I am doing another request this week, and it is very different from my previous two. I am vaguely familiar with The Strokes and I like what I have heard of their music, and I also like Julian Casablancas's voice and single "11th Dimension" so this should be an interesting experience. Please understand I am not going to compare this album to The Strokes as I feel the styles are very different.
Title: Phrazes For The Young
Year: 2009
Genre: Pop, Alternative
Artist(s): Julian Casablancas
Copyright: © 2009 RCA/Jive Label Group, a unit of SONY Music Company.
Songs:
1. Out of The Blue-
This song starts off very oddly with techno synth playing, until it fades away and gets replaced with guitars and Casablancas comes in shortly after with the lyrics.I believe that in this song the singer is talking to his current girlfriend about his past actions, saying how revenge twisted him to become careless and that he knows he is going to hell for hurting people that didn't deserve his actions and now lives an empty life with his girlfriend being a stripper. He also muses that the people who deserved the revenge would not have understood it and that when people's roles are reversed so are their opinions. The verses sound very careless and happy to offset the lyrics nicely. The chorus is much brighter sounding representing the character's love for his girlfriend. Throughout the song we get little solos and melodies played alongside Casablancas to help emphasize his point. This song has a nice balance and trade-off in emotions and sounds. Overall, a bit of a long song to analyze but definitely a nice song to listen to. 5 out of 5 stars.
2. Left & Right in The Dark-
This song starts off very mellow and happy with a synthesizer and drums, and even breathing noises for the intro. Eventually the lyrics come in with a matter of fact but calm emotion and tonality. I believe in this song Casablancas is saying it doesn't matter where you are from or what background you have, time catches up to all of us eventually, meaning we are all mortal so you might as well live life to the fullest instead of wasting it. The verses are pretty calm with little embellishments from the guitar. When the choruses come in things get much faster and heavier with a more exciting sound to emphasize living life to the fullest which comes out best when Casablancas sings "wake up". Through out the song the synth and lead guitar trade off playing between Casablancas to help bring greater movement to the song, and Casablancas himself delivers the climax with his voice alongside the guitars. At the end there is a sudden volume swell that is slightly abrupt but is a welcome surprise. Overall, a fun little piece to listen to with a nice message to it. 5 out of 5 stars.
3. 11th Dimension-
This is the only single off this album, and we will try to see why. The song opens up on a catchy bass line with a very 80s style synth playing the rhythm track. The emotion in this song that comes to my mind is mellow but serious. In this song Casablancas is telling us that it isn't right to try and find yourself in other people, and that doing so will only end up hurting you. Instead, believe in yourself and try to have patience and forgiveness for your enemies. The chorus is much more exciting with Casablancas letting people know how they should treat their enemies and be happy with who they are. What makes this song interesting is how the synth takes over in place of the guitar, how the guitar adds extra feel to the music at parts, and the amazing synth solo that is nicely built up to and is followed by an equally good bridge with a very serious emotion to it. Overall, the song has a lot of replay value and is very catchy with a great message to it, even if Casablancas is somewhat nasally. It also acts as a nice 80s throwback. 5 out of 5 stars.
4. 4 Chords of the Apocalypse-
This song starts off very much like an old Gospel song, very mellow and calming which contrasts nicely with the meaning of the lyrics. I believe that in this song Casablancas is telling the story of a couple who argue often and aren't right for each other, so they agree to break up. One partner is happy to be free but the other misses their ex. There are also references to John Lennon and Rocky Horror respectively with the lyrics "war is over" and "time Warp." In the verse things remain calm, but in the chorus things get heavier with distorted guitars and turn funnier and more aggressive. What makes this song special is how quickly things change between calm and angry, Casablancas emoting with his singing, and the first true guitar solo on the album so far. Overall, this piece starts off calm and becomes more intense over time and has good emoting behind it. 5 out of 5 stars.
5. Ludlow Street-
This song starts off with what I believe to be traditional native American instruments playing with what sounds like the experience of being drunk and depressed. The song quickly changes to a more western sounding song followed by the lyrics. This song is a commentary on how European settlers stole away Native American lands, on how much they party and happy they are with the land along with many other cultures they got while most Natives are depressed and drink to forget about how horribly their land was stolen. Casablancas drinks heavily because he knows that the issue over the land will never be solved. The verses are steady and bare drunken anger from Casablancas, the choruses are a little bit happier with louder drums and louder singing. There is also a banjo solo that sounds pretty nice. What makes this song special is the solo, how nicely Casablancas can sound like an angry drunk, albeit with better singing, the banjo solo along with the louder bass and drums, and the overall feel of the song delivering the message. Overall, a very enjoyable song with yet another good message. 5 out of 5 stars.
6. River of Brakelights-
This song starts off like a heavy angry techno song. After a lot of thought it seems this song again plays on the mortality theme, but also seems to imply that life in a city can crush people's dreams from when they were young, turning them old before they can reach their goals. The verses sound like the intro, the pre-choruses are much calmer but repetitive, followed by a climatic chorus. What makes this song special is how easily Casablancas managed to switch all the part together, the interesting dissonant synth solo, the catchy pre-chorus, the emoting Casablancas has here, and how the climax first builds up and then breaks down randomly twice and then stops suddenly. Overall, a very abstract but fun song to listen to with an overall nice sound to it. 5 out of 5 stars.
