Whats the Weakness? - The Strokes

The Strokes, made famous by their unique melodic garage rock sound, are in my opinion one of the most promising bands of today's alternative genre. And they make this known with critically acclaimed albums such as "Is This It?" and "Room on Fire". Both albums are very well put together, very well written. and have a sound you just can't find anywhere else. I strongly encourage anyone who isn't familiar with The Strokes to check them out. However, I also believe that The Strokes have a lot to work on if they want to continue to stick around. And the first thing they need to do is get a new album out. The main reason for this is we haven't seen anything new from The Strokes since 2005. (Apart from frontman Julian Casablancas' solo work). The Strokes have been said to have a new album currently in the works. Although this same album was said to be released in 2009 and we have yet to see it. Now rumor has it that the album will be released in Summer of 2011. A six year wait for a new album that's probably going to consist of some of the same sounds as "Is This It" and "Room on Fire"? No thanks, not worth the wait. The Strokes need to get going on this album especially since they've delayed the release so much now, that everyones expectations are going to be extremely high that most fans are probably going to be disappointed. Hence, the loss of even more fans. I think the problem here is that The Strokes have found a sound that works for them and are afraid to step out of their comfort zone and try something new. But a new sound is not always a recipe for disaster. Take Weezer for example, they're most recent albums consist of a completely different sound then we are used to but the choice to find a new sound paid off for them big time. The same goes for OK GO and their new album. The Strokes also need to put together a solid tour, and take the tour seriously. The Strokes don't take their performances seriously. Take one of their most recent performances for example. Lalapalooza 2010. The band was set to be a headliner along with Lady Gaga. Now performing as a headliner for something as big Lalapalooza you would think the band would take things seriously. Apparently not. The band came on 15 minutes late, half-heartedly performed their songs, and finished playing much earlier than scheduled. Now I can't put an exact number on just how many fans they lost that night. But I have no doubt in my mind that it was a high number. If they would just take their performances a little more seriously than maybe they would be taken a little more seriously too. This being said, the Strokes are an amazing band that continues to remain in my top ten favorite bands. (I myself am eagerly awaiting the new album.) And by no means am I encouraging you to not listen to them. (that would be a shame, they are too good.) However I do think they have some things to work on if they don't want to fade out of the music scene.