More than three years have passed since New York band the Strokes released their third album, First Impressions of Earth. Since then, the question has loomed: When, if ever, will they return?
The group has given various answers, indicating they had begun recording a fourth disc in January, then later posting a message in July that they would spend the summer working toward an early 2010 release. Numerous delays have emerged lately, however, as most members of the quintet have devoted time to side projects.
Guitarist Albert Hammond Jr. embarked on a solo career in 2006 with Yours to Keep and has since released another album, 2008’s ¿Cómo Te Llama? Drummer Fabrizio Moretti, meanwhile, teamed with Brazilian singer/guitarist Rodrigo Amarante to form Lucky Joy, which put out its self-titled debut in late 2008.
Even the Strokes’ bassist, Nikolai Fraiture, formed his own group, the cleverly titled Nickel Eye, which issued its first work, The Time of the Assassins, in January.
So it makes some sense that, after lending his modern crooner vocals to collaborations with various other artists — Santigold, Danger Mouse, Sparklehorse, even Andy Samberg’s comedy troupe the Lonely Island — Strokes frontman Julian Casablancas would concoct his own solo record, Phrazes for the Young, which arrived Tuesday.
“I never wanted to do it,” Casablancas said during a phone interview Thursday, “but I feel like I was kind of forced a little, to be quite honest. The band wanted to go do their own thing, and that’s cool — I respect that they need to go do that. But I didn’t want to sit around.”
To promote the release, which Casablancas describes as “something between the Wailers and Thom Yorke,” the singer has undertaken a Friday-night residency this month at the rarely used Downtown Palace Theatre in Los Angeles.
Tickets for tonight’s set are sold out, and the Nov. 13 show is currently on sale via Ticketmaster. Tickets for the other dates (Nov. 20 and 27) will go on sale soon.