7. Glass-
This song starts off very oddly with synth sounds and a chorus of whistles, and then Casablancas comes in with very happy sounding music that turns tragic rather quickly. From what I can gather a married couple are talking to each other, and let's say the mafia is coming to kill the husband and he is telling his wife she will be safe behind bulletproof glass. In the later verses it seems the couple are talking. The wife knows secrets that the mafia doesn't want to know, and it is later revealed that the mob boss who sent out his goons wants the wife for himself. The verses get progressively sadder, and the choruses get even more dramatic. What makes this song special is the interesting whistling melodies, Casablancas' very sad vocals where he shows off his higher range, and the most fittingly dramatic guitar solo on the album. Overall, this piece is very powerful but also still happy, and serves as an interesting contrast. 5 out of 5 stars.
8. Tourist-
This song starts off serious, reminiscent of a late Johny Cash song in terms of the guitar playing. In this song Casablancas is talking to a love interest commenting that he feels like a tourist everywhere and that the world will soon be nothing but cities, but when he is with his lover he always feels at home. The verses are serious and very Cash like, but the choruses sound happier with more playing from the synth changing the texture to being happier representing Casablancas love for his partner. What makes this song special is the overall sad feel and switch to happiness, the dual solo from the guitars that changes to a heavier dual solo, and the trumpet used for the climax at the end. Overall, a good song with nice switch of emotion, but tends to drag a lot being the second longest song on the album at 5:03 and not as interesting as "River of Brakelights". 3 out of 5 stars.
9. Old Hollywood-
This song starts off in a very techno style with the emotion of wonderment behind it. After careful deliberation with the I believe the lyrics tell of how often people argue and are influenced by things like television. Casablancas is also commenting that men settle arguments with violence, while women settle them with venom and backstabbing, which is very true. The song is asking for people to stop arguing with each other over what they believe. The verses are slow and laid back but pick up in pace, while the choruses have more layers but keep the same pace as the verses. What makes this song special is the guitar and keyboard duet panned in the left and right speakers, the interesting texture of darkness throughout the song, and how this song uses a little to accomplish a lot. Overall, a nice break from the previous song and very thought provoking and somewhat reminiscent of Depeche Mode's "Stripped". 5 out of 5 stars.
10. 30 Minute Boyfriend-
The song starts off yet again like a Depeche Mode song, very sleazy and like something wrong is going on. The lyrics in this song tell of a girl who had a one night stand with her friend hence cheating on her boyfriend. The girl talks with her boyfriend and he is afraid that she will become what other people think of her, which I assume means that they think she is a whore. The boyfriend wants to spend time with her, but she doesn't want to be with him anymore so she dumps him. The verses are sleazy, but the choruses have a sense of longing like the boyfriend is talking to the girlfriend. What makes this song interesting is the synth solo that puts out the emotion of the song well, Casablancas's emoting, and the overall sound of the song that captures the better elements of dark techno music. Overall, a pretty solid techno song. 5 out of 5 stars.
11. I Wish it Was Christmas Today-
This song is pretty much made of most Christmas music standards, vaguely reminiscent of the Beach Boys "The Baron" except more New Wave and enjoyable. The lyrics in this song are pretty much what the title suggests, and I am not going to bother going into them because this is a joke song from Saturday Night Live. The verses are calmer, while the choruses show how excited Casablancas is in his wish. What makes this song special is how enjoyable the twin guitar solo is again being in both speakers, the jam session after the solo, and the loud bass in the climax to the sound of sleigh bells. Overall, a quick and very enjoyable little Christmas style song. 5 out of 5 stars.
Audio Mixing:
The mixing on this album is pretty good in how well most instruments can be heard. There is nothing immensely over-powering. My only complaints are that the bass is underpowered in most parts, and for a while I wasn't sure if it was there. It is in the mix, it's just very quiet and is replaced by the synth often and Casablancas voice can be hard to hear at times in certain songs because of how low he sings, like "11th Dimension" and "Ludlow Street". Otherwise the mixing is good, just not as good as "The Wall."
Singing:
Casabalncas has a fairly wide range, being able to sing Baritone, Tenor, and Bass parts without the cursed program auto tune. His singing is nasally and his words are hard to hear at parts, but I liken this to the fact that he has a very noticeable Spanish accent. Casablancas is also very good at emoting for what he sings. His best vocals were in "Glass", "Ludlow Street", "Out of the Blue", "Tourist", and "11th Dimension." Casablancas has a good voice and knows how to use it pretty well.
Instrumentation:
Three words, fitting and diverse. The Instrumentation borrows from a lot of standards and different artists but is performed uniquely. He often solos two instruments at once, and has the synth and guitar trade places for different songs. The instrumentation also reflects the emotions of the lyrics well in most cases and has a very enjoyable sound to them.
What I didn't like:
I disliked how much "Tourist" dragged on, which especially didn't help as I had a headache while reviewing that song.
What I did like:
The album has a nice sound to it and is fun to listen to over time. It has a nice pace and has some very enjoyable songs.
Who would enjoy this album:
Fans of Depeche Mode, Gospel, Johnny Cash, New Wave, and possibly the Beach Boys as the surfer rock vibe is still there from The Strokes. I think fans of The Strokes could go either way on this album as it is very different from The Strokes music.
Overall:
This is a solid first album, with good songs, fairly good lyrics, and songs with wide range of influences. Only one song really drags on, otherwise this album is very solid and enjoyable. Next week I am going to finally resume my other blog and review Ke$ha's first album.
Rating: ****
11th Dimension Official Video:
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