Ah, advice: almost always directed towards the young yet so rarely
solicited. In proffering received-albeit-stylized wisdom of his own,
Julian Casablancas’ motives aren’t entirely altruistic: his
saving-rawk-in-the-aughts Strokes haven’t been a going concern for a
couple years now. Phrazes for the Young represents Jules’
attempt to keep his fire stoked and demonstrate his versatility, and
all things considered, it’s reasonably successful. If it’s new-wave
sparkle-spackle you’re after, check out epic synth orgasm “11th
Dimension” and the treadmilling, Dirty Harry-channeling “Out of the
Blue.” Gerry Rafferty-indebted co-minglings of dour childhood
remembrance and cougar maligning? See “Left & Right in the Dark.” A
gospel-tinged blues that erupts into a metal-lite cataclysm? “4 Chords
of the Apocalypse” invites you to testify. As for the quality of
Casablancas’ advice, it doesn’t get much deeper than “Don’t be shy, oh
no/At least deliberately,” but it doesn’t really need to. —
Ray Cummings
This article appears in Nov 11-17, 2009.
