The Stroke’s fourth studio album Angles, has been five years in the making and is the first written collaboratively by the band, as opposed to all songs written and arranged by lead singer Julian Casablancas, who wrote the group’s previous three albums himself.
The just-over 34-minute disc, the bands shortest, has 10 songs that range from sounding like The B-52’s to The Cars to songs that sound like they belong on 2003’s Room on Fire.
The lead-off track “Machu Piccu” features the oh-so-missed signature Strokes’ call-and-response guitar sound, which, on this song, sounds like two aliens having a conversation. That is followed by the single “Under Cover of Darkness,” where Casablancas shows us he has learned a thing or two since we last heard him, throwing in some rare Strokes’ harmonies.
From there the album is a grab bag of tracks. “Two Kinds of Happiness” sounds like it belongs on a Cars album, with power-chord drenched verses that lead into an oddly schizophrenic chorus due to an off-the-wall drum beat from drummer Fabrizio Moretti.
The two best songs, however, do not follow the band’s older sound. “Gratisfaction” sounds eerily like a could-be Queen song meshed with classic Strokes sound, and “Taken for a Fool” having a beautifully catchy chorus with both guitars and vocals working delightfully together, reminiscent of Room on Fire’s “12:51.”
The record also houses only the Strokes second non-percussion containing song ever, the only other being First Impressions of Earth’s “Ask Me Anything.”
“Call Me Back” is a synthesizer, guitar-filled track which ends with Casablancas crooning, “80s make-out party, yeah” – an interesting lyrical conclusion to say the least, but the song is a glimpse at the group’s rarely seen, surprisingly pleasant, quieter, relaxing side.
Although Angles is eclectic to say the least, it will leave fans satisfied, at least for the time being. The group is reported to begin work on a fifth album sometime this April, unusual for a band that has taken at least a year off between records.
Let’s hope the rumors are true, because if Angles is any indicator, the Strokes still have quite a few tricks up their sleeve.
