What we demand as an audience is nuance, specifically nuance, and we do so almost all of the time.
Considering the direct contradictions often seen within criticism — “This doesn’t sound like the band I know” and “this sounds exactly like their last record,” representing the modes within the objection pool — defending nuance as the certain something we’re craving allows a resolution to the dissonance within these grievances.
Unfortunately, as the universe has taught us, the exception proves the rule. Even more disheartening is the fact that the rarely seen exception, achieving nuance without a terribly fantastic result, had to come in the form of Angles, the highly anticipated comeback album by The Strokes.
Angles begins with “Machu Pichu,” a track driven by singer Julian Casablancas, storytelling over two very simple and markedly co-dependent guitar parts. The noticeable crescendo by every voice near the end of the track wants to excite us for the proceeding “comeback.”
As the second track “Under Cover of Darkness” ensues, we are immediately fed every Strokes technique that had us head-over-heels a decade ago: garage-born guitar tones, melody construction that is intelligent in its simplicity, a straightforward and driving rhythm section and passionately humble vocals.
The third and final member of “The Strokes Original Recipe Club” is the fifth track “Taken For A Fool.” The remaining tracks are dedicated to attempting to achieve the right taste of nuance described above, but do so with varying levels of success.
So when Casablancas sang “Oh dear, is it really all true? Did they offend us, and they want it to sound new,” in the first minutes of 2003’s Room On Fire, was he foreshadowing the band’s distant future?
Offend? Certainly not.
Disappoint? Perhaps, but using the worst word your parent can reprimand you with still seems harsh for a band we’re so fond of.
Aggravate? Getting closer, but still a little too hostile.
What The Strokes have left us with is hunger. After five years of wondering, and six months of waiting at the table, Angles just wasn’t enough to nourish. Sadly, fear may become apparent as a long-term result. With a band that’s proved to be this unpredictable, it’s frightening to think that this meal that wasn’t quite satisfying enough could serve as a last supper.
ac165406@ohiou.edu
@ThePostCulture
