Little Joy – Little Joy – 2006
Little Joy is the side project from The Strokes’s DRUMMER. Got that? This isn’t the guitarist or the singer’s dalliances. This is the drummer.
Now, I happen to enjoy the occasional drummer’s foray. Roger Taylor? Sure. Phil Collins? Why not? Dave Grohl? Yep.
Ringo Starr? Umm…well, judging from the early tracks on Little Joy, whose first track sounds like it was taken from the original acetate, yeah.
Actually, there’s a lot to like on Little Joy. It’s cute. It’s a trifle. You can’t hate the 50’s hawaiian surf happy of “Brand New Start”. Or the wilting loveliness of “Play the Part”. “Unattainable” with Binki Shaprio’s Zooey Deschanel-esque vox is impossible not to like. And “How to Hang a Warhol” shows more humor than Casablancas has ever let on to anyone. Hey, Julian, hang out with Fabrizio, man.
There are traces of just about every power pop band here. Echoes of The Raspberries, Beach Boys, Serge Gainsbourg, The Beatles. Even The Strokes (“Keep Me In Mind”) I’m not sure Moretti wants to leave his main group (though lord only knows what The Strokes are thinking these days) but this harmless offering makes for a nice spin on a rainy day. I really like this record more and more with each listen. The players wear their influences on their sleeve but they aren’t afraid to dive in to the material. It’s such a complete departure from what I know of Moretti’s other band. I totally dig it.
Grade: A
ASide: No One’s Better Sake, Unattainable, Don’t Watch Me Dancing
BlindSide: Brand New Start, Shoulder to Shoulder, How to Hang a Warhol
