# Resolved: All Strokes Songs Sound The Same **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [January 12, 2003, 8:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/resolved-all-strokes-songs-sound-the-same/148187 "2003-01-12T20:51:44Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![fighting\_ignorant](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/ac8455/32.png) [@fighting\_ignorant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/fighting_ignorant)\ **Post date:** [January 12, 2003, 8:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/resolved-all-strokes-songs-sound-the-same/148187/1 "2003-01-12T20:51:44Z")
Discuss. ---
**Author:** ![epraz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/82dd89/32.png) [@epraz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/epraz)\ **Post date:** [January 12, 2003, 9:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/resolved-all-strokes-songs-sound-the-same/148187/2 "2003-01-12T21:01:42Z")
it’s the lead singer’s voice-changing thingy. ---
**Author:** ![Neurotik](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/91b2a8/32.png) [@Neurotik](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Neurotik)\ **Post date:** [January 12, 2003, 9:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/resolved-all-strokes-songs-sound-the-same/148187/3 "2003-01-12T21:12:47Z")
Yup. While I haven’t listened to the entire album, I’ve listened to about five or six songs after it. Guitar plays same basic rythm, using same basic chord, with same basic tone. Drummer plays same basic beat. Truly unremarkable. ---
**Author:** ![betenoir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/258eb7/32.png) [@betenoir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/betenoir)\ **Post date:** [January 12, 2003, 9:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/resolved-all-strokes-songs-sound-the-same/148187/4 "2003-01-12T21:16:34Z")
Yeah, well, all Ramones songs sound the same and that didn’t stop them from being the greatest band in the universe. What’s your point? ---
**Author:** ![japatlgt](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/df705f/32.png) [@japatlgt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/japatlgt)\ **Post date:** [January 12, 2003, 10:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/resolved-all-strokes-songs-sound-the-same/148187/5 "2003-01-12T22:35:36Z")
Yes, they stink. As do the Hives and all the rest. Commercial music is bottoming out. ---
**Author:** ![bluecanary](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bluecanary/32/3614_2.png) [@bluecanary](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bluecanary)\ **Post date:** [January 12, 2003, 10:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/resolved-all-strokes-songs-sound-the-same/148187/6 "2003-01-12T22:53:50Z")
Hives more so than Strokes IMO. ---
**Author:** ![Orange\_Skinner](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/3be4f8/32.png) [@Orange\_Skinner](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Orange_Skinner)\ **Post date:** [January 12, 2003, 11:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/resolved-all-strokes-songs-sound-the-same/148187/7 "2003-01-12T23:20:37Z")
Yeah, the tracks have a very similar sound from one to the next…same drum beat, simple bass lines…but there’s something about them that I like 'em anyway. ---
**Author:** ![Miller](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/miller/32/481_2.png) [@Miller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Miller)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2003, 1:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/resolved-all-strokes-songs-sound-the-same/148187/8 "2003-01-13T01:07:37Z")
So they sound the same. The important thing is, they also sound _good_. ---
**Author:** ![Boo\_Boo\_Foo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e274bd/32.png) [@Boo\_Boo\_Foo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Boo_Boo_Foo)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2003, 1:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/resolved-all-strokes-songs-sound-the-same/148187/9 "2003-01-13T01:14:14Z")
It’s easy to be jealous of success. Nickelback cops heaps of it. At the Kerrang awards in London in September, Dave Grohl of Foo Fighters (and obviously Nirvana prior to that) really gave some of the people present a utterly healthy spray about the endless snide putdowns Chad Kroeger was getting that night. He pointed out, quite rightfully, it’s a very, VERY long way to the top if you wanna rock n roll, and just coz someone’s successful, doesn’t mean they deserve condemnation and jealousy as a result. If anyone in the industry at the moment has a claim to some real street cred, it’s Dave Grohl. He pointed out that while Nickelback’s music might not be his personal fave, he respects how hard the slog has been for 'em to get where they are. The same can be said for The Hives and The Strokes too. Let 'em enjoy their time in the sun I say. Congratulations to 'em. Not my cup of tea also, but a job well done I say. Same for Eminem. Same for Avril Lavigne. If they’re good enough, they’ll go from strength to strength - but to get on the internet and whine about them is lameness of the highest order if you ask me. Just avoid 'em if they don’t work for you. Listen to something else. There’s heaps of good stuff out at the moment. Try some Aussie bands if you’re stuck for inspiration. They’re powering on big time. ---
