New Releases: Julian Casablancas

Julian Casablancas is a talented songwriter, vocalist, and multi-instrument musician but he's better  known to many as "the lead singer of The Strokes". With the band on an extended hiatus each member of The Strokes has launched an alternative side project and this week sees the release of Julian's solo album Phrazes for the Young.

With such a distinctive voice it's impossible to listen to the album and not think of the Strokes, but musically, the direction that Julian has taken is very different as he plays with a number of styles and varying tempos. The album opens with Out of the Blue, a relatively quick paced song on self reflection. Left & Right In the Dark follows in the same vane until we switch to 11th Dimension an insanely catchy song with big keyboards and an electro-touch which is also the first single release from the album. For the rest of the album we get some somber blues on 4 Chords of the Apocalypse, edgy angst with keyboards on River of Brakelights, and the Strokes-esque closer Tourist.

Overall, the quality of the song writing, composition, and musical variety makes this an interesting album to listen to. Fans of the Strokes should enjoy it but they shouldn't expect it to fill the void since the release of First Impressions.

Phrazes for the Young is available in two versions on iTunes as well as Amazon.com and other music outlets. Fans in L.A. can catch his shows every Friday in November at the Downtown Palace Theater and he'll also be playing in San Francisco on November 17th.