Last week‰’s rainy day selection came from my good friend from home and was an album you‰’d expect to fit in with a rainy day: a jazz album (Speak No Evil). This week‰’s Rainy Day Album comes from another old friend, Michael Venit, but it‰’s an album that you definitely wouldn‰’t expect to put on in the rain: Is This It by the Strokes. That‰’s right, we‰’re back into rock n‰’ roll.

The Strokes surfed into the lineage of indie rock on a tidal wave of hype. The beyond-hip, NYC-based outfit outfitted in leather and denim were greeted as rock heroes by the music press as the 21st century began. The sound of their 2001 debut Is This It, ushered in what became known as the post-punk revival of the early 2000s, a movement united only by its members‰’ tendency to unabashedly sound like older artists. This movement is where all of the ‰70s, ‰80s and now ‰90s “revivals‰” were birthed.

For the debut of such stature, Is This It is surprisingly lo-fi (probably part of the reason it is so loved by indie rock fans). Its production is stylish but simple. We just get the bare essentials: basic drums and bass, a pair of slightly distorted rhythm guitars. If a bit of extra distortion occurs because of a white-hot solo, who cares, really? It‰’s a unique method of expression for such catchy pop songs, and extremely refreshing.

Of course, I haven‰’t yet mentioned the key to the Strokes‰’ mainstream success: their singer, Julian Casablancas, a standard-bearer for fuck-it New Yorkerism as well as rock n‰’ roll‰’s inherent raw power. Casablancas‰’ croaking, masculine vocals, like his most obvious influence Lou Reed, barely hang on to their unfairly great melodies, often sounding conversational. At the time of Is This It ‰’s release, the young Casablancas was overflowing with charisma and felt like a real rock star. His lyrics, mostly causal meditations about casual sex, only furthered his jaded-cool persona.

But while Julian owns the spotlight, the cleverness of the band‰’s songwriting is most clearly expressed by their secret weapon: the dueling guitars of Nick Valensi and Albert Hammond, Jr. The pair morph in each song from choppy chords to melodic arpeggios. Often one of them doubles Julian‰’s vocal melodies. When he‰’s quiet, the guitars provide more than enough hooks to keep you from missing him. The rare solos are ideal blends of showy and tasteful.

While Is This It may not have saved rock n‰’ roll, it probably belongs in the ranks of the genre‰’s greatest achievements. It is a concise album of concise songs bursting with attitude and, more importantly, incredible pop hooks. The songs develop with effortless brilliance; every hi-hat buildup or guitar line is the perfect length in the perfect spot. Each song is a clipped, curt, three-minute gem, and not one lets up; each is as likely as the next to get stuck in your head for days.

Every song is a highlight: the wistful sweetness of “Someday,‰” the taught post-punk tension of “Alone, Together,‰” the compact epics of “Hard to Explain‰” and “Trying Your Luck,‰” the exuberant middle finger of “New York City Cops,‰” the title track‰’s bouncy bass line, the way “The Modern Age‰” explodes from VU chugs into a gorgeous chorus and a ripping Stooges guitar solo, and of course what might be the band‰’s finest moment: the unbeatable single “Last Nite‰” (which will always be my favorite karaoke choice).

Venit and I have been listening to this album since middle school. It‰’s definitely an all-time favorite of mine. However, like I said before, it‰’s hardly the album you‰’d expect to fall into the Rainy Day category. It sounds more like something for a boozy urban night, something you‰’d put on while pregaming for a night out or while plopping back down after getting home. But that‰’s why it makes a great alternative to the more obvious Rainy Day Albums I‰’ve covered so far.

As Venit explained to me last week, Is This It is upbeat and pleasurable enough to make you forget that it‰’s raining altogether. If it‰’s supposed to be springtime outside but you live in D.C. so the weather keeps getting grey again, and you‰’re sick to death of wallowing in the fact that it‰’s raining, why not get lost in an old favorite like this one? It quickly won‰’t even matter what the weather‰’s like anymore. You‰’ll get the last laugh this time.