The Strokes have a new album out, Angles

If you told me this information during my late high school days or freshman year of high school I would get very very excited. The Strokes was one of my last "wide eyed band obsessions" that I had. It's been a long time since then. Metric, The Morning Benders, and Fleet Foxes make the ranks but unfortunately don't capture it, maybe this is what happens with age.

The Strokes recently released their new album Angles near the end of March, but I tried to ignored it. I was really disappointed with their third album First Impressions of Earth (especially with the horrible video Juice Box - it was beyond what I could handle. You Only Live Once though is one of my favorite songs) Julian's attempt to be "different" was too much for me. I say Julian since he tends to be the master mind/control freak behind the albums. He recently came out with a solo too but I also have not given that a chance yet. 

I gave it a run through yesterday through. You can hear the entire album here. 

I was scared. I first listened to their first single "Under Cover of Darkness." Okay. Safe. It's alright.

Then I listened to the rest of it. It was different but not annoyingly different from First Impressions of Earth. Their inspiration had a little bit of elements of baby Strokes but then took elements from other albums, each song with its own appeal. Interesting. I am still a bit critical though....since pitchfork did a very extensive review of the Strokes for the last 10 years of their careers in build up for this album, revealing that the Strokes boys themselves didn't like the process of making this album. At around this time Julian was promoting his solo gig and recording for this album at the same time.

Valensi found the whole experience deeply dissatisfying. "I won't do the next album we make like this. No way. It was awful-- just awful. Working in a fractured way, not having a singer there. I'd show up certain days and do guitar takes by myself, just me and the engineer. Some of the third album was done that way, but at least we were on the same page about what the arrangements and parts were. Seventy-five percent of this album felt like it was done together and the rest of it was left hanging, like some of us were picking up the scraps and trying to finish a puzzle together."

"We're all learning to work on each other's songs and learning how to deal with emotional issues that come up in relation to the songs, when to let go and when to fight and compromise," says the guitarist. "I feel like we have a better album in us, and it's going to come out soon."

Julian: "I definitely think there will be a fifth Strokes album. I mean, I hope so."

Despite this negative reviews from the band themselves, I personally recommend: "Taken for a Fool" "Call Me Back" & "Life Is Simple in the Moonlight."

Critics like it too:

Angles is the best album the Strokes have made since Is This It because of the stylistic depth and progressive excitement in those crisscross guitars, the tightly wound rhythms and Casablancas' dry trademark croon. - Rolling Stones

It's a great album thrown together albeit probably with pressure from labels and their fans. At least they created something, and with that I can respect.

I first fell in love with them because no matter how many times you listen to their first two albums you can always find a new beat to fall for. I fell in love with them continuously and I loved them in a way that I could never love any other band. These boys will forever be know as my "favorite band" for influencing me and accompanying me through high school and early college days.

Like with any album it takes me a long time to warm up to it. Sometimes I listen to it a year or more later having found it laying around in my ipod. I'm still warming up to this album, but I can tell that I like it.