10 Bands Who Should Have Stopped After One Album
2. The Strokes
In 2019, it can be tricky to understand why The Strokes were so great. Some simply lump them in amongst the rest of the early noughties indie revolution. Much if not all of this is due to the work that came after 2001’s Is This It, however, as the landmark album remains seminal - the very definition of oft imitated, never bettered.
The debut remains a seamless record, with not a scrap of fat on it. For such a zeitgeist defining album it’s surprisingly timeless, redefining the sound of the city for a new generation. The follow up, Room On Fire, is no means bad, with some choice singles, but the energy had dipped. They didn’t know whether to change things up or not, and compromised on a watered down version of their old sound. The third record’s lead off single, Juicebox, sounds like it belongs on Adam West’s Batman.
The Strokes knew how to party, and lived their rock star dreams. That’s not to suggest that the lifestyle necessarily robbed them of their inspiration. - but Is This It is the sound of hungry, scrappy kids, and in the wake of its success, The Strokes were none of those things.