The Strokes: Angles (2011)

It's been five years since the Strokes released the ambitious but largely forgettable First Impressions of Earth. During that time most of the band members released solo albums and talked about how much they wanted to release a new Strokes record. Finally that new record is here and if Angles isn't nearly as revolutionary as their debut, Is This It?, it's a fine album and their best one since.

Early reports had pegged as Angles as a "return to basics" and while that's not entirely true there are a number of tracks that are basic guitar rock. Lead single "Under Cover of Darkness" is just a straight up fantastic Strokes song. It's driving rhythm, great melody and sense of joy make it Angles's highlight. The other straight forward rock songs "Taken for a Fool, and "Gratisfaction" aren't at that level but they are great songs nonetheless. The staccato guitar of "Machu Picchu" is a great way to kick off the album and the synthy closer, "Life is Simple in the Moonlight" is a fine lead out. "Two Kinds of Happiness" is an enjoyable new-wave that could easily be mistaken for a Cars song if it wasn't for the hyper active drum breakdowns. On the downside, the albums more experimental tracks don't always work so well. The droning "You're So Right" features a short kick-ass guitar solo but lacks a melody. "Games" is far too electronic based to be truly effective and the lone ballad "Call Me Back" is just plain boring.

Angles isn't a groundbreaking album by any means and after such a long wait it's tempting to call it a let down but the high points are as good as any in the Strokes post Is This It? catalog. Even with a few songs that will be consistent "skips," there's far too much good music here to avoid picking Angles up.

Rating: 4

Track Listing:

1. "Machu Picchu" (3:30)
2. "Under Cover of Darkness" (3:56)
3. "Two Kinds of Happiness" (3:42)
4. "You're So Right" (2:34)
5. "Taken For a Fool" (3:23)
6. "Games" (3:52)
7. "Call Me Back" (3:02)
8. "Gratisfacation" (2:59)
9. "Metaboliam" (3:01)
10. "Life is Simple in the Moonlight" (4:15)