The Strokes - "Under Cover of Darkness"

In the beginning, The Strokes were vastly overrated. Is This It wasn't the era-defining savior of rock and roll, as some of its most rabid supporters suggested - it was just a solid collection of rock tunes heavy on the nostalgia and appealingly light in its manner. And, of course, the backlash came, and for a time, it was good. And then, as backlashes have a habit of doing, it went too far and people started dismissing The Strokes entirely - look, maybe Is This It wasn't exactly the era-defining savior of rock and roll, but it was still a really solid collection of nostalgia-heavy light-mannered rock tunes! But the damage was done, and people were subsequently unable to admit that Room on Fire was a pretty worthy sophomore effort, and that First Impressions of Earth had some pretty great moments (Julian Casablancas' solo album is better than people gave it credit for, too). Now, finally, the dipshits of Rolling Stone have declared the new Strokes single to be a return to form, finding hills and valleys in a career that is mostly plateau.

My point with all this: I like the new Strokes single! Not that it's super great! But it's pretty good, again largely in part because it reminds you of other stuff that was great. The way the two lead guitar lines sort of squeal and fight against each other kind of reminds me of the end of "Layla"! That riff that comes in under the verses is pretty Thin Lizzy! The title is basically the same as "Undercover of the Night" by the Rolling Stones! I can't pin down a referent for the tempo change during the solo, but that's pretty wicked, too. So it's really pretty satisfying work - but just chill about it, everybody, before you start the stupid cycle above going again.

Tangent: do you guys remember The Hives? And, like, The Vines? Weren't they hilarious?

The Strokes - "Under Cover of Darkness"