When a friend recommended a member of The Strokes’ side project (a whopping thirty minutes ago), I was a little wary. I imagined that I was facing yet another generic indie rock record, and I’d end up writing yet another generic indie rock review. Then, I found out that the only Strokes influence found on this particular record comes from Fabrizio Moretti, the band’s drummer. That calmed me down a little bit—as important as drummers are, they really only hit things with sticks. They may all have their individual styles and whatnot, but the rest of the band has much more influence over the sound of the music. At some point during this random thought-frenzy, I managed to press play on the record’s first track. Then it took me a few songs to realize that I had the record on shuffle. Isn’t that the worst?
Anyway, I was very surprised to hear that this band actually does sound a lot like The Strokes. Considering that there’s no Julian Casablancas or Albert Hammond Jr. in sight, the resemblance is uncanny. How to Hang a Warhol, for instance, could find itself a home on any Strokes release. I don’t think that Fabrizio’s inclusion has too much to do with it, though. The similarities between the bands are most noticeable in Rodrigo Amarante’s vocals and guitar work. Maybe the beats are the same, but that’s not something that I’m going to pick up on after a single listen.
Little Joy is not a complete rip-off of The Strokes, as the band does bring their own style to their music. The steel guitar is a nice touch, and multi-instrumentalist Binki Shapiro does add something to the record with a few lead vox spots. I’ll always think of this album as a by-product of The Strokes, though. Little Joy would have to do something pretty amazing for that opinion to change.
Swole Ear 
How do you hate a group featuring someone named Binki Shapiro? A multi-instrumentalist, no less (Oy! So talented!) . I say that they should re-name the group the Shapiros and all take the last name Shapiro, like the Ramones. I am already loving the sound of Fabrizio (Fab) and Rodrigo (Rod) Shapiro.
– L’Shana Tova (Shapiro)
Damn, Herr Doktor Chops, you beat me to it. I want a Binki Shapiro t-shirt.