**Author:** ![Tanaqui](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/3bc359/32.png) [@Tanaqui](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tanaqui)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2003, 1:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/resolved-all-strokes-songs-sound-the-same/148187/10 "2003-01-13T01:37:01Z")
Personally, I would rather hear the garage bands than the Backstreet Boys on MTV even if they do sound all the same. Speaking of the Strokes though, the lead singer guy creeps the hell out of me. Is it just me or does he look permenently out of it? I don’t mean just a little out of it, I mean _reaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaally_ out of it. I don’t know if it’s on purpose or what, but it’s friggin’ creepy. ---
**Author:** ![Tanaqui](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/3bc359/32.png) [@Tanaqui](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tanaqui)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2003, 1:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/resolved-all-strokes-songs-sound-the-same/148187/11 "2003-01-13T01:48:04Z")
Curses! I didn’t mean to submit that yet. I realized I had the wrong band – they all kind of blur together after a while. I meant the lead singer of the Hives. At least, I’m fairly sure I mean the Hives. ---
**Author:** ![Boo\_Boo\_Foo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e274bd/32.png) [@Boo\_Boo\_Foo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Boo_Boo_Foo)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2003, 2:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/resolved-all-strokes-songs-sound-the-same/148187/12 "2003-01-13T02:01:27Z")
Nah, I bet you’re referring to Craig Nicholls from The Vines - even being a fellow Aussie I’m quite happy to concede he’s quite an “odd duck” to be sure. ---
**Author:** ![Fred](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/db5fbb/32.png) [@Fred](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fred)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2003, 2:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/resolved-all-strokes-songs-sound-the-same/148187/13 "2003-01-13T02:25:36Z")
**Part One** I think that most things sound the same until you’re familiar with them. Take electronic music, for example. It would be tough for someone unfamiliar with the genre to distinguish Trance from Jungle, for example. And so it goes with almost any genre you could mention: Jazz, Gangsta rap, Classical, and so on. When I first bought the Hives album Veni Vidi Vicious, I listened to it once, then put it away. I didn’t like it and felt I wasted my money. It all sounded the same to me. However, I listened to it again. And again. And again. And I grew to love each and every song on the album (Excepting “Find Yourself Another Girl” - Yech!). I could tell one from the other at a hundred yards. All the songs sounded the same to me when I was unfamiliar with them. Once I became familiar, they didn’t. I’d say the same thing happened with Is This It, but I liked it the first time I heard it. So there! ---
**Author:** ![DoctorJ](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/doctorj/32/2904_2.png) [@DoctorJ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DoctorJ)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2003, 2:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/resolved-all-strokes-songs-sound-the-same/148187/14 "2003-01-13T02:30:21Z")
Yes, they have one song, and even that one song sounded better back when Lou Reed did it. Still, it’s a good song. ---
**Author:** ![Tanaqui](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/3bc359/32.png) [@Tanaqui](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tanaqui)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2003, 3:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/resolved-all-strokes-songs-sound-the-same/148187/15 "2003-01-13T03:08:38Z")
You’re probably right, Boo Boo Foo. I totally forgot about the Vines. :smack: How very embarrassing. I hardly ever watch MTV - we don’t get cable out in the sticks - so I am basing my assessment on a few nights worth of videos I saw when I was staying at a rental house that had MTV a few weeks back. I don’t listen to the radio either, so I don’t really know what I’m talking about, generally. I’ll just shut up now. 🙂 ;j ---
**Author:** ![ElwoodCuse](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/edb3f5/32.png) [@ElwoodCuse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ElwoodCuse)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2003, 5:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/resolved-all-strokes-songs-sound-the-same/148187/16 "2003-01-13T05:11:51Z")
All Dave Matthews songs sound the same, too. ---
