Track Listing

1. You Only Live Once
2. Juicebox
3. Heart in a Cage
4. Razor Blade
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

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #4736 in Music
• Released on: 2006-01-02
• Number of discs: 1
• Format: Explicit Lyrics

Amazon.co.uk Review
This album comes in luxury packaging for a limited period: a six panel digi-pack, die-cut front with three inserts and a 32 page booklet.

The Strokes have taken to fame with a cheer most politely described as grudging, but not even front-cover adulation and celebrity girlfriends can crack these New Yorkers’ mojo. On their third album, First Impressions Of Earth, Casablancas and company turn heel on the bristly, familiar feel of 2003’s Room On Fire, and concentrate on evolving their sound.

The album’s lead single--the prowling, Cramps-inspired rock’n’roll number "Juicebox"--is something of a red herring. However, songs like the triumphant "You Only Live Once" or "On The Other Side", are born in the crisp, synthetic spirit of the early ‘80s new wave. Two particular moments stand out: "Heart In A Cage" is a drifting, melancholy proto-punk number in the spirit of Berlin-era Iggy Pop, while "Ask Me Anything" unfurls as something of a solo piece, frontman Julian Casablancas emoting over a restrained backdrop of synth and strings. The album sags a little towards the end (with the building, passionate "Fear Of Sleep" a definite exception), but as a whole, First Impressions Of Earth finds The Strokes fulfilling all that early promise and displaying a slow-evolving longevity that few would have ascribed to them.--Louis Pattison

More of The Strokes

Is This It?

Room on Fire

This Is It

CD Description
'First Impressions Of Earth' is the third album from New York art-rockers The Strokes. Whilst the previous two albums have been similar in both sound and style, this time around the band have refined their sound and experimented with it, making for a refreshing and diverse selection of songs. Includes the single 'Juicebox'.

Customer Reviews

Ignore the critics, make up your own mind
As I'm typing, it's early in the morning, so in the UK the new Strokes album has officially been released. Already, I've seen critics dismiss this album as "average" and many have claimed The Strokes have put very little effort into the album and they're just not bothered anymore. I've had a copy of the album for around a month now and I'm going to share my opinion of the album, this review is coming from someone who has had the time to fully analyze the album, not from some small time music journalist who has given it a quick listen and dismissed it as "rubbish". One thing many Strokes fans will notice right from the very first track is there's no longer any use of distortion on the vocals.

Anyway, this album took 9 months in the studio with a new producer, David Kahne, which has helped them take a side-step in sound, whilst retaining their classic sound. The album is a big change in style, but you can still recognize the good ol' Strokes.

The first song on the album 'You Only Live Once' is probably the best intro track they could have chosen. It is one of the most catchy tracks on FIOE with its memorable riff and bouncy vocals. 4.5/5

Juicebox, the first single from FIOE is in my opinion, one of the "worst" tracks on the album. I'm not saying it's a bad song, in fact, I love it but, there are many more suitable potential singles on the album which would have been more suitable for commercial radio. I'm sure you've all heard this song and can make up your own minds on what you think of it. 4/5

Heart In A Cage, their second single and also one of the heaviests songs on the album. In my opinion, this is a great song and sounds like a vintage Strokes track, as it is recycled from ROF. 5/5

Razorblade, infamous for "ripping off" the catch from Barry Mannilow's 'Mandy'. 'Tis a brilliant song, with a catchy 12:51 esque keyboard riff. 4/5

Vision of Division is absolute genius. A great riff with a Mid-Eastern SOAD influenced guitar solo half-way through. After reading the title and the lyrics booklet, I actually realized that this song is a conversation, which explains why Julian tends to repeat verses. One of the strongest tracks on the album. 5/5

Ask me anything, is shrouded in controversy and it's unlike anything The Strokes have ever done. Many people believe this track should be nothing more than a B-side, however, I think it's great. Albert plays a melatron, along to Julian's cool vocals and guess what? There aren't any guitars or drums!!! 4/5

Electricityscape borrows a similar sound from Vision of Division and also sounds very Middle-Eastern. Another one of the heavier tracks. 4.5/5

15 minutes, is a wonderful track, but like "On The Other Side" it's a grower and the track is relatively weak throughout the first couple of minutes and only gets to full strength towards the end of the song, which is dissapointing, as I feel this track could have been a standout if it weren't for the boring intro.

