The Strokes ‘Angles’ // First Listen

The Strokes
‘Angles’
(Rough Trade)

It’s been ten long years since ‘Is This It’ ripped up guitar music’s rulebook, scrawled ‘kick me’ on the pages and ran away laughing after taping them to the back of the industry it was to revolutionise. Now, after five years of rumour and little more than a vague nod in the direction of new material, the kings of rock ‘n’ roll are back. All The Strokes had to do was drop a new song (‘Under Cover Of Darkness’) online and the world went mad. Amidst preparations for global meltdown when their fourth album ‘Angles’ eventually emerges, Ben Homewood stops jittering excitedly just long enough to listen in on what Jules & co. have been up to.

‘Machu Picchu’

An intro that sounds like a 1990s Sega character coming back to life, a reggae-lite riff and an oh-so-familiar Noo Yoik drawl: that’s the first 20 seconds of The Strokes’ fourth album. “Putting your patience to the test/putting your body on the line for less,” are its first words, could Julian be referencing the wafer thin patience of his most disgruntled devotees? Cleverly combining the cornerstones of their sound with breezy harmonies, clean 80s-referencing guitars and a beachside vibe, it dissolves into a wild, screeching climax.

‘Under Cover of Darkness’

If you’ve been near the internet recently, you’ll have this stubbornly addictive song stuck to your cranium like chewing gum. This has a monster chorus, rattling drums and guitars that skip childishly around gravelly vocals, not to mention a riff the size of Africa that grins like a Cheshire cat. If you have feet, there is just no way they won’t move when you hear this.

‘Two Kinds of Happiness’

Faraway vocals and muddy drums that might have been lifted from a 1980s workout video form the sparse platform for Julian’s moodily grumbled vocal (“don’t waste your heart”) before a guitar solo that sounds like a cartoon impression of a hair metal axeman injects a sense of urgency. It brings to mind the meandering tendencies of ‘Heart In A Cage’ in a head-banging, life affirming way, mind. So far so sleazy.

‘You’re So Right’

Never mind Jules Casablancas, this darkly-lit fantasy owes more to the sci-fi hinterland of Jules Verne than it does to the frontman’s rock star stylings. Drums thud and echo ominously and it sounds like Julian has been replaced by a robot, “I wouldn’t hurt you/maybe I’d hurt you if I could,” goes the electronically-treated refrain, scary stuff. The guitars are again indebted to 80s metal, yet this is the most synth-heavy moment so far, holding hands with the experimental sound of ‘First Impressions Of Earth’.

‘Taken For A Fool’

After the intimidating sound of the future and robo-Jules, The Strokes wrap the security blanket of the past around our shoulders. “You get taken all the time for a fool/I don’t know why/you’re so gullible but I don’t mind/that’s not the problem,” sings Julian, cryptic as ever, and you can smell the Heineken stain on his jeans like it’s 2001 all over again. Drenched in insouciant cool, the casual, hip-swinging verses and a frenzied, breakneck chorus make you think, if it ain’t broke…

‘Games’

Minimal synths and a miserable Julian (“Living in an empty world,”) mope over another 1980s off cut, this time from the disco that New Order used to party at. Julian is forlorn, crooning his way around clicking fingers and a fragile disco bass line. It’s an eerie atmosphere, musically threatening full-blown euphoria, whilst the lyrics hint at unrelenting apathy. Luckily Julian reassures us “I’m OK/I’m alright,” before the end. Phew.

‘Call Me Back’

“Wait time is the worst/I can hardly sit/No one has the time/Someone was always late/I look for you/And you look for me.” Tempting as it is to read into these opening lines, Julian might as well be singing about lollipops, so compelling is his woozy, world-weary vocal. Shorn of fuzz, the guitars are tropical, subtly twinkling as the pace intensifies. The promised crescendo doesn’t materialise and The Strokes keep us hanging at arm’s length with yet another expertly crafted melody. They’ve always been good at that.

‘Gratisfaction’

“Oh but baby don’t you be so mad/Because I barely remember/She tried to recognise me/With the eyes she saw me with in December,” Julian’s yelped vocal is bright and sparkling and we’re downtown in summertime in a backwards cap and battered leather jacket, intoxicated by traffic fumes and sunshine without a care in the world. No one does nonchalant like these guys, and it drips from the crunchy guitars and precise yet lazy percussion like a melting Popsicle onto the curb.
 
‘Metabolism’

Albert’s riff chugs steadily and The Strokes have their watercolours out again, this time painting a dark, desperate picture with Julian’s voice quavering between a dozy drawl (“I wanna be somebody like you”) and a wretched, blistering scream. It’s a bleakly fascinating picture, like the night after the apocalypse with the band as the only survivors.

‘Life Is Simple In The Moonlight’

Distilling the album’s cocktail of emotions into a sophisticated waltz, this is classy. Glossy melody encases an intricate guitar line and Julian’s tired croak. The Strokes sound both cocksure and nervous as the line “Don’t try to stop us get out of the way,” closes the door behind their fourth album, a confident message undermined by fragile, fading guitars. They may well be asking, “well, can we still cut it or what?” You get the feeling they already know the answer.

‘Angles’ will be reviewed in full in the March issue of The Fly.