JULIAN CASABLANCAS

 Let’s be real: Julian Casablancas’ slacker chic vocal delivery and good looks defined the the Strokes. While Albert Hammond Jr.’s hooky guitar licks and the low-fi, New York circa ‘77 sonic and visual aesthetic the band copped were certainly necessary parts of the Strokes’ recipe for success, the band undoubtedly could not have been the rock ‘n roll reinvigorator they were had they not had Casablancas at the helm. And as tradition for bands that explode in the manner the Strokes did dictates, time takes its toll, meeting expectations outweighs inspiration with each release, and things generally fall apart, leaving Casablancas poised for solo success.

Casablancas has since laced himself within the very fiber of all that is relevant and radical in modern popular music. He’s worked with a list of modern greats in one capacity or another over the years, from Queens of the Stone Age and Daft Punk to Danger Mouse and Bright Eyes’/Saddle Creek producer extraordinaire Mike Mogis, and has really imbued himself in the culture of modern rock ‘n roll.

Times seem to be particularly good for Casablancas right now as far was we can tell. The reunited (but never reformed) Strokes put out a record in 2013 that was met with decent critical acclaim and the band subsequently spent this year enjoying the good times and good bucks of the festival circuit. The frontman has been playing double-duty and is also finally preparing to release a follow up to his abstract-but-approachable 2009 debut solo album, Phrazes for the Young. Entitled Tyranny and done in conjunction with a new unit of roughnecks, the Voidz, the album is said to be even more jarring and out there than its predecessor, with early reviews landing all over the board — meaning this may not be your thing if you gave up after Is This It. However, if you are willing to rifle through the mire of low fidelity scuzz and buzz Casablancas and his cohorts have settled in, we expect you’ll find something very rewarding, as is evident in the lead single “Where No Eagles Fly,” which comes paired to an absolutely perfect music video in terms of visuals matching a sound.

Casablancas will make his way to West Palm Beach on October 26 and Tampa on October 25 as part of the Coral Skies Fest, and while we wouldn’t bank on a wealth of Strokes material in the set, we would absolutely bank on a cutthroat performance from someone who has time and again proven himself to be the real deal.

~ David Von Bader

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