The Strokes: When It Started

2001 was a rough time for those living in the United States. Everyone was focused on the events of 9/11 and it had a lot of people scared. While it might have been a sad time, some good came out of that year as well. One of the biggest bands in the world had their debut that same year, and music was never the same again. 

In 2001, the world saw the birth of The Strokes, a band to come out of New York. They are a band that consist of Julian Casablancas on vocals, Nick Valensi and Albert Hammond Jr. on guitar, Fabrizio Moretti on drums, and Nikolai Fraiture on bass. The Strokes became very successful with their debut album titled “Is This It.” This was a record that blew thousands of people away because of its very unique garage-rock/indie sound many people had never heard at the time. You can hear it in the songs like The Modern Age, Soma, and Take It or Leave It. Another song that really showcased their sound was New York City Cops. 

Before The Strokes there were bands like The Velvet Underground, The Stooges, and Television who ruled the scene  and we can hear their influence in their music. Just like these bands influenced The Strokes, The Strokes influenced a new generation of bands. These bands included the Arctic Monkeys, The Killers, Franz Ferdinand and many more. With New York City Cops, the song was removed from every version of the record in the U.S. after the events of 9/11. This was because it made fun of cops. They replaced the song with another one called “When It Started.” New York City Cops is a pretty rare song to hear live, but the last time they played it was in February 2020 during a Bernie Sanders rally.

—- New York City Cops

—- When It Started 

My overall opinion on The Strokes is that they are an amazing band because their music is very catchy and has very memorable lyrics. Their music is also fun to listen to and it gets you in a good mood. They are a band that I would recommend to everyone.