Albert Hammond Jr.’s first solo album gave the Strokes guitarist a space of his own, but the record was hardly made in isolation. Sean Lennon played bass, piano and backing vocals, while Julian Casablancas also stepped away from The Strokes to contribute.
by Paul Cashmere
Twenty years after Albert Hammond Jr. released Yours To Keep, the album remains an intriguing snapshot of a guitarist stepping outside The Strokes while still drawing on the friendships and musical relationships around him, including contributions from Sean Lennon and his Strokes bandmate Julian Casablancas.
Yours To Keep was released in the UK by Rough Trade Records on October 9, 2006, giving Hammond his first album away from The Strokes. The North American release followed on March 6, 2007 through New Line Records and Scratchie Records.
The timing was significant. The Strokes had already established themselves internationally with Is This It, Room On Fire and First Impressions Of Earth, but Hammond’s solo record was not presented as an attempt to leave the band. It was another outlet for a guitarist whose role inside The Strokes had largely been defined by his interlocking guitar work with Nick Valensi.
Instead, Yours To Keep revealed a more melodic and playful side of Hammond, moving through short guitar songs, toy piano, horns, ukulele and lo-fi textures. The album was produced by Greg Lattimer, with Gus Oberg engineering.
One of the most interesting connections on the record is Sean Lennon. Hammond and Lennon had attended Institut Le Rosey, and their friendship eventually found its way into the recording studio. Lennon was not simply a celebrity guest added for name recognition. He played bass on “In Transit” and contributed piano and backing vocals, as well as backing vocals on “Scared”.
That makes Lennon one of the album’s genuine musical contributors. His own 2006 album Friendly Fire also demonstrated the breadth of his musicianship, with Lennon working across vocals, guitar, piano, keyboards, drums, bass, production and string arrangements.
The Strokes connection is even more direct. Julian Casablancas, the band’s singer and principal songwriter, played bass and supplied backing vocals on “Scared”.
It is an unusual detail in the history of The Strokes because Casablancas was contributing to Hammond’s separate project at a time when the group was still very much an active recording band. The result was not a Strokes side project, however. Yours To Keep had its own cast, with Matt Romano on drums, Josh Lattanzi on bass and guitar, Mikki James on bass and melodica, and Lattimer contributing bass, guitar, bells and backing vocals.
The album’s first single, “Everyone Gets A Star”, was released as a download, followed by “Back To The 101”. The latter became one of the record’s defining songs, with the title shortened to “101” on the US release. The album also included “In Transit”, “Bright Young Thing”, “Blue Skies”, “Call An Ambulance”, “Holiday” and “Hard To Live (In The City)”.
There was also a deliberate connection to one of Hammond’s musical influences. The title Yours To Keep references the Guided By Voices song of the same name from Bee Thousand, while the North American edition included “Postal Blowfish” as a bonus track. “Well…All Right” was also included as a bonus track on the US and Canadian editions.
The album performed modestly on the mainstream charts, reaching No. 74 in the UK, No. 117 on the Billboard 200 and No. 48 in Sweden. In the US, it also reached No. 2 on the Top Heatseekers chart and No. 11 on the Independent Albums chart.
Twenty years on, the most revealing aspect of Yours To Keep may be how naturally Hammond assembled the record from the people around him. Lennon was not there simply because of his surname, and Casablancas was not there simply because he was Hammond’s bandmate. Both contributed as musicians.
That distinction is important. Yours To Keep was Hammond’s record, but its personnel captured a particular moment in the Strokes orbit, when a guitarist could step outside the band without completely stepping away from the relationships that had helped define his musical life.
Tracklisting
Cartoon Music For Superheroes
In Transit
Everyone Gets A Star
Bright Young Thing
Blue Skies
Back To The 101
Call An Ambulance
Scared
Holiday
Hard To Live (In The City)
US and Canadian Bonus Tracks
Postal Blowfish
Well…All Right
101 [Enhanced CD Music Video]
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