The Strokes helped to keep alive the romantic notion of pre-Giuliani New York, before the Lower East Side became an amusement park and Times Square became Disneyland. At the time, these guys were naïve enough (and good-looking enough) to firmly believe they were the best band in the world; and for a moment, it actually came true. Is This It is a time capsule of that youthful bravado and it would probably sound quaint if the songs weren’t so amazing. Never mind that Julian Casablancas’ detached vocals presaged a good percentage of the music that came out this year– listen to the effortlessness with which the band brings tracks like “Barely Legal” to life, literally laughing during “New York City Cops” because it sounds so damn easy. Part of that was skill, part of it was innocence. These days, even the Strokes know they’ll never make another record this good. That’s not to say they couldn’t come close, but nearly a decade later, we’re all seasoned enough to recognize you only capture this kind of a lightning in a bottle once. –Joe Colly / Pitchfork.com
