Strokes' guitarist goes solo on album
Hammond will be having fun with friends at TLA.
As the son of singer-songwriter Albert Hammond (of "It Never Rains in California" fame) and as the rhythm guitarist for the Strokes, Albert Hammond Jr. must step out of several shadows.
With Yours to Keep, his debut solo album, he succeeds.
Over a year ago, during his downtime from the Strokes, Hammond recorded a few songs of his own. Pleased with the results, he wrote and recorded an album's worth, drafting a few friends, including Sean Lennon and Ben Kweller, to help out.
Hammond cops to two of his musical influences with the bonus tracks: a rave-up cover of Guided by Voices' "Postal Blowfish" and a sprightly acoustic one of Buddy Holly's "Well . . . All Right." But also lurking in the background is Julian Casablancas, the Strokes songwriter and singer.
Yours to Keep includes a few Strokes-like (and therefore Casablancas-like) songs, such as the propulsive "In Transit" and the hooky "101," either of which would have been a standout on last year's less than stellar First Impressions of Earth. It also touches on sunny Beatles-esque ditties, glam rock, harmony-rich lullabies and lo-fi pop, and it's riddled with catchy guitar riffs.
Hammond, however, is nonchalant about the whole process. He doesn't see the album as a major declaration of independence, although he knows some people might want to read it that way.
"I don't really dwell on things I can't do anything about. I'm not going to sit here and be like, 'Oh, I'm this front guy now; what do I do?' " says Hammond from a tour date in Toronto. "I'm just going to do what I do, which is play music with my friends and try to have a good time and try as hard as I can to learn how to be me in front of people, just to be able to act natural."