Julian Casablancas
Phrazes for the Young
Cult Records
November 3, 2009
By Don Weber
Julian Casablancas, vocalist/songwriter of The Strokes, makes his solo album debut with Phrazes of the Young. The album uses similar synthesizing of an instrumental array. It is roughly forty minutes long and has eight tracks that are very different from the norm.
If you’re a fan of The Strokes and songs like “Last Nite” or “Reptilia,” don’t expect quite the same “rock” feel. To be clear, Phrazes of the Young reeks of They Might Be Giants. Even the vocals sound incredibly similar. Casablancas really separates his album from most other solo albums as it seems like he wanted to create something different. The album is conventionally indie or college rock and contains the types of songs you could imagine Ivy League radio stations wearing out.
That said, the album is good, especially if you like They Might Be Giants or The Flaming Lips. The synthesizing isn’t quite as complex as those bands, but vocally and lyrically this album could hang with them.
Phrazes of the Young is a fairly slow album and while it likely won’t be notching up top charts. The lyrics are slow and clear enough where you will find yourself quickly picking up the words. In this sense Casablancas does a good job of avoiding massive instrumentals. Listeners will actually be able to immediately grasp the lyrics he says the first time they hear this album.
The album’s eight songs are all fairly similar and those of you familiar with Harry Nilsson’s The Point will likely reminisce a little bit with the catchy tunes and simple visuals. Each song has very different lyrics but the instrumentals make for a reoccurring theme. The style is relaxing and certainly unique.
Julian Casablancas produces a good solo album here. It doesn’t have many tracks, but at the same time the length isn’t too short. If the album was longer it may be too tedious, but this isn’t the case with the roughly forty minutes of calm tunes. This is most definitely a coffee shop album, and it doesn’t try to cover that up. Casablancas doesn’t revert to the upbeat tempo of The Strokes. He keeps each song slow and crafty. Phrazes of the Young is a spirited album that serves the purpose of just listening to it.
