Song of the Day: The Strokes - What Ever Happened?

The Strokes - What Ever Happened?
from the album Room on Fire

I remember when The Strokes first got hot, and reviewers were comparing them to older bands, saying stuff like "they were the next Velvet Underground" and such nonsense. I was annoyed, and went out of my way to avoid listening to them, determined to avoid hopping on the musical bandwagon that seems to be more the norm these days when people veer towards music selection. I referred to them as the "Beat-offs" because I had forced them out of my brain to such an extent that I couldn't remember their name when they came up in conversation.

I remember the first time I heard this album, I was working at B&N, early in the morning, shelving books; someone had put this on and I thought it was totally awesome. I asked someone, "Who the hell is this? I have to get this album!"

When I was told it was The Strokes, I choked on my coffee - and my words. So much for being a proud music listener. I had to admit that maybe - just maybe - these cats were really fucking great. And although I'll never agree that they are the next Velvets, I will say that their music deserves a lot of acclaim. Even though me and musician pals bitch about the fact that they're all hipsters with rich parents - nowadays, who isn't?

But that's a whole other rant for a whole other day.