Ize of the world has a fabulous ending which causes many people to question whether their disc has a fault or not. No, don't worry, there's nothing wrong with your disc at all. Opens with some random guitar noises and is relatively heavy throughout. The lyrics in this song are amazing and also, there is a solo half-way through that sounds like an ice cream van! How cool is that?

Evening Sun feels a bit strange following such a heavy track, but is still a great song, takes a few listens to get into, but it's now one of my faves. 4.5/5

Red Light is one of the best tracks on the album and is a great way to end such a fantastic record. 5/5

So, there you go. That's just what I think of the album, I wasn't very descriptive with my review but I didn't want to spoil too much. All I can say is that this album is just as good as Is This It and Room On Fire, if not better. Also, this album is roughly an hour long. The special edition of the album comes in nice carboard packaging with an interchangeable sleeve which allows you to put a pic of one of the band members on the cover, which is a good enough reason to buy the album if you ask me!

If you don't like what you've heard about this album but you've enjoyed The Strokes previous work, please give this album a chance. Thank you for reading my review and I hope you have found it helpful.

Musically and lyrically genius
For some bizarre reason, critics have not taken "First Impressions..." to their hearts. I don't have the first clue why. And there are 14 songs which provide 14 reasons why this album proves The Strokes are living legends.

The main thing that has struck me about reviews is the criticism that Julian Casablancas' songwriting has taken. I have read that his lyrics are "meaningless", "incoherent" and "not understandable". Well, this is utter rubbish. Lyrically, this album proves that Casablancas is truly in the highest echelon of wordsmith geniuses. If one song had to be picked out to prove this, it is certainly "Ize of the World". A genius link between title and lyrics, this not only provides wonderfully inspirational vocals from Casablancas, but (as much as NME writers and readers would say The Strokes are too cool to do politics) also has political undertones inherent throughout the album, proving that The Strokes have taken up some responsibility as artists since their "Is This It?" days. This song has to be heard to be truly believed. Each word is filled with meaning and delivered with passion and is Casablancas' bitter tirade against the sickness of the modern world. A truly incredible, inspirational song. Further political undertones and disenchantment with the modern world can also be found in "Ask Me Anything" in a line which a well-known magazine unbelievably dismissed as having no meaning ("Harmless children, we named our soldiers after you"). Also, Red Light expresses the disgust at, "...an enitre generation that has nothing to say".

The genius lyrics aside, this is an incredible gift to the world in musical terms. The songs sound emphatic, well-worked and well-thought. To the well-listened ear, the guitar work is simply sublime on songs such as "Heart In A Cage" and "Visions of Divison" to name but two. The way that Albert Hammond Jr.'s sweet, almost bluesey guitars work side-by-side with the incredible rock and roll effects of Nick Valensi's now massive guitar sounds provides The Strokes with something truly unique.

"Ask Me Anything" sees Casablancas and Valensi their most inventive and creative peak. The deliverence of the heartfelt lyrics alongside the melotron sound is obviously a first for them. But it works beautifully.

In "15 Minutes", Julian's best impression of Shane McGowan gives way to exquisitely pacey guitars to create another showing the Strokes have come a long way since "Room on Fire".

If there is a weak point, it is probably "Razorblade", however this is still a very catchy song, despite it's continuous, and justified, link to Barry Manilow's "Mandy"!

Picking on each song is not worth the effort though. This is an album. Ignore the critics and buy this album and judge for yourself. To anyone with any interest in creative, artistic music, this album is absolutely incredible. "Ize of the World", for me personally, could quite simply become one of the very greatest songs ever. For anyone with a disgusted hatred for the things that sting the modern world, this song provides comfort in the fact that a true musical genius is on your side too.

With any sort of justice, this will become a classic. A cultural, musical and artistic masterpiece.

Louche, laid-back and casual beyond belief
During several songs Julian Casablancas sounds as if he just walked into the studio straight from a heavy session in a bar and laid down the vocals with such arrogance they demand to be heard. I'm reminded of The Pogues on some of these tracks. At least they can now be heard as the vocals were never much of a concern on the earlier two albums; he has a sharper focus now, even though the result sounds casual. Some commentators have called this a departure from their earlier efforts, but I find it more of a continuation. If you like the beautiful guitar music The Strokes have always produced then this will not disappoint; it is a classic in this genre.