Strokes' latest not up to par

Confucius says, "Be very weary of recording artist who put out major label LP within days of New Year, because they probably hiding something."

It's not always prudent to assume such things, but this time around, I think the man may have a point. The Strokes' third and latest full-length, "First Impressions of Earth" — released January 3 on Sony/RCA — not only marks the music industry's first significant release of 2006, but is also a notable departure from the standard. Let's be honest: we've come to expect something particular from The Strokes, as proven heralds of the garage rock revival. Those expectations come in the form of driving and undoctored rhythm sections, tap-inducing beats, gravelly and unintelligible vocals and pound-'em-out bursts of raw rock energy. "First Impressions of Earth" gives us some of that, but not in the potent concentrations that we are used to seeing.

The Strokes' debut LP, 2001's "Is This It," was a searing testament to the continued life of rock n' roll. Clocking in just under 36 minutes, it had its way with us, quick and dirty, and left us gasping for air and quaking for more. 2003 brought us "Room on Fire," another whopping 33 minutes of garage glory, and the little criticism that it received was for not being adventurous enough. Hell, I say that if "First Impressions" is some crazy spin on adventure, then we all might do well to turn into reactionaries. It seems that this time around, The Strokes have lost interest in the whole brevity thing, leaving us with 52 minutes of material that's average at best.

In case it's not already clear, I'm largely unimpressed by this latest effort. It starts off well enough, and by well enough, I mean 'as good as it's ever gonna be.'

It's not all a disappointment, though. "You Only Live Once," track one of 14, is a vintage Strokes composition, a hair over three minutes in length, complete with a palm-muted pace setting and some convincing cymbal work from drummer Fab Moretti. The album's first single, "Juicebox," is also in line with their previous work, but couldn't be more stylistically divergent from the rest of the collection. On this track, lead singer Julian Casablancas toggles off between an awkward Frank Zappa imitation in the verses and a forced Daniel Johns (Silverchair) snarl in the chorus. Meanwhile, Albert Hammond, Jr. and Nick Valensi churn out what might be the peppiest grunge tune ever with their overlapping guitar tracks.

"Razorblade" takes the album on a turn toward the optimistic, despite some forced continuity on the opening guitar parts and a weak bridge. Casablancas pens a classic Strokes-style tragic love story and posits a solid and unconventional overlay in the song's chorus.

"On the Other Side" and "Killing Lies," however, two tracks from the album's inert midsection, seem to undermine what once made The Strokes so aurally enticing. Despite some notable fortitude on the bass end, Casablancas' lazy vocals reach an extreme here as he falls so far behind the beat that his signature effect is lost and he sounds as if he's winging the whole thing, even struggling to keep up.

"Ize of the World" provides some relief before a dull closing sequence, finding all five band members, including the sporadically melodic Nikolai Fraisure (bass guitar), outside of their prescribed comfort zones. Casablancas hits high notes that boldly fly in the face of Mariah Carey and her fake plastic, er ... larynx.

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As a whole, "First Impressions of Earth" lacks the careful craftsmanship of its predecessors. Song selection appears to be the critical downfall; if the album were trimmed and toned a bit ala John Basedow, say down to a healthy-but-not-anorexic 10 or 11 tracks, it might have been a little more memorable.