When a member of a successful band — say, The Strokes — decides to venture off on a solo endeavor, he or she often faces high expectations from the start. Fans of the band will, more often than not, hope for a release that fits neatly into the same category as the one filled by the band's oeuvre. So when Strokes singer Julian Casablancas released "11th Dimension," the first single from his solo album Phrazes for the Young, the song's synth-laden dance-pop had skeptics wondering where all the angular guitars had gone. Luckily for Strokes fans, though, Casablancas' forays into '80s pop and electronica are balanced with a big dose of the garage rock on which his band made its name.
During an extended hiatus following the release of The Strokes' most recent album, First Impressions of Earth, Casablancas relocated to Los Angeles to record Phrazes for the Young with the help of producers Jason Lader and Mike Mogis. The result, although somewhat brief at only eight tracks, shows Casablancas reveling in the freedom of working on his own. Here, he showcases some of his solo work.
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