Josh Stephenson - 3/30/2011

It may have been five years since The Strokes released the disappointing First Impressions Of Earth, but it seems band tensions have not subsided in that time as Angles is a (fittingly) fractured album. Much has been made of the scrapped sessions under producer Joe Chicarelli, coupled with the fact lead singer Julian Casablancas was distant from the recording process means that Angles lacks cohesion and a full band vision. Despite all of this, Angles is the closest the band have come to capturing the magic of their debut album since sophomore album Room On Fire.

Lead single 'Under Cover Of Darkness' is a throwback to the Is This It sound with duelling guitars combining with Casablancas always-evocative voice making it the most instantly accessible track of the album. As Casablancas sings 'Everybody's singing the same song for ten years' you get the feeling that The Strokes have finally come to terms with their success and are comfortable in moving forward. It turns out that 'Under Cover Of Darkness' is the black sheep of the album though as the rest of the album is a change in sound with varying levels of success. 'Machu Picchu' starts off with a reggae infused riff before exploding into an Albert Hammond Jr. hook master class with Casablancas singing 'I'm just trying to find a mountain I can climb'. If The Strokes are going to continue develop their sound, this is definitely the way to go about it. Further brilliance is found on 'Taken For A Fool', which combines a new wave sound building to one of the catchiest choruses I've heard in a long time.

Whilst 'Machu Picchu' and 'Taken For A Fool' develop the trademark Strokes sound to great effect, other songs aren't as successful. 'Games' for example uses lots of synths to poor effect and feels like one of the many average, electronic infused 80's throwback songs we've had in recent years. 'Gratisfaction' (ignoring the horrible name) has the exact kind of riff you've heard in every Thin Lizzy song since the dawn of time, whilst Casablancas does his best Billy Joel impression and is ultimately a terrible song. 'Metabolism' seems to be going for dark and disturbing, but comes off as dull and whiny with Casablancas singing 'I wanna be outrageous but inside I know I'm plain'.

'Life Is Simple In The Moonlight' closes the album and was the only track solely penned by Casablancas. It's the only song to cross the four-minute mark and manages to tick off all The Strokes trademarks and feels like the band at their most comfortable. Ultimately Angles is a frustrating album most of it feels like a return to form whilst progressing forward at the same time, but while opening up the creative process to the rest of the band may have sedated some dissatisfaction, it has ironically made the band sound even more disjointed. As a Strokes fan there is plenty to love on this album, but if The Strokes are going to continue to be relevant the band are going to have to let Casablancas retake creative control, or this may end up been the final swansong for one of the 00's greatest bands.