Hipster’s Corner: Scott Reviews The Strokes: Angles

On a day-to-day basis I listen to a lot of good but often not always great music.  It’s good enough to get me through the day but it sometimes just starts to become ambient noise in the background.  That’s not to say that I don’t also have some really great music mixed in with the rest, its just the reality of making music, every once in while good becomes great and classics are made. Few bands can make a song cross over from good to great, and even fewer bands can string together ten or more songs to make a great album.  The strokes are one of the few who can and have.   Their debut album “Is This It” shocked the Indy scene.  It truly came out of nowhere.  It’s post-punk sound went on to influence so many bands, from The killers to Hot Hot Heat to just about every amateur who had Garageband (my self included).  The 2000’s became the new 80’s and synth was in way too many albums.

Fast-forward ten years.  The Strokes are still around (after a short hiatus).  They made a couple really good follow-up albums, and lead singer Julian Casablancas has made a really solid solo album but the strokes still have not made a truly great album since ITI.  I keep on hoping for that amazing follow up album.  Is Angles it?  In short, Kind of.  In long, well here we go.

It starts of with a great song Machu Picchu.  This song is layered and has many great textures to it, while maintaining a really catchy chorus.  So when the album started off with this song, my expectations were set.  This was going to be the best strokes album ever.  It then goes on to have another great song Under Cover Of Darkness, a catchy song with a unique tempo to it.  So far the stokes are pitching a perfect game.  Then somewhere towards the middle the songs become a little less great. They still maintain a solid sound and if anything a great variety in sound, but with the exception of the great song Taken For a Fool, I almost find myself forgetting about the music.  That’s not to say that when I do just focus on what I am listening to that it’s not good.  It is.   The Strokes however do not have the luxury of making just good songs and making me content.  I know they are capable of greatness so unfairly I hold them to a different standard.   It does however finish strong.  In fact I like the last song so much, that I end up wanting more, so I start the album over again.  I have now probably listened to this album around 50 times.

So it must be pretty good

In conclusion, this is a really good album but just not exactly the amazing album I keep on holding out for.  Is it fair for me to hold The Stokes to such high-standards? Of course not, but when it comes to music I am sort of a hopeless romantic, who is waiting to be swept off his feet again. I give Angles a solid “B”