almost as perfect too. Wow!

If you came looking for a third serving of "Is This It", there is no question you will find this a difficult, if not disappointing, album. I, on the other hand, am excited that the Strokes have matured and expanded musically. "First Impressions of Earth" is a tremedous, almost epical, musical statement. The Strokes have thrown the gaunlet down early for the best album of 2006. It'll be interesting to see who, if anyone, can respond to the challenge...

One of 2006's best!
Am I the only one who is particularly in love with the second half of this record? The whole thing's great, but the "experimental" songs that everyone keeps bitching about and labeling as the chaff of the album are the one's I can't stop listening to. "Killing Lies" is such a handsome little song as it chugs along, and singing along with Julian belting "you're no fun" on the gloriously climactic chorus of "Fear of Sleep" has been some of the best catharsis I've gotten from a recording all year. And then there's "Ize of the World," with it's great, deranged guitar intro and it's perfectly contrasting verse and chorus sections (the verses being calm, poppy crooning while the choruses sound like the band is suddenly performing on the top of a skyscraper watching Armageddon, all the while having their NYC cool intact... and anyone notice how the last line of the song is "cities to vaporize," and the song cuts abruptly before the line is finished as to suggest that the city was literally destroyed during the recording... shut up, it's not cheesy) "15 Minutes" is stupendous as it changes from a drunken swagger to a double-time pep finale on a dime, and "Evening Sun" evokes the soothing sincerity of lullaby while still maintaining the essential energy of a rock song. And "Red Light," wow! What a charming little finish to the album! That drumming is irresistable... I keep finding myself blasting this song before I go out at night. The Strokes aren't going to make 'Is This It' again, and they don't need to! Get over it! Yes, Julian's songwriting is expanding and becoming more adventurous- that's because it has to in order to reach the genuineness he and his band are aiming for (and in my mind, have achieved with this album.)

The Strokes- First Impressions of Earth
Contrary to what many people are writing about the new Strokes album, it is indeed a different and very welcome addition to the catalog of the best band of the 2000's so far. The album as a whole has a different feel to the previous two albums, which is a very good thing in my opinion. Is This It and Room on Fire are two of my favorite albums but a new sound is more than welcome. People seemed to complain about Room on Fire sounding too much like Is This It (which I didn't agree with) but now on their new album they explored new territories and sounds and people seem to still gripe about it and say it doesn't sound enough like the first two albums. The point of being in a band is to always look for ways to expand your sound and mature as artists. First Impressions of Earth in my opinion shows how they did just that. "You Only Live Once" is now my favorite Strokes song. It is a perfectly crafted work of pop art and is worth the price of the CD alone. Other songs like "Ask Me Anything" and "Fear of Sleep" are a new and radical departure from their previous sounds so "fans" wanting a rehash of the first two albums may be disappointed, but the rest of us true Strokes fans can truly appreciate the album as a step forward in the career of The Strokes. I highly recommend this album to anyone who truly appreciates great music and wants to run as far as possible from the countless so called "musicians" out there. Pick this album up today! You won't be sorry.