Ladies and gentlemen, you wanted the best? Well they couldn’t make it, but please allow me to introduce you to “The Strokes.” In case you’ve been under a rock (no pun intended) for the last six months or so, you must have heard of “The Strokes.” Perhaps the best band to come out of New York in the past two decades. Based mostly on the strength of a few singles, “The Strokes” have been dubbed everything from the saviors of rock n’ roll, to the coolest band on the planet, and to let you in on a little secret: Do believe the hype.

The music scene has been pretty bland of late, especially when it came to rock music, the genre that started it all in the first place. Nu metal has become boring with every act sounding like a clone of the other. On the other side of the spectrum alternative bands have become safe radio-friendly unit shifters that the whole family can enjoy. How many songs with the “verse, chorus, and verse chorus” can the masses really stand?

Deep down, we all know that rock is in large part about projecting image and emotion, so the question really is: How good is any band at conveying that attitude, as the great Johnny Rotten once declared, “We mean it, man”?

The answer regarding “The Strokes” is that they are quite exceptionally good. To me, it all smacks of what Nietzsche called “resentemente,” and it’s all irrelevant: “The Strokes” have released one of this year’s finest and most passionate albums in “Is This It.” (Notice the intentional dropping of the question mark).

“The Strokes” sound is being compared to everybody from the Velvet Underground, the Ramones and the Talking Heads. To be honest the band combines many influences, but they manage to make sound all so fresh in the process. The quintet formed in 1999 and debuted at the spiral in New York on Sept. 14 of that year. After touring the NYC club circuit, their demo tape was picked up by Rough Trade Records and released as an EP called “The Modern Age,” which set off the all too familiar record industry bidding war with RCA coming on top.

The band toured the US and then the UK where they were heralded as the “it” band and subsequent media darlings, winning the respect of both their peers and critics alike.

Now, the album.

The record opens with the title track, but it bears no relation to the rest of the album. It is there to confuse you, leave you open. Telling you that this is not the start. The first two tracks are a mere introduction. It’s on the third track “Soma,” where the album really takes you somewhere. Two chords to create tension, juxtaposed with an open-voiced howl like mascara on a street corner. The stakes have been raised.

On track five, “Someday,” it’s lighting, the new wave sound of the early 1980s coming to the fore, with a bass-line identical to that of Joy Division’s Peter Hook. The true highlight of the album is the eighth track “Hard To Explain.” It’s one of those songs that you will remember hearing for the first time, what you were wearing, and what kind of a day it was. An electronic drum loop starts the track off followed by a great guitar riff and great vocal delivery (although distorted) by front man Julian Casablancas (son of modeling czar John Casablancas), a true classic.

“Take It Or Leave It” is the perfect closing track containing excellent guitar work and captivating vocals. It takes the album to another level. The only draw back to this album is that it’s only 35 minutes long, but on the other hand there are no boring fillers. The album is already a hit in the UK reaching No. 1 in the independent album chart, and No. 2 on the pop charts.

This is a great album, which should be in any music lover’s CD collection. If you can get a copy do so, because this could be this generation’s “Nivermind.”