Sit down, lie back, put your headphones on and get ready to make a serious commitment to an album. Because, if you want to understand Julian Casablancas' latest offering it's going to take some patience.
The Strokes' front man's second solo album, and first with The Voidz, has virtually nothingin common with his celebrated first.
For starters, it's indescribably weird, like Casablancas dropped acid, watched too many re-runs of The Breakfast Club and built a rocket ship with The Flaming Lips. That means the jarring speed-metal of Business Dog runs head first into the Beck-ish lope of Xerox and the pounding headrush of M.utually A.ssured D.estruction bleeds into the bonkers ballad Human Sadness.
There are moments when he veers back to Earth, like the plaintive crooning of Take Me In Your Army and the grubby synth-blast of Dare I Care. But it's a brave soul that lasts all seven minutes of the bonkers prog-rock of Father Electricity, proving it's going to take more than a cursory listen to unravel this one. "Lock the door and hide the keys," advises Casablancas at one point. Strokes fans might want to steer clear, but for those with more adventurous tastes, it's good advice.
