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This past Friday at 10 a.m., tickets went on sale for Julian Casablancas (with special guest Funeral Party).  The show will be put on by My Old Kentucky Blog (MOKB) and will be at The Vogue on Friday, April the 9th.  It is 21+ and a non smoking show. Tickets are $20 in advance.

Although this show is months away, if you have any interest in Julian Casablancas or The Stokes as a whole, I would most definitely be on point about getting your ticket. The Vogue has a terrific habit of selling out when you least expect it! As for me, I will most certainly be in attendance.  However, my expectations are really up in the air at this point. Considering this tour is to promote his solo album, Phrazes for the Young, (which was released in early November) it will be interesting to see if that is all he brings to Indianapolis.

Will Casablancas be as impressive on his own compared to when he was with The Strokes?  Based off of recent solo performances and the album itself, my honest guess is no, no he won’t.  Although the original single “11th Dimension” is extremely catchy and has great energy, I do not feel that the rest of the album follows suit. There are certain gems such as “Glass” but overall I feel the album ends up drowning in synthetic drums, auto-tune, and an overload of processed sounds….which is specifically why I am SO curious to see how it will be played live.

In a few of the tracks I can get a certain feel for that 80′s party, Talking Head’s type of sound that Casablancas was going for, yet once again the songs are too full and overwhelming.  In my opinion, his pure, smooth voice that once made The Strokes who they were, is barely recognizable beyond the layers and layers of cluster.  You’re a very talented musician Julian, we get that, but why must you show all your cards and tricks in one song?  With harsh guitar tones, depressing lyrics, and the busiest beats, this album has the potential to be exhausting.

However, the album only consists of 8 songs–40 minutes…which does not consist of an entire concert.  I know that I will be secretly hoping for some old school Strokes’ tunes to hit the Vogue that night. Speaking of which, the band is said to have a new album out by fall 2010.  I know I am not the only one crossing my fingers that this little break has done them well.  First Impressions of Earth (2006) was no where near the standard set by Room On Fire (2003) and Is This it (2001).

There are those few artists who can make it work, such as Dan Auerbach and Patrick Carney (side project called Drummer) from The Black Keys. Can you think of any other examples? Unfortunately,  I do not think The Stokes broken into solo performers are any where near as extraordinary as they are as a whole. Not saying that I don’t enjoy Julian Casablancas or guitarist Albert Hammond Jr. (check out “In Transit”) on their own, but I find that when combining these individuals the sound is truly unbeatable.

Although my review of Phrazes for the Young might have come off seemingly negative, I only have positive vibes flowing for Casablancas’ live performance on April 9th.  Considering the sound that he was aiming for in his recent album, The Vogue just might be the perfect venue to reward his efforts.  All of my personal issues with Phrazes for the Young have to do with overproduction, therefore, I am looking forward to hearing it raw and real… and I have no doubt, whatsoever, that I will truly be blown away.

Don’t miss out on seeing a musical legend in Indianapolis’ own, The Vogue on April 9th. Did I mention Rolling Stone named Is This It as the number two album of the decade? come on, that’s a pretty big freakin deal.

…and yeah, that’s right, I said it. A LEGEND.

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