Julian Casablancas
Album: Phrazes for the Young
Label: RCA/Sony
Rating: **1/2

The frontman for the Strokes chooses to adorn his debut solo album with cheesy synthesizer licks strung over fast-paced guitar strumming and his droning vocals. It’s kind of fun on the first track, Out of the Blue, especially in combination with Casablanca’s self-slagging, “p— on my casket” lyrics. But by the third track, 11th Dimension, it degenerates into a low-grade parody of Human League, partly likable but mostly loathsome. Halfway through the record, Casablancas takes an interesting rootsy turn with gospel-tinged redemption song called 4 Chords of the Apocalypse and the country-flavoured Ludlow St., an ode to his own drunkeness. OK, guys, you’ve now got it all out of your systems. It’s time for another Strokes record.

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