CD review: Julian Casablancas, Phrazes For The Young
Meet NYC resident and frontman of The Strokes, Julian Casablancas. On his solo debut, Phrazes For The Young, he has replaced all your expectations with synths straight out of 1984. Listen closely. Pop waves too polished to be considered prog echo shades of Duran Duran’s “Rio,” Madonna’s “Borderline” and “Let’s Go Crazy” by Prince. Within this palette of ’80s-style synths, a secretly danceable album bubbles up. Nagging speculation about how the songs would sound if guitars replaced the shiny textures, or if some feedback and grime were swapped for the forlorn tropical vibe glistening across “11th Dimension” and “Glass,” is senseless and unnecessary, for solo albums serve as outlets to indulge those musical urges normally suppressed by a group dynamic.
Take “4 Chords of the Apocalypse.” The song’s slowed-down tempo makes it feel really out of place to Strokes fans, a knee jerk reaction and possible obstacle for those expecting another “Last Nite” because the track celebrates the despondency of Otis Redding and Solomon Burke-era soul, and not the dissonance and recklessness of CBGB. Read the rest of this entry »
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