Hamilton Leithauser and The Strokes

The new Hamilton Leithauser album is terrific. One song is better than the next, including all the bonus tracks. Hamilton is a mesmerizing performer to watch. So much stage presence, and he does amazing things with his voice -- ranging from softly singing sweet ballads to raging out hard rockers, and hitting every possible mood in between. He and his new bandmates put on a great show. His new sound isn't so far removed from the Walkmen, as to make you miss the talents that made him standout as their frontmen, yet it's distinctive enough to not feel like an imitation or extension of their sound.
"I'll Never Love Again" is my fave song of the year, and watching it performed live transported me. He has a very talented band behind him, including backup vocals from his wife.
He apologized for not having many songs to play, which I understand. My only minor complaint was that he only did 11 songs. At other shows, he's done a 12th "St. Mary's County," which I would have loved to heard. But when a performer gives you everything he has physically and bears his soul the way Ham did with everything song he performed at this show, it's hard to quibble.

The Strokes are unquestionably one of the best bands out there, and you can really tell that they have been influenced by The Doors. I love The Doors and so I love The Strokes.

Just like Jim Morrison, the lead singer of The Strokes (Julian Casablancas) has an element of shyness to him. The band works together very well and they just look like they belong together: if you watch Fab Moretti (the drummer), he's always looking up and watching the other players really intensely. I really enjoy watching them play together and I love to see them live. They don’t talk to the audience much, and mainly just focus on playing, but they do make some contact with the audience. You can tell that their fans really love them and their concerts are always filled with good people.

Due to the fact that they are so popular they usually play for really large crowds, but if you are very lucky you can catch one of their smaller more intimate performances. I've only ever managed to see them with a large crowd, but I have to say it was still really fun. You get a much bigger atmosphere when there are more people; everyone is so excited, but Julian looks so cool and reserved in his leather coat and sunglasses.

Since I've been a fan of theirs (for more than 10 years), I really think that The Strokes are getting better over time and that is good because I want them to be around for a long time!