Listening Post: The Strokes - Angles

The Strokes - Angles - 2011

5 years is a long time in rock and roll. In five years the Beatles went from lovable mop tops to Sgt. Pepper. Within 5 years Punk had exploded and imploded and disappeared from the scene. In 5 years cultural tastes change more times than I change my wardrobe (seriously, I own a shirt that I've had for a decade. That's gotta be illegal in some corners of New York.)
It's well known that The Strokes did not record this album together. That's some feat as the record has some moments that are really enjoyable.
The story goes that Casablancas would email ideas and vocals to the band as they recorded. This was his attempt to force them into a more take charge position. I call bullshit. I think he's just not that into the band.

"Under Cover of Darkness" has the poppy edge of some of the finer, more fun moments of Is This It. And where they could fall off the cliff into Futureheads territory they avail themselves well.
Angles is a short fucker of a record. Almost half the length of First Impression and that's a good thing. The Strokes know that we have just that much tolerance for them and their brand of fuzz-pop. On the other hand, Ric Ocasek might want to sue for sound infringement for "Two Kinds of Happiness", a song more inspired by The Cars than just about any in the band's oeuvre but about halfway through it finds its own footing and becomes something great, but just as quickly its over and we're in germanic electro-pop territory with "You're So Right". And later the Chicago-inspired white soul of "Gratisfaction" is a left field kind of track that makes me scratch my head and just think, "okaayyyy...." And "Metabolism" sounds like they've ALL been listening to too much Muse.

A disjointed affair Angles is. There's no cohesion at all. But that doesn't mean it's bad. It's a bit uninspired. Room on Fire was like a sequel to Is This It, and Angles is like the album I would have expected after that, the one that sounds like they do but also like they might have a great one in them right after. Instead, this is the 10 year anniversary comeback album.
It's fine. It's like The Strokes. It's what they should sound like. It's who they are.

Grade: B-
ASide; Under Cover of Darkness
BlindSide: You're So Right, Taken for a Fool
DownSide: Call Me Back