Nikolai has always been a superhero to me, even before this recent bout of awesomeness-embodied-in-marathon training. his bass playing in Is This It was actually the thing that got me to separate the different instruments in music for the first time. before that, music was all just one sound to me, if that makes sense. after I heard Nikolai's part in the title song, everything changed. I really began to listen to music.
Nikolai has always been a huge source of inspiration to me. bass guitar is my favourite instrument, a claim I have began to make since I started listening to the band. he really PLAYS the bass. I love it. he was on my mind while I was running today (as I was listening to The Strokes of course). it was Room on Fire, and as I was listening, I realized something that makes The Strokes so unlike every other band:
even though they only have three albums, (almost) everyone who really LISTENS to them beyond the first handful of singles really becomes a full on fan, and these fans begin to cite The Strokes as their favourite band. the great thing about the singles is that they make you want to hear more, and, of course, that almost every Strokes song could easily be a single.
most bands with three albums are considered too "young" to matter, but The Strokes have always made every song count. the fact that there are only three albums makes them accessible...it's quite easy to completely absorb everything in a couple of weeks or months. they don't have any superfluous or filler albums or songs. everything is an important piece of the puzzle. you don't have to worry about accidentally buying one of their boring albums. their music is so listenable that it compels repeated listens.
I think about bands like Wilco, whom a lot of my friends at Berkeley (mainly stoner co-op folk) cite as their favourite band...and I think of their reaction to my lack of enthusiasm for the band, and they say "well yeah, they have some lulls but Being There is incredible" or "I adore everything before _____ album". the same thing goes for other bands.
not The Strokes.
I love them so much it's insane, but at this point, it is the only think that makes any sense in my life...everything else is inane. just for the record, that wasn't a typo, I specifically left out the "s".
6 comments:
That superhero photo = ♥
I really think that too often he's underrated as a member of the band because of his quieter nature. I WISH I HAD A SHINY DOLLAR TO SPEND ON THIS http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=230386018073#ht_500wt_1182
I appreciate your Nikolai appreciation.
Nikolai may not speak very often, but when he does I find myself either a) admiring his intelligence or b) discovering how hilarious he is.
Also, much kudos to him for not smoking.
I absolutely agree about the Strokes thing, everyone I've talked to who have heard of them have either only heard one or two songs and never really bothered to listen to more or they've heard them all and are absolute fans
Agreed on everything there. Maybe there's some brainwashing shit going on?
I am so tempted to bid on that but I know I shouldn't. I need to save my money for gigs and grad school. le sigh.
it really is like that, Type. I have met loads of people who have only heard a couple of songs (Reptilia etc via guitar hero or whatever) but everyone else is bonkers about them just like us. it's great. all Strokes fans are true fans.
I hope they're grateful to how dedicated we all are. ;D
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