There’s an expression: “phoning it in.” Generally, this phrase is meant to demonstrate someone performing a task without actually giving a damn. But as The Strokes’ first album in five years, Angles (RCA), was literally phoned in, we might want to reconsider the implications of the term. The album was recorded near guitarist Albert Hammond Jr.’s home in upstate New York, and suggested a band that had become fractured and discontent.
Early press revealed that frontman and primary songwriter Julian Casablancas had intentionally separated himself from his bandmates — recording many of the album’s vocals alone in New York City and emailing them to the rest of the group. Casablancas, who usually dominated the Strokes’ recording process, was attempting to forge a more collaborative effort amongst the band, but rumors circulated that his seclusion was doing more harm than good to the album. However, the end result on Angles is (at times) the most distinct and dynamic sound the Strokes have created since first releasing Is This It (RCA) ten years earlier — trading in their Velvet Underground influences for the likes of Duran Duran, The Cars and The Police.
Angles emerges from a turbulent period in the band’s history. Since forming in New York City in 1998, the Strokes have enjoyed one of the most successful and acclaimed music careers of the 21st century. The poppy yet disengaged garage rock of 2001’s Is This It — with such classics as “Last Night,” “Hard to Explain” and “Someday” — sent a shockwave through the world of modern rock ‘n roll.
Prior to then, bands like Limp Bizkit, Papa Roach, and Korn dominated popular rock music. Pop-punk bands such as Blink-182 and Sum 41 offered an alternative to oppressive rapcore, but it seemed that rock music was a dying breed to be replaced by pop stars and hip-hop in the mind of America’s youth. The Strokes helped to change that, and today almost every indie rock band will cite Is This It as an inspiration. The band followed up their debut with the equally successful Room on Fire (RCA) in 2003, retaining their catchy guitar hooks and Casablancas’ disaffected croons. However, tensions within the band marred 2006’s First Impressions of Earth (RCA), which, despite its expanded production value, could not measure up to the band’s first two efforts. And in 2007, the Strokes embarked on an extended hiatus marked by various solo projects and only a vague promise that the band would ever reunite.
Four years later, the Strokes have returned with Angles, an album steeped in 80s influence and experimental recording techniques. The band’s traditional melodic hooks have made room for increased synthesizers and vocal layering. Though some critics have charged the album with feeling disjointed, an inevitable reaction due to the band’s recent history, Angles has revealed some of the Strokes most memorable songs to date.
The three openers, “Machu Picchu,” “Under Cover of Darkness” and “Two Kinds of Happiness” are the strongest on the album. “Machu Picchu” evokes a form of electronic reggae that only the Strokes could produce. The track is supported by Nikolai Fraiture’s infectious bass line and Casablancas’ new vocal range that was unseen on past albums. “Under Cover of Darkness” marks a return to form with catchy guitar riffs from guitarists Albert Hammond Jr. and Nick Valensi. Dreamy synthesizers, lightning-fast guitar solos and Casablancas’ clenched, nasal singing characterize the strong 80s influence on “Two Kinds of Happiness.”
Angles’ most experimental song, “You’re So Right,” penned by Fraiture, explores plodding synth and bass underneath Casablancas’ trancelike baritone as he eerily sings: “I’m done with the office / I’m done with the office / I’m done with the office / Hello, forest.” The album’s middle section is comprised of a collection of good, but not great tracks like the playful “Taken For a Fool” and “Gratisfaction,” but it isn’t until the album closer, “Life Is Simple in the Moonlight,” that the Strokes hit upon another classic. The sweetly sung ballad displays a tenderness unseen in much of the Strokes’ past material and once again proves that Casablancas’ voice is one of the strongest forces on the album.
Despite the album’s successes, the chaotic recording process has taken a notable toll on the band. Valensi said the process was unnerving and that he would not record an album in the same way ever again. That said, the Strokes have noted that Angles has left them with plenty of leftover material and that a fifth album is likely on its way in the near future. Here’s hoping the band can settle their differences and create an album truly worthy of the Strokes’ talent.
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