The Strokes are a transportive band, not
just in the tongue-in-cheek nostalgia of their
stylistic references, but in the way their
music can fixate you in memories. Of course,
the music we hear at one time in our lives
inherently grounds itself in our memories
of that time, but this fact could not be more
personally applicable to Is This It, the band’s
bittersweet debut album, released in 2001.
Despite
the
youthful,
incandescent
brightness of that album, it often reminds me
of how memories can be ambiguous and messy,
distorting the way music hits your ears over
time. Is This It is a complicated album for The
Strokes, as both a playground of near-flawless,
punchy jams and simultaneously a bar too high
to be reached by the band’s later work.
Their latest album, The New Abnormal,
attempts to free itself from the burden of
memory, and the result is a genuinely fun —
even if inconsequential — reminder of what The
Strokes once were. It is wistful, grin-inducing
and, at times, unbearably catchy. It doesn’t
move mountains or break new ground or
warrant another legendary SNL performance,
but I’m certainly glad it’s here.
The New Abnormal is at its best when it
regresses into The Strokes’ signature style;
Julian Casablancas’ vocals fall somewhere
between a croon and a mutter, with jaunty
guitar licks that flow so effortlessly it
hurts. “The Adults Are Talking” and “Why
Are
Sundays
So
Depressing”
exemplify this return
to familiarity without
feeling like replicas of
other Strokes material,
balancing
the
line
between comfort and
freshness.
Undoubtedly
the
strongest track to fit
this
well-balanced
familiarity
is
“Ode
to the Mets,” which
closes
the
album
with such infectious
sweetness
that
it
overshadows
almost
everything else. There’s this guitar melody
that finishes off the last two minutes, and it’s
as ingenious as anything The Strokes have
ever written. “Gone now are the old times /
Forgotten, time to hold on the railing / The
Rubik’s Cube isn’t solving for us,” Casablancas
muses over the riff. His words are undoubtedly
sad, but I can’t help but smile at the sentiment
every time. I find myself recalling these notes
over and over again in my head, like sunspots
in my vision.
As a complete playthrough, the album is
pleasant even if it’s not totally engaging. Not
every song is memorable, but the standouts
earn their place. It’s been seven years since the
last Strokes album, and in that time, a few of
the band’s members
have stayed busy with
their
own
musical
endeavors.
These
layers
of
influence
add electronic, almost
disco flare to tracks
like “Eternal Summer”
and “At the Door.”
They
approximate
the soothing grime
of Casablancas’ side
project
The
Voidz
without
disrupting
the album’s flow. And
yet, it’s impossible to
overlook the fact that these experiments with
style are often the weak points of The New
Abnormal.
However, just because the album fails to
reinvigorate the sound of The Strokes doesn’t
mean it shouldn’t be celebrated. To me, The
Strokes’ return to making music is a medium
to enjoy their work without the complex
memories I have of their more polished albums.
It’s fun, and yes, there are certainly more
qualities a listener can ask of a Strokes album.
But honestly, I can’t bring myself to care.
Monday, April 20, 2020 — 6
Arts
The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com
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ANISH TAMHANEY
Daily Film Editor
After seven long years, The Strokes are finally back
ALBUM REVIEW
So many of our childhoods are made up of
Disney movies. How could you forget the first
time you watched Aladdin and Jasmine soaring
on a magic carpet, Ariel passionately singing
“Part of Your World” or even Tarzan seeing
Jane for the first time? But while everyone
remembers and appreciates those movies so
much, oftentimes we forget that Disney made
sequels for a lot of them. They may not have
gotten the same amount of attention as their
predecessors, but some are worth a watch. So
here’s a list of six of the most underrated Disney
sequels you should give a chance.
“Mulan II” (2004)
Besides “Frozen II,” the sequel to “Mulan”
is probably the most watched and respected
animated Disney sequel. What sets this movie
apart from the original is the addition of three
princesses, the emperor’s daughters. We get to
see their love stories unfold while also getting
to watch Mulan blossom into an even fiercer,
more determined and more inspiring woman.
We also get to see more of Mushu in this
movie (who is, of course, the best part) along
with the three army men from the first movie,
Yao, Ling and Chien Po: supporting characters
from the first film whose roles are much more
important in this one. Not to mention, this
movie has some incredible songs like “Lesson
Number One” and “I Wanna Be Like Other
Girls” that are often overlooked. I will admit,
though, that there are parts of this film that
even to this day I have to watch through my
fingers because they’re so devastating, but
the added suspense and emotion that those
scenes add makes the overall movie-watching
experience so much better.
