The Strokes: First Impressions of Earth

Herald rating: ***

The first five tracks on First Impressions Of Earth are among the best the Strokes' songwriter, and front man, Julian Casablancas, has written. The first single, Juicebox, could be the theme tune to the next Batman movie - it's a galactic stormer and it's easy to imagine a drunken Casablancas lolling round the stage singing it live. And Razorblade, where the singer's devious sincerity shines through, and On The Otherside are delightful listening.

Even though there's a less jangly element to the Strokes' sound, and they hit things harder on tracks like Fear of Sleep and Ize of the World, they still sound like the Strokes. They're lazy, yet weirdly charismatic and cool.

The band's second album, Room On Fire, was not as great an offering as their 2001 debut, Is This It. But it was a corker nonetheless, yet treated as a lemon by many.

Perhaps First Impressions ... is the record the Strokes' detractors should have picked on because while it's a good album, it's not up there with the first two.

Track eight, Electricityscape, with a gallivanting drum beat that's been exhumed from the grave of one of those early 90s, British shoe-gazer bands, is where it starts losing it.

This time round Casablancas co-writes three tracks - two of which are the weakest - with other members of the group. He has only ever co-written one song before - Automatic Stop from Room On Fire with guitarist Albert Hammond Jr.

It's when the Strokes try something slightly different, on the more mellow and gentle Killing Lies and Evening Sun, written with bass player Nikolai Fraiture and drummer Fab Moretti respectively, that musically and vocally it sounds like waffle. And 15 Minutes could be a Pogues cover. Awful.

But the thing that saves many of the songs, especially Killing Lies, is Casablancas' guttural voice spasms.

For the Strokes, First Impressions ... is a long-long player, clocking in at 20 minutes more than Is This It and Room On Fire. And it is too long. Shorter and snappier Strokes are better because the band, and Casablancas especially, start sounding samey and it gets tedious.

Don't take this the wrong way, most of it is the Strokes distinct and addictive rock sound, and fans will love it right from the first exquisite bars of opening track, You Only Live Once. Just delete a few tracks.

Label: RCA