The Strokes recently released single, “Under Cover of Darkness“, may have mislead Strokes fans into thinking that they  were returning  back to  their Post-Punk Indie New York sound with their fourth studio album “Angles”.

The album opens with “Machu Picchu”, a synth filled song that has a reggae beat and with front-man, Julian Casablancas, wailing away. This song does feature a good balance of Albert Hammond Jr’s and Nick Valensi’s guitars and a steady rhythm from bassist Nikolai Fraiture and drummer Fabrizio Morretti.

The entire album has a very 80’s pop rock sound to it with the vocals and the instrumentation. Two Kinds of Happiness sounds like it could have been in a John Hughes’ film featuring the Brat Pack.  

The Strokes are reaching to the 70s with the Thin Lizzy guitar crunch and cool vocal song “Gratisfaction”. While the song is one of the stronger tracks on the album, one still has to wonder, are the Strokes even trying anymore?

At certain points of the album one can hear the catchy rock tunes that shook the music industry when The Strokes were first rising to their fame. Most of “Angles” however, is a ride into repetitive vocals with bumbling bass lines and ringing guitar riffs layered with synthesizers.

The epitome of this album can very well be said to be “You’re So Right”. With its tediously boring guitar riff and Casablancas lazily droning over a calculatingly plain drum beat.

The review of The Strokes second album “Room on Fire” caused quite a shake in the rock world but was panned for sounding like their first album “Is This It”.

The Strokes went in an unexpected venture with the commercial bomb of their third album “First Impressions of Earth”. “Angles” sounds like a continuation of “First Impressions of Earth” and might have done better just being the second part to it.

With the Sgt. Pepperesque break in “Games” and a forgettable Muse sounding track in “Metabolism”, The Strokes have gone far from their original sound.

Of course there is nothing bad about an artist wanting to branch out and experiment with different sounds. However in this case it was quite bad.

While “Angles” does have certain gems that do bring back subtle memories of what The Strokes once used to be, such as “Taken for a Fool”, most of the album seems like a work of art that was not expression but strictly work.

“Angles” does end with a good note in “Life is Simpler in the Moonlight”, which had a light, happier sound that is not so common with The Strokes.

While one does not go to The Strokes for weighty, philosophical lyrics, Casablancas could have tried a little bit harder with his poetry.

In “Angles” Casablanca sings, “I know im plain, so plain.”

I don’t know if you’re plain Mr. Casablancas but “Angles” definitely was.