Arriving on a wave of well-earned hype rooted in tight chops and a confident swagger, The Strokes offer a Rock & Roll antidote to the plague of boy bands, teen divas, and petulant rap-rock outfits.
The Strokes' fifth album is immediately appealing as they sound like they’re genuinely having fun. At times it feels like a mixtape the Strokes made for themselves: 11 songs, 11 different genre experiments.
Dire Straits' minimalist interpretation of pub rock had already crystallized by the time they released their eponymous debut. Driven by Mark Knopfler's spare, tasteful guitar lines and his husky warbling, the album is a set of bluesy rockers.