**Author:** ![AwSnappity](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/a3d4f5/32.png) [@AwSnappity](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AwSnappity)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2003, 5:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/resolved-all-strokes-songs-sound-the-same/148187/17 "2003-01-13T05:17:44Z")
How does one tell the Hives and the Vines apart? I seriously don’t know. I can look up who sang what song all the live-long day, but when it comes down to it, how different are they? Even their names are too similar. I don’t have either of their albums; that could be the crux of the problem. Whenever I ask my friends who’s who, they say, “The \_\_\_\_\_ are good, The \_\_\_\_\_ suck.” Oh, got it. Seriously, is one better than the other? Are there subtle nuances that I’m missing? ---
**Author:** ![fizgig](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/f04885/32.png) [@fizgig](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/fizgig)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2003, 5:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/resolved-all-strokes-songs-sound-the-same/148187/18 "2003-01-13T05:21:13Z")
I’ll agree with the OP. All summer, I was doing twice-weekly 2-4 hour roundtrip drives to my field sites with a very limited selection of music (stuff I put on old blank tapes I found laying around). I happened to tape _Is This It_, so I got LOTS of listening in on that album. There’s nothing that really sets one song apart from the others. I guess if pressed I’d say “Last Night” was the catchiest tune. However, I never listen to the disk anymore, because Sparklehorse’s song “Pig” sounds like the Strokes WISH they sounded, and then follow it up with some songs that _sound different._ Who knows, maybe they’ll mature and branch out. IIRC, the band members are pretty young. SO, I’m not saying the Strokes suck or anything, but from what I’ve seen, their range is pretty narrow. Of the genre, I’ll stick with White Stripes circa _de Stijl_. ---
**Author:** ![mobo85](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b19c9b/32.png) [@mobo85](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mobo85)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2003, 10:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/resolved-all-strokes-songs-sound-the-same/148187/19 "2003-01-13T22:11:17Z")
I don’t know punk rock and such, so… Sousa had a formula to writing his marches. There’s an introduction, a first part that’s repeated twice, a second part repeated twice, and two main parts, the first of which was repeated three times, and the second of which was placed in-between the three main parts. Intro-1-1-2-2-Main-Main2-Main-Main2-Main I know _Stars and Stripes Forever_ is like this. So is _The Gladiator_, and others. ---
**Author:** ![Dryga\_Yes](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/838e76/32.png) [@Dryga\_Yes](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dryga_Yes)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2003, 10:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/resolved-all-strokes-songs-sound-the-same/148187/20 "2003-01-13T22:49:58Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Boo Boo Foo \* > \*\*The same can be said for The Hives and The Strokes too. Let 'em enjoy their time in the sun I say. Congratulations to 'em. Not my cup of tea also, but a job well done I say. Same for Eminem. Same for Avril Lavigne. If they’re good enough, they’ll go from strength to strength - but to get on the internet and whine about them is lameness of the highest order if you ask me. Just avoid 'em if they don’t work for you. Listen to something else. There’s heaps of good stuff out at the moment. Try some Aussie bands if you’re stuck for inspiration. They’re powering on big time. \*\* \ If everyone followed your advice, how interesting do you think the music discussion threads here would be? 😉 The posts that are actually fun to read aren’t the ones that say > [@](#): > > I really like Alan Parsons Project, I really think they made some of the most beautiful and melodic prog rock ever. How can you beat the team Alan Parson/Eric Woolfson? They perfected their special blend of gentle keyboards and guitar on I, Robot, and 25 years later nobody has been able to make a worthy follow-up. but the ones that say > [@](#): > > If I have to listen to Alan Parsons Project one more time I’ll fucking cut my ears off, I can’t stand their pretentious bombastic wank. Oh no, what if a Big Brother-like dictatorship was instated? Wouldn’t that be bad? Yeah, you’ve got some radical ideas there, champ. PRO TIP: Referencing Asimov and Orwell doesn’t make you sound instantly smart. Yeah, I’m exaggerating, shoot me. 🙂 [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/resolved-all-strokes-songs-sound-the-same/148187.md?page=2)