School's been keeping me busy so it's been hard to update the blog...but the long-awaited new album from The Strokes came out a few days ago and I had to talk about it on here! Since I'm perpetually broke, I listened to the album online, and have come to enjoy it. It's definitely a step away from classic Strokes--albums such as the debut Is This It and second album Room On Fire. However, the funky new feel of Angles is exactly what makes things work.
This year, artists such as Radiohead and Arctic Monkeys are shifting their usual music style with new albums (Radiohead's The King of Limbs, released last month to mixed critical reviews, and Arctic Monkeys's Suck It And See set to release in June and already showing its unique sound with the song "Brick By Brick", posted to Youtube three weeks ago and recieving plenty of buzz). The Strokes, an iconic New York indie rock band formed in the late 90s, is just another band breaking away from their traditional mold here in 2011. Many have criticied that Angles doesn't have the feel of a traditional album by The Strokes, but I disagree. With a retro chic, 80s-sounding tune like "Macchu Picchu" starting off the album, you can't go wrong...many people on Youtube (and even non-Youtubers like myself) have admitted to putting the addictive first track on repeat. A song named after Peruvian ruins never sounded so good, huh?
Another noteworthy track on the new album is "Call Me Back", a tune about the problems of whether feelings in a relationship are mutual and the fear of confronting the fact because they want to avoid rejection, a feeling some of us know all too well. The chords in the background are mellow and enjoyable, and arguably another very good track.
Though some people may not say this is the best work from our favorite New York boys, I like Angles just fine. True, it doesn't rank up there with previous albums quite yet, but after a few listens it may grow on you. In its own way, Angles is a pretty solid album, and evidence that changing up like a chameleon doesn't always lead to a disatrous sound.
My 1-10 rating: 8 and a half stars
Other songs to check out: "Under Cover of Darkness", "Life is Simpler in the Moonlight", "Gratisfaction"
