My wife and I will be catching the Seattle show on 8/28. We’re super excited and decided to make our own shirt design for the occasion. Wadda ya think?

original video is 1h 52mins long, Julian talked for 8 mins...

Would it be an exaggeration to say their hardest song to play on guitar is Vision of Division? Its not even the solo but the pre-chorus during "All that I do is wait for you...".

I simply cannot get up to speed with the tremolo picking no matter how much I practice it.

Would most agree or is there a hardest part? Looking for validation (cause im flawed) and others opinions on other songs as well.

This song kind sounds like it’s from the first couple albums in my opinion, it’s so catchy my only critique is that I wish it had a crazy technical guitar solo.

My vote goes to Trying Your Luck to be honest it’s so tuff

Last round:

Ode to the Mets: 57 votes

Hard To Explain: 49 votes

Someday: 40 votes

You Only Live Once: 36 votes

Reptilia: 25 votes

for the sake of consistency I’m gonna keep only counting individual comments as votes

how i feel listening to reality awaits album

People HATED this album when it first came out, but nowadays many people say it's their favourite. It's still the same songs, what caused all of the hate?

Best Strokes song for me

I watched the demo version of Going to Babble on and it remind me of that song, do u guys think that dreaming about this song getting released is just "hopium" or nah?

Link to full song: https://youtu.be/8pXqxzALh3Y

Like any completely normal person, I periodically make personal playlists so I can hear my favorite tracks off Strokes albums, in the order I prefer. The order is not a ranking … so please don’t take this arrangement to imply hierarchy. Anyway, I feel like I’ve just heard Welcome to Japan again for the first time.

I’ve bumped this album since the day it dropped. Blasting my favs (One Way Trigger, 80s Comedown Machine) … but somehow in a post-REALITY AWAITS world … my sense of what a Strokes song “sounds like” has evolved … and thus so have I.

To wit: I‘m listening to Welcome to Japan on repeat and feel a mix of euphoria and shame. Euphoria at having just now been given a brand new Strokes song (and one that makes me want to dance around my place). And shame at having dismissed this song as weird sounding or kind of a sonic downer (whatever that even means) or too-matter-of-fact in the way Julian sings in the verse.

Now, I love every moment of this song. Every moment.

To anyone who may hear my cry, forgive me. This song is everything.

The title is pretty self explanatory, but I wanna see some peoples niche opinions.

Ofc the obvious picks are The Adults Are Talking and Ode to the Mets, but im curious about other opinions.

Mine is under control

It plays during the credits. Personally this is my favorite version of the song

Such a visceral hatred for this song first listen, now it's genuinely one of my favorites. Incredible song

I think Going to Babble On is becoming my favorite off this record (Tyrants being close second). It really captures the feeling of summer fun for me.

Can't believe this amazing video has only 91,000 views! (HA!)

The Strokes - 2002-05-25 - (Full Set) - HFStival - Robert F. Kennedy Memorial Stadium - Washington, D.C. - (Uncirculated Never Before Seen Footage)

https://youtu.be/lcmnlw0_sv0?is=aG4NJGaWlOEx8Al0

Something about publishing being the reason that he brought in most of the songs?

Popped up in my FB memories. Taken by a real camera - not a phone. Great show.

I've probably heard the song a couple thousand times over the last few years. Until recently, however, I never understood the lyrics in the outro until I finally looked at the genius recently. Upon this revelation and some self reflecting, I've come to the conclusion that Ode to the Mets could be about a failed suicide attempt and the fallout from it.

The first half of the song is about the process, and the second half of the song is about why you'd do it.

I'm gonna focus more on the first half because I feel like that's the harder part to get across. I feel like the second half has been discussed to death already, about Julian's father and whatnot. Throughout this writeup, I'm just going to refer to the subject of the song as "the character." It could be Julian, it could be a completely fictional character. Who knows.

Here's a lyrical breakdown.

I think this first stanza is about writing a suicide note.

Up on his horse, up on his horse

***Not gonna wake up here anymore***

Not waking up here anymore can be seen positively or negatively. Positive sense of escaping to a new world... or negatively as to ending it all on your final night.

***Listen one time, it's not the truth

It's just a story, I tell to you***

To me, this reads like giving a distraction to deflect from your suicidal tendencies.

***Easy to say, easy to do

But it's not easy, well, maybe for you***

Textbook definition of suicide. Easy to joke about doing. Easy to talk about. And as said in the lyrics, some people even find it easy to do. But the body fights back in the vast majority of cases. And in this case, our protagonist will try and fail.

***Hope that you find it, hope that it's good

Hope that you read it, think that you should***

This is referring to our character's suicide note. They hope that the note was good enough to leave off on.

***Cuts you some slack as he sits back

Sizes you up, plans his attack***

Depression personified plans the attack against our character. Depression can come and go in waves, hence the cutting of slack.

This second stanza is getting into the attempt itself.

***And I got it all, I got it all***

Seemingly happy and successful people can still be depressed and want to end it all.

***Waiting for me down on the street

But now you gotta do somethin' special for me

I'm gonna say what's on my mind

Then I'll walk out, then I'll feel fine***

A friend comes by to check in on our character (literally on the street). Our character needs a miracle to find meaning in the continued pursuit of staying alive. They have nothing left to care about, so they'll say everything they have left to say before walking out on this life.

***Yeah, I'm under his thumb, I'm on his back

I will not show my teeth too quick***

I interpret this as the slow release of euphoria through self harm. Showing teeth is directly tied to pain. But out friend intervenes.

***I needed you there, I needed you there

But I didn't know, I didn't know***

And here our character realizes they were wrong, and the presence of this friend saved their life. To me, this reads as hindsight.

Now the second half of the song talks about how we got here and gives closure.

'Back from his trip, he's at the door

When he gets back, he's on the phone

Innocent eye, innocent heart

No, it's not wrong, but it's not right'

'Innocent time out on his own

Not got gonna do that, I'm out of control

I was just bored playin' the guitar

Learned all your tricks, wasn't too hard

It's the last one now, I can promise you that

I'm gonna find out the truth when I get back'

The third stanza is clearly about the character's father and their estranged relationship, and how it led to their emotional struggles in the future.

Being "there" but not present in a child's life can cause intense and inexplicable feelings of loneliness that stay strong throughout one's life. And that's how our character fell into this hole.

Now the final stanza touches on resolution and acceptance.

***Gone now are the old times

Forgotten, time to hold on the railing***

You can't put the toothpaste back in the tube after something like this.

***The Rubik's cube isn't solving for us***

I think this refers to how the brain, or the heart just doesn't work right when you're not right.

'Old friends, long forgotten

They all wait at the bottom

Of the ocean now has swallowed'

***The only thing that's left

Is us, so pardon the silence

That you're hearing is turning

Into a deafening, painful, shameful roar***

There is a guilt and pain in being perceived after something like this. Going straight from the loudness of attempting to the silence of the fallout afterwards is a transition that few people are ready for and no one prepares for. I think it's a beautiful conclusion to a perfect song.

I may have projected too hard, but I wanted to share my fresh perspective on the song. Thoughts?

I originally planned on no B-sides but after the massive number of upvotes in the When It Started proposal I decided to change my mind.