The Strokes - "Angles"

I wrote this review of the new Strokes album before a paper meeting assuming I'd get the assignment. I didn't get the assignment. Here's the review anyway.


It’s been five long years since the original saviors of this millennium’s rock and roll, the Strokes, released their last album, the underappreciated “First Impressions of Earth.” In the meantime, the band’s members have been doing their own things, most notably lead singer Julian Casablancas’ solo album and Lonely Island single “Boombox,” but they’ve finally returned to the rock scene with a tight but slightly disappointing record.

“Angles” sounds familiar yet distant, in both good and bad ways. When it hits its highs, one is reminded of the band’s early near-perfect albums. Lead single “Under Cover of Darkness” is easily the album’s high point; it sounds like “Last Nite,” the group’s biggest hit, written after a decade of growing up. Featuring dueling guitar lines, a soaring solo and fantastic interplay between instruments, it’s a perfect example of the Strokes at their best.

Other songs reach unfamiliar places for the band, though they mostly redeem themselves. Album opener “Machu Picchu” opens with a decidedly non-Strokesy pattern, but quickly builds into a rolling rocker. “Two Kinds of Happiness” also strangely transforms from a light opening into a tougher single.

Most of “Angles” follow the pattern of these early songs; some would sound right in place on “Is This It,” while others sound strange at first, but slowly develop the usual Strokes sound over time. There are a few unfortunate misfires; “You’re So Right,” though, is anything but, as it’s the worst song on the album. Casablancas mumbles over a minimalist, dark beat only salvaged by a few blistering guitar solos. “Games” sounds out of place too, as it’s a new wave 80s pop song, and this is supposed to be a rock album.

“Call Me Back” is a slower romantic song that sounds a bit like Phoenix, but that’s understandable; the French pop-rockers have borrowed just as much of their sound from the NYC rockers, so it’s fine for the two to trade. Ending song “Life Is Simple in the Moonlight” also sounds reminiscent of Phoenix, but it’s not a bad song. It also has some patented Strokes vibe, including a guitar line that recalls “Electricityscape,” far and away the group’s best song to date.

“Angles” is full of little surprises like that, and it’s definitely worth a listen. I do have to call attention to “Gratisfaction,” though, as it sounds just like Steely Dan’s “Reelin’ in the Years.” I’d complain, if “Reelin’ In The Years” wasn’t one of the best rock songs ever written.