Julian Casablancas “River of Brakelights”
Like Julian Casablanca’s previous solo album pre-tease “11th Dimension”, “River of Brakelights” bubbles with so many musical ideas (at times sounding like you’re stuck in between two or more different radio stations), it’s a bit tough to take a liking to it on first listen.
But even with it’s (somewhat overly-)manic pace and ever-evolving musical tricks, we’re still captivated by “River” enough to re-digest it over and over, piecing together the bits of lyrics that we can make out so we can figure out what the hell the song’s supposed to be about, while finding some solace in the post-”Getting the hang of it/ Timing is everything” sections where Julian’s voice soars to the high heavens over a rush of driving guitars and rapid drum work.
As sigh-assisted frustrating as it is strangely alluring, “River of Brakelights” will likely be one only hardcore Strokes/ Julian fans will adore, but it surely won’t stop the rest of us from staying obsessively tuned into what else the increasingly curio Phrazes For The Young has to offer.
DL: “River of Brakelights” (alt)
Recent Comments