Song of the Week: "Holiday"

Song of the Week is not that important but if you disagree then feel free to listen to all the songs HERE

"Holiday"

Albert Hammond Jr.

from Yours to Keep

2006

This is the type of solo album that intrigues the hell out of me. It's easy to picture a frontman breaking away from his band to record a solo album, because you already know what his vision sounds like from hearing the band he fronts. It's more of a crapshoot when seemingly supporting player crafts an entire album according to his own vision, one that never saw any light while he was just plucking away to the side of the stage, as if to say: "See, this is what I could do... if you let me."

The history of rock 'n' roll is littered with examples of such solo debuts (the most famous example is probably All Things Must Pass, George Harrison's triple LP released in the wake of the Beatles' breakup). I can't really think of too many example off the top of my head that I enjoy more than Albert Hammond Jr.'s solo output in between Strokes releases.

Since I'm not the best at keeping straight music's chronological timelines, I went back and made sure—okay, Hammond Jr.'s first solo album, Yours to Keep, was released a year after the Strokes' third LP (First Impressions of Earth in 2005). I scrolled through each of the Strokes' first three tracklists, and counted a total of three songwriting credits from A. Hammond Jr. (with all three of them being co-writing credits with either Cassablancas or the entire band).

Speaking specifically about pre-Yours to Keep Strokes music, it doesn't seem like there was enough room for Hammond Jr. to make the music he wanted to make. A solo album makes sense in this context.

The best thing about these types of solo releases from supporting artists is that, even though it's a chance to break free from the chains of your original band, the resulting products never really stray that far away from the sound they came from. I think it's a matter of, ya know, the formula working already and not wanting to fuck with it that badly.

I don't want to make the case that the penultimate track "Holiday" could be a Strokes song. The drums are too syncopated (joyfully so), and the vibe is a little too effortlessly laid back for the Strokes, who only could act like their cool was effortless but really they are from New York and nothing is effortless there. But c'mon, this is shit is absolutely in the same ballpark. It's not like Hammond Jr. is out there making fourth-wave ska or hardcore thrash or some shit. This is indie rock as longtime fans of the Strokes know it, just through a slightly different lens.

I further wonder, whenever I get around to listening to these types of solo albums, what the old band's frontman thinks of it. Excited? Bored? Threatened? In this case, Cassablancas plays bass and sings backup vocals on a Yours to Keep track ("Scared"), so I'll take that as a stamp of approval for this endeavor. Also, I don't think it's coincidence that the next Strokes release (2011's Angles) features more non-Cassablancas writing credits than the first three albums combined (including the whole band sharing the credits on the Strokes' best-song-full-stop, "Under Cover of Darkness").

I suppose I may be thinking too deeply about interpersonal band dynamics when I consider such scenarios. Maybe everyone involved just wants to make good music, and no one gives a fuck who gets credit or through what label they present it. Certainly, as a listener, I'm thankful that I get to have the Strokes and Albert Hammond Jr., and the Voidz, and etc. It's all good-to-great music to me.