The first album by the Strokes is a true rock'n'roll record: loud-mouthed, arrogant, scrappy, and seductive. In a dozen raw songs, crafted on arch-traditional pop foundations rarely exceeding three minutes in length, the gang enjoys resurrecting the myth of New York in 1977. These guitars with electric purity clash against a martial drumbeat, this defiant voice and these almost adolescent lyrics awaken a simple, urban, voluble, romantic, and sly rock, soaked in the essences of Johnny Thunders, the Modern Lovers, the Velvet Underground, and Television.
Impressive for their boldness, their ease in manipulating this heavy legacy, and their refreshing minimalism, the compositions of the Strokes deserve the five stars for the best rock debut album of 2001.