Nickel Eye: Record Drops, Indepdendent In February

If Little Joy's visit back in December wasn't enough of a Strokes gap-filler, then you're in luck: Nikolai Fraiture is taking his band Nickel Eye on the road in support of their new record The Time Of Assassins. The record, which drops on January 27th, is much more genre-sharing with The Strokes than Little Joy's records. Nikolai's vocals even sound a bit Jules-ish, if not with a tad less range.

One truly interesting element of hearing all of the Strokes' side projects is that it really becomes clear how they meld together as a band and use their different tastes to create a cohesive sound. That being said, it's also quite insightful to see just exactly what each Stroke would do, given full creative control.

The tour (which started last night in Montreal), spans most of the continent, and wraps up with its final night here in San Francisco on February 2nd. Judging by the tunes we've heard, this record is a pretty catchy nugget, and only serves to chug along even better in a liven environment. So Nikolai - count us in.

UPDATE: Win a signed Nickel Eye 7" over at the Modern Age!

Tickets are on-sale now.

mp3: Nickel Eye - You And Everyone Else
mp3: Nickel Eye - Dying Star

Nickel Eye Winter 2009 Dates:
Jan 15 2009 Paradise Rock Club w/ The Raveonettes Boston, Massachusetts
Jan 16 2009 Webster Hall w/ The Raveonettes New York, New York
Jan 17 2009 Black Cat w/ The Raveonettes Washington DC, Washington DC
Jan 18 2009 Khyber Pass Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Jan 20 2009 El Mocambo Toronto, Ontario
Jan 21 2009 Magic Stick Detroit, Michigan
Jan 22 2009 The Beat Kitchen Chicago, Illinois
Jan 23 2009 Majestic Theater Madison, Wisconsin
Jan 24 2009 Fine Line Minneapolis, Minnesota
Jan 26 2009 Marquis Denver, Colorado
Jan 29 2009 Troubadour Los Angeles, California
Jan 30 2009 The Loft/UCSD San Diego, California
Jan 31 2009 Detroit Bar Costa Mesa, California
Feb 2 2009 Independent San Francisco

Strokes: Fourth Album Recording Commences In February; In The Meantime There's Nickel Eye

According to a recent interview with the BBC, The Strokes will be back in the studio come February with the goal of "getting back to being a band again". While that's good news in the wake of band-stability doubts (ours included), it probably means we're looking at close to a year before we see anything from The Strokes as a unit.

In the meantime you can satiate your Stroktastic desire with the latest output from bassist Nikolai Fraiture: Nickel Eye. The new project kicked off with a bang at CMJ last week, and from what we've heard the tracks are sounding pretty damned sweet. The album drops January 27th, but you can check out tracks at the band's my space page. The first track (single?) "Brandy Of The Damned" is below - would it be remiss if we said it has some definite Paul Simenon "Guns Of Brixton" feel to it? Bassist's of the world unite!