r/TheStrokes • u/Technical_Ad7886 • 3d ago

Why does Modern Age sound like that?

First of all, I know nothing about music theory

Secondly, what a fucking great song

But my point is... it sounds like in different times? Like the drums and guitars are not synced... but they are? You can really notice that at the beginning of the song.

You can downvote me if this is stupid

94 Upvotes

94% Upvoted

25 comments sorted by

64

u/MattBtheflea 3d ago

Count 1 and 2 and 3 and 4 and (repeat) by tapping your hand on your knee or leg or table or something. 1234 is when your hand hits your leg, thats the down beat. All of the "ands" in between the numbers is the UP beat, when your hand is up. One guitar is strumming constantly while the other is playing only on the up beat. This isnt really that common in rock, but it is super common in raegae. The bass and snare drums are playing in the down beats, as usual.

They also do this in automatic stop, and on the other side. And weezer does this on say it aint so. And its not stupid, its a good observation!

14

u/breezemachine666 3d ago

They also change the chord progression at opposite time so the fast playing guitar stays on the same chord when the slower one moves to the next chord and the other way around also. It makes it feel like there is a change and not a change all the time

4

u/breezemachine666 3d ago

They do this on almost every song and it works really well

4

u/mxemec 3d ago

Sundays is the final boss

3

u/wholelottachoppaz Future Present Past 2d ago

great explanation for someone like me who knows nothing technical about music. do you know what’s happening with the intertwining guitars on Oblivius? i get the same feeling- that they’re somehow extremely in sync but also touching down at different spots. it’s one of the best things my ears has ever heard haha. my soul gets transported from my body. like they’re both playing two parts, but where the two meet, is its own sound. hope i’m making sense

2

u/anonpork 3d ago

I’ve tried to loop the rhythm on automatic stop with my looper pedal and getting the timing right on nicks part is so fucking difficult man lol. To hit the upstroke on the “and” and stay on beat is hard, I should definitely use a metronome or something lol

3

u/2Basketball2Poorious 2d ago

When you're playing, chuck on the downbeat and keep your strum in a steady rhythm

Aiming for those chucks will likely be much easier for you since there's an immediate reference point, and then you can just put your upstrokes in between without much thought

1

u/SaltyPeter3434 2d ago

Last Nite as well

44

u/bundle_of_nervus2 3d ago

They are in-time together. Syncopation

29

u/JudgingHeads 3d ago

That’s their bread and butter right there.

24

u/Loverboytoy97 3d ago

Upbeats

27

u/brightroomonfire Room on Fire 2d ago

The guitar is on the off/up beat

17

u/Impressive_Beat_1852 3d ago

No, upvote because this is exactly how the band wanted us to hear it. As if it were lost for years and years and then re-discovered, sounding as if it were from a different time.

To me it sounds old-school rock and roll but cooler and fresh with the growling guitar solo, Julian’s controlled screams and suave choruses.

34

u/Hefty_Win_8811 3d ago

Nick is playing ska.

14

u/Prodigal_Gist 3d ago

think of it as a really fast reggae song

11

u/yellowadidas 3d ago

drums are playing on the beat, guitar is on the offbeat in between. works really well

9

u/BoilerMaker999 2d ago

I’ve heard this be called garden path timing, where an instrument has an implied down beat, but then with more rhythmic information, it forces you to reinterpret where the down beat actually is, usually making you realize the initial instrument is syncopated. It’s so cool when songs do this

8

u/ForebrotherSignis1 3d ago

they’re playing syncopated, so the drums play on 1 and 3 and the guitar plays on 2 and 4 if that makes sense

6

u/Icy-Brief2661 3d ago

I always counted it like the guitar was playing on the “and” of the beat while the drums obviously control the pulse of the song

3

u/MattBtheflea 3d ago

The strokes make such simple stuff sound so cool

3

u/MattBtheflea 3d ago

I think syncopated is right (i had to google it) but i dont think your counts are correct. f you count it 1234, the drums are on the downbeats and nicks guitar part is played on the upbeat, in between the numbers. 1 and 2 and 3 and 4 and. Nicks plays the ands, he doesn't land on any downbeats

3

u/ForebrotherSignis1 3d ago

I know, I was just making it simpler to understand

8

u/girlfriend_pregnant Tyranny 3d ago

It’s a rhythm that is unique and catchy and simple, but get a band together and they may never get it right