We Could Drag It Out, But That's For Other Bands To Do

"Ask Me Anything" by The Strokes is the song that made me re-examine my dislike of the band. The seventh song on the band's third release "First Impressions of Earth," it's three minutes and twelve seconds of Julian Casablancas singing about how he's got "nothing to say" over a Mellatron (I'm not exactly sure what this is or what it looks like but I do know it's kind of like a piano and it would sound cool providing the score to a 1960s sci-fi b-film.). There's no guitar, bass or drums. The lyrics are full of self-loathing but performed in a way that doesn't seem juvenile or, well, self-loathing.

"Ask Me Anything" is possibly the best song on any album that has been in the American Top 10 of 2006. The problem with the song is the placement on the album. "First Impressions of Earth" has 14 songs. "Ask" comes in the middle. Once heard, it's difficult to enjoy the rest of the album. I understand why the band didn't want to hide the song last, but it belongs last. The first song and the last song on an album can and sometimes should sound nothing like the rest of the album. In this case, it wouldn't have worked perfectly but it wouldn't make other songs sound like a let down, which brings us to our next point...The Stokes let me down again.

I hated The Strokes when they first came out because of their background. The members come from New York City, well-to-do families and connections with models. I hated the leather jackets and Velvet Underground comparisons. It took almost five years for me to get past this (I realize that this is my problem, not the bands, but please don't stop reading). I finally liked their third album. Then they recorded a Marvin Gaye's "Mercy Mercy Me" for a B-side with Eddie Vedder and Josh Homme. I love Pearl Jam, QOTSA, EODA and Marvin Gaye. I don't love when they come together.

Disappointment and satisfaction. These are words that shouldn't describe one's love or disdain for pop music. Using said words make me seem unstable. I should've spelled unstable incorrectly, it might have been funny.

I love "Ask Me Anything".