The Strokes - Comedown Machine Review

I knew that if I stuck by long enough; I'd end up doing follow-ups and, whilst Sigur Rós will have to wait until summer; The Strokes return with album five after the dull and uninspiring Angles. They've returned to the routes of recording music and vocals together, it's lead single is eerily similar to their first two albums (the ones everyone seems to like) and the world holds it's breath in anticipation; hoping for a drastic return to form a decade after said two albums.

Well; not so much holding their breath, but more "Can it get worse?"

Thankfully; it starts off rather well with Tap Out; a funky reiteration of Machu Pichu but it's shorter, more focused and soft vocals (or as soft as Julian Casablancas' can possibly get). Lead single All the Time harkens back to the glory days with a catchy chorus and decent guitar work. Following that and in stark contrast is One Way Trigger; encompassing all of the newer Strokes' tropes of synth pop in a fantastic track that would sit right at home on Angles or First Impressions of Earth (if they trimmed four or five songs in exchange).

In fact; the first trilogy of songs are possibly the strongest since First Impressions of Earth and for a moment; I was hoping that the album would be a welcome return to form, a much appreciated surprise.

But like, many albums; it was simply a false sense of lull and I should have known far better.

Whilst Welcome to Japan is your by-the-numbers indie rock number with a decent riff and more catchy hooks; slapped in the middle of the album is the title track (or...two-thirds title track) 80's Comedown Machine; which not only now ranks as the longest track the bands discography; but is dull, far, far too long and completely annihilates the momentum built up in the fifteen minutes beforehand.

Musically more akin with Casablancas' solo material than a Strokes track; it's a slow and seemingly endless track that goes absolutely nowhere. It's the same beat, the same samples and the same droning style of vocals throughout minus a brief bridge towards the end which is so unsatisfying, it kills the album stone dead.

The rest of Comedown Machine is then spent trying to reach out to the listener in useless attempts to peak interest. 50/50, Slow Animals and Partners in Crime are your standard Strokes' with the same scratchy vocals (more so in 50/50), decent guitar riffs and vocal hooks as every album before it. Chances in contrast; again reverts back to Angles' synth heavy approach and while miles better than 80's Comedown Machine; it's not as good as One Way Trigger before it.

My favourite track on this half is easily Happy Endings which, despite having the same attributes as the previous four tracks; has some much needed bite and runs at just the right length before it gets too tiresome. The album ends on the bizarre Call It Fate, Call It Karma; a baroque pop/lounge muzak number that comes from nowhere and ends the album on a whimper rather than a bang.

Whilst never boring (except 80's Comedown Machine and the closing track), it's never anything better than middle-of-the-road and it's all too similar to their previous work and sadly, done better elsewhere. Production wise; it fluctuates between the garage-rock/garageband atheistic of Is This It and Room on Fire one moment, but then it careens into the territory of eighties synth pop with some guitar riffs and the production suddenly sounds clear and crisp making the record even more jarring.

Ultimately; whilst slightly better than Angles; Comedown Machine is not a return to form and is instead a pandering, generic and familiar album that; despite starting off strong and having some far more engaging and worthier tracks than First Impressions of Earth and Angles; is never anything other than slightly-better than average.

As mention in my last review; the good news is we didn't have to wait five years for something this disjointed and disappointing.

The bad; we only had to wait two.

6/10

H

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