Julian Casablancas explains why he went solo: 'I was ready to do a record, the Strokes were not'
The Strokes -- remember them? At the turn of the century, they were a leather-jacketed, guitar-slinging blast of fresh New York City cool. Their 2001 debut, "Is This It," was a landmark for a sound that unabashedly updated garage rock and new wave for a new generation of listeners.
But after that promising start, the Strokes haven't released a studio album since 2006, and the five individual members' cumulative solo and side-project releases (five) now outnumber the Strokes' total abums (three). The latest Stroke to go solo was singer Julian Casablancas, the band's primary songwriter and driving force.
In an interview, Casablancas revealed he put out his 2009 solo release, "Phrazes for the Young" (RCA), because he couldn't get the other band members -- Albert Hammond Jr., Fabrizio Moretti, Nick Valensi, and Nikolai Fraiture -- to focus on making a new Strokes album.
But after that promising start, the Strokes haven't released a studio album since 2006, and the five individual members' cumulative solo and side-project releases (five) now outnumber the Strokes' total abums (three). The latest Stroke to go solo was singer Julian Casablancas, the band's primary songwriter and driving force.
In an interview, Casablancas revealed he put out his 2009 solo release, "Phrazes for the Young" (RCA), because he couldn't get the other band members -- Albert Hammond Jr., Fabrizio Moretti, Nick Valensi, and Nikolai Fraiture -- to focus on making a new Strokes album.