Julian Casablancas turns a ‘Phraze’ on its head

Julian Casablancas

Phrazes for the Young

Cult Records

Rocks Like: The Strokes, Passion Pit,… Julian Casablancas

Phrazes for the Young

Cult Records

Rocks Like: The Strokes, Passion Pit, The 1980s

Grade: B

Julian Casablancas isn’t quite a household name, but his singing and songwriting talent as part of the patriarchal garage rock revivalists The Strokes is familiar to millions. With the release of Casablancas’s first solo album, Phrazes for the Young, he creates an auditory Oz.

Synthesizers and drum machines mix with Casablancas’s signature rock sound and silky smooth voice. The album might have been created just for the iTunes visualizer. Much like Lou Reed — one of his heroes — Casablancas makes a solo album that embraces what he’s already done while simultaneously exploring new musical spaces.

Some tracks like “11th Dimension” shift between both his new and old sounds. Other tracks choose just one aspect of his sound. The energy on the album, however, doesn’t feel consistent. Although it’s cohesive and well-produced, some of the songs lack Casablancas’s signature energy and introspection in favor of dance beats and existential lyrics.

Perhaps in a live environment these songs shine, but, without this perspective, I’m still waiting for the “Casablancas sound” to emerge.