After having the release pulled back a month because of "problems with the artwork" (so not because Rough Trade were worried about getting trounced by Franz Ferdinand in the charts then?) one of the best tracks from The Strokes' fabulous second album makes its appearance in the single format. If you already have the album then you've already heard how brilliant it is and if you haven't then you aren't reading this review anyway so either way I don't need to say anything about it and I can get on to the real reason for buying this single.

"Modern Girls & Old Fashioned Men", a duet between Julian Casablancas and singer Regina Spektor, is a great song. Spektor's Nico-esque voice and Julian's Lou Reed drawl intertwine deliciously against Albert and Nick's sinister, liquid guitars. There are echoes of 60s duo Lyme & Cybelle's "Follow Me" in there but Nicolai and Fab's metronomically steady rhythm section keeps it rooted in the present day. With things in the music world moving faster by the second The Strokes are still evolving and improving and are not going to be left behind. -Ian Martin, Feb.24.04

Reptilia