Unless you’re one of those hepcats at KSPC, have an ear to the ground, or a friend at the record store, you probably have not heard of The Strokes, much less actually heard them. Just last week, The Strokes released their first full-length album, Is This It. The Strokes, a relatively new rock band hailing from the clubs of New York City, created a huge buzz in Britain after the release of their 3-song EP The Modern Age. The band subsequently sold out every club in their recent British tour and are now selling out many venues in their current US tour.

Lately, "rock" music has reached a strange fork in the road. There is a polarization of bubble-gum pop and esoteric Indie music with heavy electronic influences. Maybe you like Fred Durst, listen to TRL, and relate to that screaming teenage girl, who (all too cleverly) requests the song "Break Stuff" by saying she would like to "Break[Make Love To] his[Fred Durst’s] stuff [Junk]". Or maybe you’re a mopey teenager with dyed-black hair, cut in a bowl shape, cuffed jeans, and fake glasses who refuses to listen to anything on a pronounceable label. Are these mere generalizations? Yes, but that makes writing these articles much easier, and even fun at times.

The Strokes transcend these categories and kick it back to those great bands of the ‘70s and ‘80s that we love. On first hearing The Strokes, one might think that they are one of those great bands that rocked our parents in the ‘70s (if our parents were cool), and then progressed through the ‘80s to perhaps make a reunion tour in the ‘90s. Fuck that. Their sound is too cool for a reunion tour - that’s more The Eagles’ shtick.

Perhaps the drummer died of a drug overdose in the ‘80s, or the bassist was arrested for indecent exposure. That seems to fit better.

Despite their ageless sound, The Strokes did not rock our parents in the ‘70s; most of the band members weren’t even born until the late ‘70s, around the time people like Mick Jagger and Keith Richards were birthing illegitimate children (like they ever stopped). In a way, they seem like a hybrid of every band I wasn’t alive to enjoy when they were good (i.e. before they started singing "Hotel California," on an arena rock stadium tour, or before half the members in the band [The Beach Boys] defected and were replaced, so that they could pack the LA county fair.).

The band feels like a hybrid of The Velvet Underground and Iggy Pop. During the more laid back songs, lead singer Julian Casablancas even sounds like Lou Reed, though on the more upbeat tracks Casablancas’ wails are reminiscent of Mr. Nude and Rude. The Strokes’ guitar is very simple, the same riff after riff, as if they were a punk band, but with rhythm. Drummer Fabrizio Morretti adds a backbeat that sounds like something out of a Volkswagen commercial, easy to bob the head too, but also energizing. The bass feels like a rumble, with continued fast rolling repetition.

There is no use in describing the beauty of this album. Is This It is the best debut album that I’ve heard in the past decade. It is everything that is good about rock music–and methodically catchy too. It is at times post-punk and at other times pre-punk. It is gritty, but harmonious.

Is This It has two types of songs: punchy songs that build from beginning to end and are almost impossible to listen to without shaking your knees like Elvis, and songs that are easy to listen to as you lay down on your bed, look at the ceiling, and enjoy. The former includes songs such as "Last Nite." This track is impossible to listen to without at least nodding your head. It may induce drumming on knees and tables, singing along to lyrics, and eventually, walking to a beat (or losing all inhibition), and dancing with yourself. On the "other" mellow chill out songs, Casablancas’ voice just drags on and falls into the background, like the hum of a fan. The rhythmic guitar soothes, sending the listener from the realm of real thoughts, losing them in a dream. The album ebbs and flows between adrenaline packed riffs and lazy dreamscapes.

If you like rock music or punk music or anything that is at all related, buy Is This It. If you have friends that have similar tastes (they don’t even have to like rock, just have good taste), buy them this album. Much like Radiohead, this is a rock group it’s O.K. to like. No one will sneer at you. The Strokes is not a one hit wonder, and Is This It will not swim along in your old CD case along with Ace of Base and Sir Mix-a-Lot. If you’ve "worked hard for the money," download some songs, and you’ll probably end up buying the album anyway.