On first listen to 12:51 we couldn't help but feel a little disappointed after having told by a certain hype mongering publication, which we should have known not to listen to, that this is the 'perfect' pop song. It isn't the 'perfect' pop song. In fact it isn't even The Strokes best song. Nick Valensi introduces a new casio-eqsue guitar sound, which we hear he blew up 2 amps perfecting, which dominates most of the song, leaving Julian Casablancas' vocals a little too low in the mix, thus making deciphering the words a bit of a challenge. Luckily for us though 12:51 is what we like to call a 'grower'.
After many (many, many) listens, we've come to the conclusion that although there is no great change in sound/direction, 12:51 does sound inexplicably different. There's a slightly different feel/ambience/mood, whatever you care to call it, though they haven't lost their bouncy signature sound. This is undoubtedly The Strokes, but is it 'classic' Strokes? Whether or not it was the best choice of comeback single remains to be seen.
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