Ladies and gentlemen, one of my favorite bands, The Strokes,
all the way back in 2001. The alternative music scene
was bland and repetitive all until a new band from New York
would explode onto the scene and changed the sound of rock music
forever. Releasing their debut album, Is This It? Is that it coming out in September?
Isn't it? Is that it? Actually it’s
Is this with its uniquely garage laid back and lo fi sound that hadn't been done
well since the Velvet Underground. The Strokes were already growing a huge and loyal fanbase
hanging out with this fan right here. yeah. So you got a fan? Yeah, I have one. With massive songs like Last Night someday. And this is it. Is that it . Julian Casablancas describes that he wanted
that early sound to be like a band from the past that took a time trip to the future
to make their record, and with producer
Gordon Raphael at the Ready, they went on to make something that didn't sound anything like the music
that was being released at the time. So what do we doing here?
What do you want to do? Hey. Well, you know what
everybody else is doing in New York? Yeah, that's what we don't want to do,
With the massive success of their debut album tucked Away? They went back into the studio
with producer Gordon Raphael to record their follow up album,
Room on Fire, which would in turn produce their most famous
and biggest song to date. Today we're going to look at the behemoth
that is Reptilia what makes this song so good, memorable and loved by fans
all over the world. Even to this day, over 20 years later, from its amazing dual guitar parts that counteract and blend together
seamlessly. It's lo fi garage
rock style drum production and of course, Julian's famous distorted lead vocal. Let's dive right into it. The song opens with that iconic drum fill before returning to a straightforward
beat with the bass droning along in the background, adding to the driving
rhythm section, The Strokes are known for anticipation builds, and before you know
it, the guitars come feed backing into the picture
before delivering one of the Strokes most iconic riffs from a production standpoint. The song is really simple. Producer Gordon Raphael always
wanted The Strokes to sound like the band. They are playing in a room together
and capturing that magic. What people aren't doing is
I have eight microphones in my capability and 1 888 interface that took eight mikes. I put them around the room,
go play your song in that room and we'll record it like that. And that will be what people aren't doing. So they did that and they loved the sound. Yeah, that's it. That's it, dude. Which in turn makes the record sound
like you're in a rehearsal room with them. For better
or for worse, drum wise fabs at the helm. And is usually playing a Ludwig Classic maple Kit Combining
that sound with a very minimal Mic setup. We get that driving lo fi drum sound,
that its such an integral part of the Strokes. Sounds when it comes to bass. Nikolai’s setup is also very simple. A Fender jazz bass. with both pick ups on full
through an Ampeg SVT stack and you’re pretty much there. Nothing more and nothing less is needed. It's the perfect complement to the drums
and delivering a rock solid rhythm section now we come the juicy part. Nick Valensi and Albert
Hammond Junior's guitar sounds super iconic in their own way,
but the defining factor of the Strokes is how these two guitarists complement
each of those parts and sound perfectly, never stepping on each other's
toes and delivering music in a counterpoint fashion. In Reptilia both guitars
come squealing into the picture. Nick Valensi laying down the rhythm
dominated chord parts and Albert delivering the massive riff
that is reptilia. Nick and Albert
both used very similar gear. They had a hot rod deville each and a Jekyll and Hyde drive slash
distortion pedal each and to replicate this can basically just use a tube
screamer pedal and a marshall shredmaster style pedal as these are the circuits
the Jekyll Hyde is based on. But really
the thing that makes their sound so different from each other even with
similar gear is the guitars they used. Albert is always seen playing his Japanese sixties reissue Olympic
white Fender Strat with ceramic pickups, which he is hardwired
to always be using the middle pickup. I use the middle pickup on everything,
and so it's wired. So when I'm strumming, I won't hit it. If not, it would be here. And a lot of times when you strum,
you end up hitting it. Very strange approach,
but defining in its own right. With Nick he’s usually using his Epiphone
Riviera with Gibson P-94 for pickups, especially in the early days in turn,
another unique guitar in its own right. When we get to the bridge, we get another super unique, slidey
rhythm guitar part from Nick Valensi While Albert takes over lead duties. However, when we get to the solo,
the roles switch and Nick delivers one of the Strokes
most iconic guitar solos of all time. Now The Strokes just wouldn't be the shows about Julian's gravelly,
distorted lead vocals. That take the garage lo fi sound. That one step further, in isolation. The vocal sounds strange,
almost out of tune, but bring them back in with the rest of the band
and you've got something quite amazing. Reptilia is still one of the Strokes
most iconic, well-loved and famous songs. With however many streams and sales all over the world, it's
no wonder people love this song so much. What song
would you like me to look at next time? Let me know down in the comments
and I'll see you next time.
