Crash Thursday: The Strokes - Angles

The first lyric off "Machu Piccu", the first track of The Strokes latest album Angles, states that "I'm putting your patience to the test," and I totally buy it, considering the music scene has been pretty much dry of any new Strokes material for five years. The anticipation for a new album has been partly arousing and partly confusing, as I've tried to cope with the fact that these guys have pretty much done everything with the right mindset since their stellar debut Is This It ten years ago, and yet they've only produced four albums. Does it really beg the question over whether they can keep up their sound after such an unusually long hiatus? Well, after one listening of Angles, I can safely say that the question is rather pointless. The Strokes haven't gone anywhere.

Julian Casablancas and his mighty crew of excellence have done quite well on Angles. For the 34 minutes that the album runs with, The Strokes perform a full-fledged show for the ears, varying in results of unique and oftentimes epic sounds of great rhythm and syncopation, the first half especially. The frequently played "Under Cover of Darkness" is rightly played out, as it hearkens right back to their first album. "Taken For A Fool" also fits in similar line, blasting such power to fit a tight rhythm that's enlightening. "You're So Right" is perhaps the grooviest and most fun track of The Strokes I've yet to hear, with a purposely short track length to fit in all the unique qualities of fuzzy guitar and buzzed bass that make it sound like it came right out of Radiohead's Kid A.

The second half presents something a little more experimental if not mixed experience for The Strokes, bringing in synths and electronics to tinker their guitar work, such as on "Games" and "Call Me Back". The sounds are interesting, yet they seem discordant with Casablancas' vocal and lyrical style. That isn't to say they're not good, but it does somewhat drag what they've so effortlessly established in the first half. Things kick back into gear with "Gratisfaction" only to have "Metabolism" enter, and it sounds as if Muse entered the studio. It's a little bit discombobulating (yes, I used that word in everyday English), but it still crosses a finish line with flying colors.

So are The Strokes back? Yes - in some form - and you should be happy. Is This It may continue to be their masterpiece and "signature sound," but their latest offerings on Angles mixes and matches The Strokes catalog and solo efforts in a way that never feels rushed or lacking. They provide new directions they may head into, but they also provide what The Strokes are always best at. If another five year hiatus is in order, I cannot expect any less of them.

3.5/5

The Strokes - Taken For A Fool


The Strokes - You're So Right


Angles is available on Rough Trade Records on March 22nd.

Crash Thursday: The Pains of Being Pure At Heart - Belong

Shoegazing seems to be a popular target to get a listener's head to nod side to side, a hand to strum the air guitar strapped around their neck, or a foot to tap until the bone begins to chisel. This is the style that has branded artists like Smashing Pumpkins and My Bloody Valentine, and it has now branded New York City's The Pains of Being Pure At Heart. This is not one of your run-of-the-mill-type brands, however - this is one of the good ones.

I don't know if it's the 90's nostalgia that's hitting me or the incessant need to turn my volume up to 10, but there's a reason why shoegaze works so well. The frequent use of flange to appropriate the longing distance between chords and the respective lyrical content make the music soar high and above, even if it does tend to meander. Luckily, The Pains don't make Belong a repetitive affair - this is just delightful.

The starting title track and the song "Too Tough" are perfect examples of the genre, cranking the flanging guitars and low-vibe harmonics to match the vocalist's subtle and chilled tone. Any of the two bands mentioned in the above paragraph could have easily turned these tunes into hits of their own, and it helps that these two tracks help to open and close the album, respectively. Tracks like "The Body" and "My Terrible Friend" continue the trend, albeit much more upbeat and producing bass similar to that of 80's synth-pop. The other six tracks remain consistently and surprisingly vibrant and nourished, keeping a balance of both rhythm and beat that's scattered nicely throughout the album.

These ten tracks are pure shoegazing, and that's a stellar choice. Sure, it's easy to write off Belong as a close repeat performance of big bands prior, but The Pains aren't making music for comparisons. Quite frankly, they're making music to add to the dimensions that shoegazing offers in the first place.

4/5

The Pains of Being Pure At Heart - Belong


The Pains of Being Pure At Heart - Too Tough


Belong is available on Slumberland Records on March 29th.

In Case of the Mondays: Anytime "Will Do" for TV On The Radio

So it goes like this: TV On The Radio are going to be releasing their latest album Nine Types of Light on April 12th. I will be lucky enough to see them in San Diego at the beginning of May (a post with pictures will be taken for sure), but here's your chance to listen to a song off the new album called "Will Do". It's a fantastic love song if I ever heard one, and it manually builds upon its slow tempo with strong beats and excellent lyrical and vocal stability. It shows what TV On The Radio are best at and continue to be best at, and, in case of the Mondays - or any day for that matter - this works on so many levels to get you through.

TV On The Radio - "Will Do"

REVIEW: Fitz & The Tantrums - Pickin' Up The Pieces

Newer musical discoveries can be nice, but whoever said the 70's were over was clearly mistaken, because Fitz & The Tantrums play soul like no current band does today. In fact, Pickin' Up The Pieces has so much soul for it's 10 tracks that it's as if the 70's never left. That isn't to say that it's a bad thing, but it's not necessarily everyone's dig. It also doesn't help that this is a band from Los Angeles, a place that has yet to really hold down a signature sound but plays up to some big names in rock, hip-hop, and rap outfits.

It could be good, then, that there's a band out there that is trying to re-envision a time when clapping your hands and big fuzzy bass surrounded the landscape, perhaps a time that felt right amidst the decay of American pop culture. To that I say I'm quite fine with it, but it doesn't make it a perfect world.

"Breakin' the Chains of Love" kicks off with a good jam, and then slowly but surely it brings in the electric organ, tambourine and saxophone that YOU KNOW make up the majority of Mo-Town hit-makers like The Jackson 5 or Marvin Gaye. "Dear President" only reconfirms this case, maybe even moreso, teetering on pure imitation. The title track does a better job at adding some uniqueness, incorporating much lighter sweeps and harmonics. I can only wish the rest of the album follows a similar pattern, but it ends up more like listening to Sly and the Family Stone without the lyrical snazziness or appreciated funk. The album closer "Tighter" could be considered a nice addition, but that's after you've sat through six other tracks of similarity.

Does it all matter that they're a throwback band? Of course not. There's no doubt that they have the tenacity to bring soul back to a community that just can't make up it's mind over which sound is more preferable, though it was a better impression on the music scene 40 years ago. I would take a teaspoon of this any day, but there's that urge to feel fresh that I can't take with a tablespoon.

6/10

Fitz & the Tantrums - "Pickin' Up The Pieces"


Fitz & the Tantrums - "Tighter"


Pickin' Up the Pieces is available now on Dangerbird Records.

Vid Break! The Strokes on SNL

Welcome to Vid Break! It's that time of the week (Wednesday) where you really just want the opportunity grab a frosty one and lean back in your chair while you watch some awesome music-related videos.

Today's video comes from the VERY much anticipated return of The Strokes and their new album Angles, dropping March 22. They kicked off promoting the album with an appearance on Saturday Night Live last weekend (hosted by an undeserving Miley Cyrus) and premiered the songs "Under Cover of Darkness" and "Life Is Simple In The Moonlight". The video provided below is the former song, with incredibly catchy rhythm guitar and bass (as expected) and Julian Casablancas at his most alert. Short and sweet (also as expected), let's just say that March 22 can't come sooner.