Pitchfork

Is This It?, the much-hyped debut full-length from the latest "second coming of the Velvet Underground," more commonly known as the Strokes, will be released domestically in late September by one of the many tentacles of RCA. This is the result of a bidding war which ensued following the release of the band's first EP, The Modern Age, on XL in January.

The UK release of Is This It? received the usual fanfare from the British music press. Aside from the VU comparisons, there have also been nods in the direction of Television, the Fall, John Lennon, and, if you can believe it, Roy Orbison. If looking for more current parallels, Clinic and the White Stripes have also received a name-check or two. Doesn't anyone in England use a thesaurus anymore? Damn those lazy gits!

The Strokes, on the other hand, have been anything but lazy. The band, led by the flamboyantly named Julian Casablancas, has honed their eclectic electric post-punk on tour with Doves and Guided by Voices in 2001. Whether these latest saviors of the moribund guitar rock scene will actually turn things around stateside remains to be seen.