“Aladdin and the King of Thieves” (1996)
The second “Aladdin” movie, “Aladdin
and the Return of Jafar,” isn’t very good, and
in my opinion, that’s mostly because Robin
Williams doesn’t voice Genie. However, he
returns as Genie in the third film, “Aladdin
and the King of Thieves.” This movie is
absolutely
incredible
for
more
reasons
than Williams’s return; it focuses more on
Aladdin’s childhood and his family, which
adds many more dimensions to his already
interesting character. There are magical
oracles, sword fights and Genie dressing
up as Disney princesses — all the necessary
components to an all-around perfect film.
There are also some surprising voice actors in
the film, such as John Rhys-Davies — famous
for playing Gimli in the “Lord of the Rings”
films — in the role of Aladdin’s father Cassim.
This film, though maybe not as well animated
as the first, is one that everyone should watch.
It’s heartwarming and maintains the action-
packed elements that make the first film
so exhilarating. Plus, you finally get to see
Aladdin and Jasmine’s wedding, which is well
worth the wait.
“Tarzan and Jane” (2002)
There are actually two films that go
along with Disney’s “Tarzan.” One of them
is “Tarzan 2,” which is a prequel that shows
Tarzan as a young boy, and the other is
“Tarzan and Jane,” which features Jane and
her friends Terk and Tantor (yes, the gorilla
and elephant from “Tarzan”) recounting
many stories about Tarzan and Jane. A lot
of people choose to overlook films like these
because there isn’t one central plot, but these
kinds of movies can actually be really fun.
For instance, in “Tarzan and Jane,” we get to
see Jane’s prim and proper English friends
come for a visit in the jungle, along with a
story involving diamonds and lava-surfing
and another starring an old friend of Jane’s
of whom Tarzan quickly becomes jealous.
These mini-stories are short but still hold your
attention. The final scene of the film explains
why Jane, Terk and Tantor have been taking a
trip down memory lane, and the reason is sure
to bring a smile to your face.
“Cinderella II: Dreams Come True”
(2001)
Similar to “Tarzan and Jane,” the second
“Cinderella” film contains three mini-stories.
These stories aren’t told by Cinderella though;
they’re told by the mice. In my opinion, the
first “Cinderella” film didn’t highlight the
mice as much as it should have. They’re fun
and funny, and we get to see a lot more of them
in this sequel. The mice want to make a book
for Cinderella, so they begin to handcraft one
that features their very own stories. The three
stories we get to hear are about Cinderella’s
first day in the castle, Jaq’s wish-gone-wrong
and Cinderella’s stepsister Anastasia’s love
story with the humble baker. I can’t even tell
you how many times I’ve seen this movie.
Each story is short and sweet, punctuated by
catchy songs and beautiful colors. One of my
absolute favorite things about these stories is
the hilarious amount of time dedicated to the
evil cat Lucifer’s love life. I’m not sure who
came up with that idea, but I would thank
them if I could. There is a third “Cinderella”
movie, “Cinderella III: A Twist in Time,”
which I think is more well-known than the
second film. But I’ll be honest: Even though
the third film is good, I think the second one
is better.
“The Little Mermaid II: Return to the
Sea” (2000)
I’m pretty sure everyone has that one DVD
from their childhood that they watched so
many times, they actually ruined the disc. For
me, that DVD was “The Little Mermaid II.”
Ariel was always my favorite Disney princess
growing up, so of course I loved the sequel,
where we not only get to see her as an adult
but also get to meet her daughter Melody. The
movie is unbelievably ironic considering the
events of its predecessor, given the fact that
Melody is a human who is forced to stay away
from the water. But she’s just as curious as
her mother and ends up finding a way there
anyway. The sweet story by itself would have
been enough to make me love this movie, but
it also has many callbacks to the original film
that make me nostalgic; there are some shots
that look like they were taken straight from
the original film and switched from Ariel
to Melody. Even the villain in this movie,
Morgana, has a connection to the original:
She’s Ursula’s sister! There may be some plot
holes, like Melody never questioning why she
could talk to animals, but I’ve always looked
past them to enjoy the happiness of the film.
This, in my opinion, is the peak Disney sequel
because it does something completely new but
remains true to the original. It’s not a perfect
movie, but the nostalgia washes over you and
makes you feel like a kid again.
FILM NOTEBOOK
Six underrated Disney sequel films worth giving a chance
SABRIYA IMAMI
Daily Arts Writer
Read more online at
michigandaily.com
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