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The Strokes’ ‘Is This It’ turns 25: Producer Gordon Raphael talks bottling magic and if it could ever happen again
Producer Gordon Raphael reflects on the 25th anniversary of The Strokes’ debut album ‘Is This It’, describing its enduring popularity as “a miracle”. The article presents the 2001 record as a defining release that helped revive guitar-led indie music and influenced bands including Arctic Monkeys, The Killers and The Libertines.
Raphael says he initially found the band’s seriousness surprising because rock music was unfashionable in New York in 2000, where drum’n’bass and jungle dominated club culture. Released first in Australia on 30 July 2001, then elsewhere later that year after US delays linked to 9/11, the album included ‘Hard to Explain’, ‘Last Nite’ and ‘Someday’; its success coincided with wider attention for New York acts such as Interpol, Yeah Yeah Yeahs and TV On The Radio.
In short
- ‘Is This It’ reaches its 25th anniversary.
- Raphael says its success helped revive guitar music.
- The album shaped indie rock for years.
Explained simply
The Strokes' debut album 'Is This It' was released in 2001 and became one of the most influential records of the 2000s. It revived interest in guitar-led indie rock during a period when electronic music dominated and rock was largely unfashionable in club culture.
The album was produced by Gordon Raphael and featured songs such as 'Hard to Explain', 'Last Nite' and 'Someday'. It was first released in Australia on 30 July 2001, with other territories following later that year, though the US release was delayed due to circumstances around 9/11.
Its success helped establish a wave of New York guitar bands including Interpol, Yeah Yeah Yeahs and TV On The Radio. The record's influence subsequently spread globally, with later acts like Arctic Monkeys, The Killers and The Libertines all citing it as important to their own music.
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