#music Julian Casablancas & The Voidz - Tyranny

I like pop music. I enjoy the verse-chorus-verse-chorus-verse structure with big hooks, it might sound simple but when it is done properly it is a master-piece. Writing a perfect pop song is an art-form that only a few can excel at. When I say pop, I'm not just referring to the genre we call 'pop', which I do adore but I mean 'pop' as in 'popular', we class The Beatles as 'pop' but they were more like an indie band who went huge, a bit like The Strokes. The New York quintet exploded on to the scene in 2001 with Is This It, a razor sharp album that follows that verse-chorus-verse-chorus-verse structure, it was bare when it comes to complexity but that is what makes it timeless.
The Strokes were a pop band who played instruments and looked effortlessly cool. The follow-up record, Room On Fire is also exceptional as it delivered catchy and snappy tunes with killer choruses. Thirteen years on, The Strokes are lethargic, when it comes to working as a band but individually they are pretty prolific. Julian Casablancas, the bands frontman wrote pretty much every moment on the first two records, he proved that he can write great songs but three more Strokes albums and a solo record down the line Julian reinvents himself, fronting another group, called The Voidz, a bunch of session musicians based in LA but it appears he has forgotten how to write a tune.
Julian is an odd character. Visually, the coolest kid on the block but awkward, witty yet withdrawn whilst a wild side is there when it needs to be. I expected that this wasn't going to be an easy listen from the tracks that have been floating about and YouTube clips but to me Tyranny just sounds a mess. Like when an artist spends hours painting a pretty picture only to throw paint all over it, ruining anything nice about it. Tyranny is ugly.
It opens with industrial beats plucked from Lou Reed's darkest moments on Take Me In Your Army as Julian's vocals go from quiet mumbles to falsettos like that is a normal thing to do, it just makes it even more awkward for the listener trying to figure out what the fuck is going on. It's like when Lennon and Yoko collaborated, they tried to be clever as they weirded themselves out which in turn alienated their audience.
Crunch Punch shows promise with energy and angst but it is ruined by deafening feedback and screeching guitars. Then there is Human Sadness, lasting almost eleven minutes, it is a chore to listen through as there is no structure, melody or tune to hang on to. Single, Where No Eagles Fly is the most Strokes-y track on the album as it has sixties punk influences and a MELODY! Father Electricity is upbeat with samba drums that change the mood but they get drowned out by more tuneless vocals and needless over-the-top guitar noise. Johan Von Bronx has thrashy eighties punk elements then there's Xerox which plods along eerily with tender synths and gentle vocals whilst Dare I Care is almost unlistenable.

I don't want it to sound like The Strokes of 2001, I just want something interesting/exciting/great! Tyranny isn't angry enough to be punk or clever enough to be avant garde, it's just a mess, I know he made this to shake off The Strokes fan base, I could accept that if it was good, it just doesn't make sense. If it was anybody else I wouldn't have given it a second chance, never mind a third, fourth and fifth but this is Julian Casablancas who has influenced me on so many levels, I feel that I owe him more of my time.
Maybe some people like this kind of thing, I don't 'get it', I'll stick with Is This It and my skinny jeans thanks!