Stereogum Releases New Strokes Tribute Album

Ten years ago The Strokes released Is This It, helping to usher in the “garage rock revival” of 2001. Sales of leather jackets and black skinny jeans would never be the same.

To celebrate the anniversary, Stereogum has released Stroked: A Tribute To Is This It, which you can download for free or listen to sample tracks here. With the exception of Peter Bjorn and John’s treatment of the title track, the rest of the songs take on a (sometimes unrecognizable) life of their own. Deradoorian transforms “Trying Your Luck” into a mellow, reggae-influenced track. “New York City Cops” is remixed into a full-on rap protest song.

But the best places to start are with Real Estate’s summer-y, chilled out “Barely Legal” and The Morning Benders’ synth-infused “Last Night,” which is basically what the song would’ve sounded like if The Strokes had written it for First Impressions of Earth.