CELEBRATING THE STROKES IS THIS IT 10 YEARS ON

Ten years ago this weekend (July 30th) Is This It was officially released in Australia (it followed later in the UK and US), the media and fans of the band have been celebrating the record which fundamentally altered the landscape of guitar music at the time.

A Love Letter to Is This It – An excellent piece by an long-term fan.

Stereogum Presents… STROKED: A Tribute To Is This It. A somewhat mixed bag of cover versions by artists such as Peter Bjorn and John and Owen Pallet. Some are pretty good, some I would rather not hear again. My favourite is the lovely dreamy version ofBarely Legal by Real Estate. Avoid NYCC at all costs. Julian’s calls the covers ‘rad’

The Strokes Ten Years On - Their first NME Feature

The Strokes - Reptilia

The Strokes - interview

The Strokes - You only live once

The Strokes

Biography

The Strokes are an American rock band from New York City, New York, United States, formed in 1998. The band rose to fame in the early 2000s as a leading group in garage rock/post-punk revival. The band consists of Julian Casablancas (lead vocals), Nick Valensi (lead guitar), Albert Hammond, Jr. (rhythm guitar), Nikolai Fraiture (bass guitar) and Fabrizio Moretti (drums and percussion).

Upon the release of their debut album, Is This It, in 2001, the group was met with much critical acclaim, being hailed by some as the “saviors of rock and roll.” NME made Is This It their Album of the Year. Since then, the band has maintained a large fan base, notably in the UK, US and Australia. As of 2007, Is This It has sold over 3.5 million copies worldwide.