It’s always hard for an act hyped to be “The Next Big Thing.” When it comes to their debut albums, these bands have basically three options: to make an overly mainstream album to sell the amount of copies they were told they should sell; to overcompensate and make an album that only creates a cult following; or to break up under the pressure.

The Strokes did none of these, and instead made an album that goes beyond the hype.

Ever since the Strokes, a product of the New York club scene, started touring in Britain earlier this year, every music magazine over there has called them the greatest thing since dentistry; and this was before they even had an EP out!

This buzz slowly worked itself over the pond, and now they are considered the next big thing in America, once again based solely on their performances. Now all that is left is for the debut album to sell millions of copies and to obliterate all those boy bands, right?

The band’s reaction to this pressure is Is This it, an album that makes all the acclaim worthy. Even from the first song “Is This It,” there is an aura of freshness that permeates the room.

The feel reminds me of the New York new wave sound of Television or Blondie, but more polished. It bounces from the harsh punk attitude of “Hard to Explain” and “New York City Cops” to the `50s bebop of “Someday” and “Last Nite” flawlessly.

The guitar work of Nick Valensi and Albert Hammond Jr. is some of the best I’ve heard in quite some time.

There isn’t the relationship between most acts with two guitars, where there is a distinct lead guitar part and a less-distinguished rhythm guitar part.

Instead, the parts weave around each other and, with the driving work of bassist Nickolai Fraiture and drummer Fab Moretti, create a signature sound that is almost impossible to compare with current bands.

The most prolific part of this album is its simplicity.

They don’t have the sometimes-excessive synth work of most current British bands, and don’t rely on the help of a DJ like American bands. They just make dirty rock `n’ roll, and they do it with the best there were.

Rock world, this is your wake up call! This is the kind album that should change the music atmosphere, but I doubt this will happen.

Still, I would strongly urge anyone looking for new and fresh-sounding rock `n’ roll bands to look into this album immediately; you won’t be disappointed.

I know this probably won’t buck N’Sync or hip-hop off the top of the charts, or even Mandy Moore for that matter, but a boy can dream.