It is funny, really, how The Strokes flew right above me. Despite having been exposed to the wider pop world and the rise of indie via radio, television, videogames, films, and any other thing that could have music within, the only bit of The Strokes I knew was Julian Casablancas' Daft Punk feature on "Instant Crush". Though, even in such a case, Is This It is weirdly familiar.

Perhaps it is the barrage of copycats that were influenced by their approach following the massive success of their first couple of records that gave me a subliminal familiarity with this exact type of Indie rock. Though, unlike those second generation artists, there is a true sense of 'coolness' present in these tracks. The juxtaposition between the fairly simplistic base composition of the tracks, little guitar arpeggios and simple phrases, static drums, the commonly subdued vocal performances, and the short glimpses of the skill present within all of the artists; complex solos such as the one present in 'The Modern Age', Julian's inflections in the middle of tracks, leaping out into the front of the mix, contributes to, without fail, making your ears perk up on every track. While 'rival' contemporary bands appeared to focus on the nonchalant, simple composition part of it, the image-filled lyricism, disregarding the fact that this simply provides the basis, its greatness stemming from the flashes of virtuosity. The record's initial impressions are one of nonchalance, of effortlessness, which lowers your guard, and makes these cases of rupture only more fun. The base is one of competence, those glimpses push it into greatness.

Whereas some contemporary albums which talk about youth, angst, relationships, and in general the act of growing up, provide me a deep sense of nostalgia for a time which I experienced second-hand, here there is no such feeling. Whilst I am very much aware of this being an early 2000s indie rock record throughout the entire experience of listening to it, and therefore have that subliminal connection which enacts nostalgia within me, having romanticized this period of music within my mind, the emotions which the music provides, both by its composition and lyricism, are removed from such a period. These are not emotions caused by nostalgia, they feel closer to what would have been the initial emotions which such a record would have provided in period. It is a rawer feeling, without that warm discharge of dopamine which is associated with nostalgia. They provide the bittersweet feeling which I presume was meant to be transmitted, of the futility of romance and the internal angst it provides, and of the pressures of society.

For someone so prone to be affected by nostalgia listening to records of certain times, particularly contemporary to my childhood and the culture I consumed then, it is fascinating that I am immune to such things for a record which is constantly referred to as a time capsule of a certain subculture in a specific time. While I remain cognizant of the release date of the record as I listen to it, the connections I have to that period of time never activate, instead I am lead by the raw emotions of its lyricism. Some might point to this as a laudable quality of the record, that it still 'holds up'. I don't really care about that. Whether a record sounds 'outdated' or not is a moot point to the quality of it in my eyes. Whether it provides me feelings of nostalgia or not doesn't make it better or worse, it is simply different.