Albert Hammond Jr.

It’s time to showcase Albert Hammond Jr., because I’m feeling as if he’s not getting much love, well, maybe just not as much attention as I think he should be. You’ll know Hammond as the rhythm guitarist for The Strokes. He’s not as much in the limelight as other members of his band, say, lead singer Julian Casablancas or drummer Fabrizio Moretti, but this boy is good, actually, this boy is great. He’s the only member of the band who’s put out any solo work, though the other’s have had side projects, and it’s been prolific and well received thus far.

Hammond has released two albums already; ‘Yours To Keep’ in 2006 and ‘Como Te Llama?’ last year. ‘Yours To Keep’ gets its name from the fact that Hammond would hand out the album to friends and family saying ‘It’s yours to keep’. Both albums have had a strong array of guest stars, which include Sean Lennon, Ben Kweller, Jody Porter of Fountains of Wayne, and even The Stroke’s lead singer, Julian Casablancas.

Hammond’s solo sound isn’t too far off kilter from The Strokes’, which is to be expected, but it’s softer, sweeter and sunnier. The music is quite beautiful actually and there’s something nostalgic in all of it. Perhaps it has to do with Hammond’s voice, which is endearing and unaffected. His rough croon and freewheeling melody meld to create a charming sketchbook of songs. One of my favorite tracks is ‘GfC’, which opens with starry guitar twinkles and follows with a shaking 60s mod bass and sliding guitars. These two albums should hold over any Strokes fan until they put out their long overdue 4th album, and at times, dare we say, might even be more enjoyable.

Albert Hammond Jr. - In Transit

Albert Hammond Jr. - Everyone Gets A Star

Albert Hammond Jr. - Scared

Albert Hammond Jr. - GfC

The Video for GfC is stylish. Love the suits, the timing, the colors. Embedding for it is disabled, so check it out here.