Jules C. steps to the solo artist plate as ... Michael Jackson's tall, stoned, white hipster dude doppelganger? Okay, maybe that's something of a stretch (Have you ever seen the guy on stage? He literally cannot move!); but this, the Strokes' frontman's debut solo record, bares quite a few similarities to Jackson's seminal album, Thriller. Both records have short tracklists (Phrazes at eight tracks, Thriller at nine). Both records are full of long, elaborately produced songs. Both mix dance music and cheesy keyboards with rock and soul music. Both records feel pretty darn paranoid at times. Most importantly, both records are full of great hooks backed with fine production.

Phrazes is a surprise - one that's sure to confuse fans, while also making new ones. That Jules is doing the retro thing is no surprise (that's his thing), but he's taking mostly from the sound of the '80s - as opposed to his usual '60s and '70s aping, which is something of a blindside. And I like that. I like that he seems relevant again, even if his appeal is brand new. I like that he stood on Letterman's stage and tried to dance while debuting his fantastic lead single, "11th Dimension."

After the release of their 2001 classic debut, Is This It, those Strokes were the band to love, follow, stalk and copy, Jules was in charge. The coolest charmed-as-hell rich boy to ever fake slum. He wrote the lyrics and told his band how to play their parts. The band's second album, Room On Fire, though very good by normal standards, was rushed and, compared to their debut, a bummer. From there, well, things got messy. Egos. You know the story. Jules began to let Fab and those other Fabs play bigger roles in the arranging, writing and recording process, and thus we had 2006's half-great First Impressions of Earth. Things haven't been the same since.

But now, with Phrazes, the hope is back. Julian is back at the controls and his stellar ability to make bulletproof pop songs is once again evident, even if the product is completely different. Sure, Phrazes has a few missteps, but, for the most part, it's the best thing from the Strokes camp since Is This It. Opener "Out of the Blue" sounds like "Is This It" with cleaned-up vocals and a little bit more rum in the coke. And, as with all of the songs on Phrazes, there's plenty of keyboards. There's even a very strong soul cut here with "4 Chords of the Apocalypse" and one of the best pop songs of the year in closer "Tourist" - a song that opens with a misleadingly awful intro. In fact, the only real problem with Phrazes is the occasional cheesy intro. And "River of Brakelights" ... that song is no good.

I know what you're thinking: If you're gonna release an album with only eight songs in this day and age, all eight had better be good. We like super-sized everything and we like it now. And I hear ya. But the seven worthwhile cuts here are all pretty darn epic. They're all longish and take a while to fully appreciate/digest - which will send this record right over the heads of many listeners. As is his reputation, Jules is a hard worker - not since the perfection of those early days has this attribute been so evident in his work. He worked long and hard on his Thriller, and, if you give it a few listens, you'll see that it's all worth it. Phrazes is not just a future retro blast of pop music, but one of the most interesting major label releases I've heard in quite some time.