Rock music based out of the New York scene has been making a resurgence recently. With the new releases from artists that made an impact in that scene in the 2000’s and 2010’s including Albert Hammond Jr., Jack White, Moby, this scene is coming back as one that is more polished.
With the release of “Virtue,” the newest album by The Voidz, a band led by Julian Casablancas, the leader and somewhat creator of the modern New York rock scene through his work with The Strokes, Casablancas somewhat forgoes some of those common scene stereotypes to make a refreshing experimental rock album that sounds like nothing he has done before.
While the album still emulates that scene at points, including the nostalgia inducing first notes of “Leave It In My Dreams,” Casablancas seems to have taken influences from other people he has worked with to create a whole new sound. Some of the electronic and funk elements harken back to his work with Daft Punk as well as Pharrell Williams.
“All Wordz Are Made Up,” for example, is a type of song I have not heard Casablancas play before. The instrumentation for this song is more of an LCD Soundsystem-type sound with an electronic based background along with his iconic vocals. The two, seemingly different, match up so well.
But, after the song fades out, an acoustic, lyrically-focused song called “Think Before You Drink” comes on. This personal song is a nice break from the sometimes chaotic sounds that The Voidz are making. While it was a bit unexpected, it really did match the flow of the album.
Hearing interesting albums from both Casablancas and Hammond Jr., I selfishly would love to see how different a new album from The Strokes would sound in 2018. If the band would embrace these more experimental sounds that both have explored in solo projects and with other bands, it would be a fascinating listen. But, Casablancas, at points during this album, seems to want to be set apart from that scene in general.
In the song “Permanent High School,” he sings “Just because something’s popular don’t mean it is good.” While The Strokes will always be a part of him, hearing this album by The Voidz makes it seem like he is making an attempt to make music in a completely different way. With the quality of songs within “Virtue,” even though the album was a bit lengthy, I would say that he is on the right path of continuing his success.
Downloadable Songs: “Leave It In My Dreams,” “All Wordz Are Made Up,” “Think Before You Drink,” “We’re Where We Were.”
Overall Grade: A-
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