Album Reviews

Julian Casablancas :: "Phrazes for the Young"

by Sara

Here at Enter The Shell, we’ve covered a couple of artists who decided to break out of the constraints of being in a group or band and venturing out on their own, like Raphael Saadiq (of Tony! Toni! Tone!) and Amanda Palmer (of the Dresden Dolls). Well, we’re about to do it again with Julian Casablancas, lead singer of the popular New York band, The Strokes.

I was pretty excited when I heard Casablancas was releasing a solo album and I became even more excited when I actually heard it! “Phrazes for the Young” sounds very similar to the Strokes at many points, which always confused me because I thought the point of going solo was to experiment with other sounds? At any rate, the album is fantastic!

The opening track, entitled “Out of the Blue,” instantly tells the listener that Casablancas is stuck with the influence of the Strokes, which definitely isn’t a bad thing! The same quick strums of a lightly distorted guitar (which is a staple in songs by the Strokes) are featured in this track, as well as quick drums. Casablancas’ voice still has that lazy and seemingly emotionless drawl, but it compliments the music very well, as it does with the Strokes.

The album isn’t completely like the Strokes though as we hear in “Left & Right in the Dark.” This track has a very electronica/new wave feel and uses beat machines and synths. The echoed guitar and single string melody come in for the verse while the chorus is quite noisy with guitars, but it still sounds really compelling. Casablancas sounds more energetic than I’ve ever heard when he sings “wake up” repeatedly, which is a nice change! It’s nice to know that he’s not just a one trick pony.

The album’s debut single is “11th Dimension” and is, in my opinion, a great choice for the single. It has an awesome beat and guitar melody with synths in the background. The synth melody is beyond catchy and makes you want to dance! The only complaint I have about this song is that the little electronic solo during the bridge doesn’t sound right to me because the notes are off key when compared to the organs in the background. You know, there are those musicians that think off key music or a messy sound can be used for good, but I’m not a fan of that style.

Another highlight of the album is “4 Chords of the Apocalypse.” This song is fantastic because of the very strong influence of blues and soul. It’s a slower tempo than the rest of the album and the organ reminds you of one you’d hear in a church in the south. Casablancas recreates the voice of a blues singer but it sounds kinda silly since he has that lazy sound to it. He’s known to be influenced greatly by blues and soul but this song definitely shows it the most! What’s so great about it is that the sound he’s become famous for that you hear in the rest of the album and in any of the Strokes albums is still so very recognizable! It’s such a great fusion of blues, soul and Julian! Bonus? The guitars have just the right amount of distortion to make the slow solo sound amazing!

“Glass” is another great song on “Phrazes for the Young.” The first 30 seconds start off with a slow drum beat and whistling effects that set the pace for this mellow jam full of synths. The chorus sounds really pretty thanks to the drums, slow guitars and jingle bells. You can never go wrong with jingle bells! The bridge has a couple of intricate guitar solos that speed up the pace a bit, but when you get back to the verse the song slows down again.

Finally, “Tourist” closes out the album with a nice slow tempo. The musical aspect of this song is a little different because this song includes horns on top of everything else. It goes so well with the twinkling synths and guitars. The lyrical content is kind of a bummer but I guess it’s fitting since he’s gained a bit of celebrity status over the years. It seems as though Casablancas realizes that he’s just a little ol’ nothing in this big ol’ universe but still seems to want to be left alone. Fortunately, there’s some hope as he urges not to let anyone get you down. It ends on a lovely note with the line, “Everywhere I go I’m a tourist/But if you stay with me I’ll always be at home.”

“Phrazes for the Young” is a great debut attempt from Casablancas; so full of dimensions and layers! I can’t help but love it, especially blasting in my headphones where I can hear every little click, blip and beep. I love Casablancas’ voice and how he is able to take two opposites (his lazy voice versus high energy music) and make it work very successfully. I definitely recommend this album to anyone out there who loves the Strokes or good music in general!

“11th Dimension”
“Glass”

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