Review: The Strokes’ Angles

It’s strange to think of The Strokes as a band that has been active for over ten years, probably because their first record, Is This It, still sounds modern today.  However, it’s easy to hear that album’s overarching influence on popular Indie/alternative music.  Bands like The Arctic Monkeys based their upbeat, guitar-heavy sound on a style The Strokes popularized, and a lot of the new music on the radio can be attributed to The Strokes’ influence.  Maybe that’s why an album recorded ten years ago still sounds like it has a place in the present musical climate.  Is This It has been called one of the best records of the 00′s by many mainstream music publications, and it’s often been used as a measuring stick to judge the quality of the band’s work.

Angles is the first Strokes release since 2006′s lackluster First Impressions of Earth, and it’s definitely a step in the right direction after an album that received much less acclaim than the band’s previous work.  It’s got catchy melodies, upbeat dueling guitar lines, and memorable choruses throughout in a similar vein to Is This It and Room On Fire.  However, the songs tend to go on a little too long and have parts that don’t seem to fit in well, and some tracks seem out of place.  “Taken For A Fool” is a great example of this – it’s verses aren’t very memorable, and they seem drawn out compared to the real highlight of the song – its catchy chorus.  The song “Games” seems to be a little too dancy, even for a Strokes record, and would have fit in better on singer Julian Casablancas’ solo record.  “You’re So Right,” the most dissonant and dark song on the album and its fourth track, sounds like B-side material moreso than anything else on the record.

Surprisingly, some of the more enjoyable tracks on Angles seem like they were inspired by 1980s pop music.  “Two Kinds Of Happiness,” with its subdued bassline and heavily reverberated vocals, sounds like it belongs in a John Hughes film.  The more-than-slightly reggae-influenced opener “Machu Picchu” is reminiscent, at least musically, of a Talking Heads song before its definitely Strokes-esque chorus.  The latter has one of the most interesting parts of the album; a bridge/outro with a memorable guitar riff.

The real highlights of the album are the tracks that are vintage Strokes – the single “Under Cover of Darkness” and “Gratisfaction” sound like they recorded for Room On Fire, if not Is This It, and “Gratisfaction” is immediately endearing from its opening notes.  All in all, Angles is a great effort from a band who hasn’t recorded an album in a while.  The Strokes are reportedly considering releasing another new record this year, and this album is definitely a great sign of what is to come.  It could have used some fine tuning and maybe some better song selection, but it’s hard to deny the overall enjoyability of the record, and its definitely worth repeated spins.  How does it compare to Is This It?  Maybe its better to not ask that question, and focus on how the band has changed and evolved.  I know I’m excited to see what The Strokes do next.

Rating: 7.5

Listen To: “Under Cover Of Darkness” “Machu Pichhu” “Gratisfaction”