It was probably not much fun to be in The Strokes as 2005โs "First Impressions Of Earth" exploded at the top of the UK charts and then, like a spent firework, plummeted straight out the bottom. Still, it would appear that waking up one morning to find the zeitgeist went thattaway can be quite a liberating experience. Just ask Fabrizio Moretti. Come early 2007, the Strokes drummer found himself hanging out in Los Angeles with friend Rodrigo Amarante, singer/guitarist of Brazilโs Los Hermanos, jamming in Devendra Banhartโs new band of hairies, Megapuss, and on the sly, working on some songs of his own. It would be deceptive, though, to describe "Little Joy" as a solo album. The trio completed by Morettiโs new beau, Los Angeles songwriter Binki Shapiro, this clutch of mostly gentle, tropical-tinged pop songs feels like the stuff of fruitful collaboration. Recorded with a warm, vintage feel by Noah Georgeson, Banhart collaborator and co-writer of much of 2007โs "Smokey Rolls Down Thunder Canyon", much of "Little Joy" is reminiscent both of Banhartโs sunnier moments and, well, The Strokes themselves. Lionโs share of the vocals is handled by Amarante, whose tousled croon is, at times, an eerie ringer for Julian Casablancas. His โBrand New Startโ is a sunny swing, chorusing โThere ainโt no lover like the one I gotโ over doo-wop harmonies and small crests of horns, and heโs got a nice way with understated insouciance: โOh, is this where it ends/A whimper in the place of a bang?โ he laments on โNo Oneโs Better Sakeโ. Shaprio, meanwhile, takes lead on a handful of songs, best being โUnattainableโ, fragile yearning reminiscent of Mo Tuckerโs โAfter Hoursโ. Ambitions here, you feel, do not extend far beyond โa good time, all the timeโ โ itโs probably telling that the band name derives from a cocktail lounge on Sunset Boulevard โ but then, Moretti probably wouldnโt want it any other way. LOUIS PATTISON
It was probably not much fun to be in The Strokes as 2005โs โFirst Impressions Of Earthโ exploded at the top of the UK charts and then, like a spent firework, plummeted straight out the bottom. Still, it would appear that waking up one morning to find the zeitgeist went thattaway can be quite a liberating experience.
Just ask Fabrizio Moretti. Come early 2007, the Strokes drummer found himself hanging out in Los Angeles with friend Rodrigo Amarante, singer/guitarist of Brazilโs Los Hermanos, jamming in Devendra Banhartโs new band of hairies, Megapuss, and on the sly, working on some songs of his own.
It would be deceptive, though, to describe โLittle Joyโ as a solo album. The trio completed by Morettiโs new beau, Los Angeles songwriter Binki Shapiro, this clutch of mostly gentle, tropical-tinged pop songs feels like the stuff of fruitful collaboration. Recorded with a warm, vintage feel by Noah Georgeson, Banhart collaborator and co-writer of much of 2007โs โSmokey Rolls Down Thunder Canyonโ, much of โLittle Joyโ is reminiscent both of Banhartโs sunnier moments and, well, The Strokes themselves. Lionโs share of the vocals is handled by Amarante, whose tousled croon is, at times, an eerie ringer for Julian Casablancas.
His โBrand New Startโ is a sunny swing, chorusing โThere ainโt no lover like the one I gotโ over doo-wop harmonies and small crests of horns, and heโs got a nice way with understated insouciance: โOh, is this where it ends/A whimper in the place of a bang?โ he laments on โNo Oneโs Better Sakeโ. Shaprio, meanwhile, takes lead on a handful of songs, best being โUnattainableโ, fragile yearning reminiscent of Mo Tuckerโs โAfter Hoursโ. Ambitions here, you feel, do not extend far beyond โa good time, all the timeโ โ itโs probably telling that the band name derives from a cocktail lounge on Sunset Boulevard โ but then, Moretti probably wouldnโt want it any other way.
LOUIS PATTISON