Artist: The Strokes
Title: Angles
Genre: Rock
Release Date: 18th March 2011
Label: Sony Music
Album Review
THE STROKES formed a little while ago, particularly in 1998. The ‘Modern Age’ EP from 2001 marked their first steps as a band of aspiring musicians, followed by the debut album ‘Is This It’, meeting with extreme and unexpected acclaim, unlike their second offering ‘Room Of Fire’, earning mixed receptions which didn’t change the fact, however, of them being tipped for success. This Friday, the five-piece will release their fifth album ‘Angles’.
Upon hearing the first notes the opener ‘Machu Picchu’ delivers, you’re feeling like taken back to another era, the chorus hitting with exact precision to make you nod or wave your hands- your call. ‘Under Cover Of Darkness’ is the first single release off the album and comes with melodic riffs aplenty and a toe-tapping beat for your pleasure. On the following ‘Two Kinds Of Happiness’ the vocals are sounding somewhat distanced, having a bit of a blues shade to them for me. The song is keeping it pretty calm most of the time, so when the erratic drum parts and riffs are kicking in it comes as a pleasant surprise. On ‘You’re So Right’; the guys are getting the rhythm machines up and running for a clubby beat sequence. In conjunction with the guitars and vocals, I think “Indietronic” is a good label for that sound. ‘Games’ is getting atmospherically dense with the use of synth and guitar textures to intensify the melancholy mood the track has.
‘Call Me Back’ is going without any rhythmical companionship and thus is what is coming closest to an acoustic performance on the album, enhanced with a few subtle textures. A really neat song! ‘Metabolism’ breaks with a rare forward momentum to change its structure abruptly, meandering through instants of calmness in a stormy sea. The closing track ‘Life Is Simple In The Moon’ offers a rich amount of calmness and brings back a breeze of New Wave. While ’Angles’ by far isn’t a loud album it’s having enough to keep your attention with the variance of melodies and moods, amidst brief hard rocking bursts. Well done!
Tracklist
01. Machu Picchu - 3:34
02. Under Cover Of Darkness - 4:00
03. Two Kinds Of Happiness - 3:46
04. You\'re So Right - 2:38
05. Taken For A Fool - 3:28
06. Games - 3:56
07. Call Me Back - 3:06
08. Gratisfaction - 3:04
09. Metabolism - 3:05
10. Life Is Simple In The Moon - 4:20
Line-Up
Julian Casablancas
Nick Valensi
Albert Hammond, Jr.
Nikolai Fraiture
Fabrizio Moretti
Website
http://www.thestrokes.com / http://www.facebook.com/thestrokes
Cover Picture
Rating
Music: 7
Sound: 9
Extras: -
Total: 8 / 10
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