Angles is the comeback album of the fairly famous rock band called The Strokes. In 2007 the band sort of stopped making music and in 2009 they got back together. But it wasn’t until 2 years later, in 2011, that man was graced with the audio gold that is Angles. The band is comprised of 5 people: Julian Casablancas on vocals, Albert Hammond Jr. on guitar and back-up vocals, Nick Valensi on guitar and back-up vocals, Nikolai Fraiture on bass guitar and back-up vocals, and Fabrizio Moretti on drums.
The album starts off with Machu Picchu which is has 80’s funk style verses with Strokes rock style chorus. Next on the LP is Under the Cover of Darkness which is classic Strokes style rock throughout; there was no experimenting with this song like many of the others, the band stayed with what they knew was awesome to make a great pre-album single. After that is Two Kinds of Happiness which is very 80’s-esque, it’s a good up-beat song with good use of major chords and cleanly played instruments and vocals. Much to the contrast is You’re So Right which is grunge styled, in a minor chords, and strong distortion. In this song it is evident that the band used this song to do some experimenting with MIDI instruments. Next up is Taken For A Fool which is a mix of complex syncopation in changing rhythms; basically the way song is played is different in the verses than chorus. Despite the changes in rhythm, counting, and even how the chord is presented the song is well rounded and one of my favorites. After that is Games, with slow paced verses in a minor chords and a quicker major chord chorus it is also a well rounded song but with less contrast than Taken for a fool. Next on the LP is Call me back, a slow minor chorded song with a solid verse and a falsetto chorus, this is also one of my favorites. Gratisfaction is a quick upbeat song that has common Strokes styled verses and a chorus that resembles 70’s style music. Next is Metabolism which, for those of you who know the fairly popular British band, is very, very Muse-esque. The strong base line, complex guitar riffs, and distorted vocals are quintessential Muse style music and the Strokes pull it off very well. Lastly Life is simple in the moonlighta medium paced song with masked vocals the simple pacing and major chords bring up the of the LP very well.
Out of all the songs my top 3 are Under the Cover of Darkness, Taken for a fool and Call me back. But I highly recommend the entire album because all the songs seem to fit together and none of the single songs are as good alone as they are with the rest of the LP.