Review by Nick Devin
The
Strokes have been labelled with the title of one of the pioneering bands to
make the indie music craze so popular.
They did it with one single album, 2001’s ‘Is This It?’ All of the songs on that album had replay value that
still holds strong today. Mesmerising riffs, catchy choruses, and solos that
would make any guitarist jealous are common characteristics of Strokes
albums. Comedown Machine is their new
album, and although it has some stellar tracks, I can’t help but feel that
maybe the Strokes are running out of ideas.
The album begins with ‘Tap Out’ a song
with familiar sound and a vibe which the Strokes have perfected. The
soft jumping riffs that are played on the guitar give interesting depth to the
song, and a good way to begin the album.
As soon as it is played, you can instantly recognise the sound of the
Strokes. Whether this is a good thing,
staying to what they know, or a bad thing in which they are repeating the same
sound, all came down to the rest of the album.
The next song, ‘All the Time’ once again
has a similar sound to every other Strokes song ever made. It takes me back to songs from ‘Is This It?’
having a déjà vu moment. This is what
the Strokes do best: adding a memorable sing a long chorus with a solo that
reaches heights and this song captures that at its best within the album.
‘One Way Trigger’ follows the outline for
their songs as well, with Casablancas reaching the top of his vocal range which
is different to hear. Usually he only
sings high when he is punching out the lyrics to the chorus.
The more I listen to the album, the more I
begin to like ‘Welcome to Japan’, the fourth track. I dare anyone to listen to the start of the
song, and tell me it doesn’t sound very similar to Pink Floyd’s ‘Another Brick
in the Wall.’ Whether this was intentional or not, I’m glad
that when that part is repeated, it is sung at a higher octave breaking apart
the similarities to Pink Floyd. The song
has a darker feel to it, with a chord rhythm that sounds as if it belongs in a
funk song. Unfortunately, this is where
the best of the songs within the album come to a halt.
‘80’s Comedown Machine’ must be their song
that they believe is their standout as it is named after the album. It must be of some importance to the
band. But this is where the established
vibe of the album is lost. They adopt a
punk rock riff, that although it sounds good, does not suit the band. It could just be me, but the distorted effect
that Casablacas uses on his vocal line is becoming a bit old as it has been
used in a majority of his songs on every album.
I would rather hear his voice without the effect, and that would have
made this song much better.
The rest of the songs on the album become
pretty generic and boring, as they all start to meld into another and hard to decipher
which songs are which. Thankfully the
album ends on what might be one of the smartest songs written by the
Strokes. An ode to old love songs past, a
simple soft guitar plucks notes high on the fret board creating a dream like
sound. This leads into a soaring chorus where
Casablacas sings in falsetto which is perfect for this song.
The Strokes haven’t done anything new with
this album, which is a shame because some of the songs feel as if they should
belong on their first album, which is a
good thing. The Strokes might have met
their match finally and have run out of ideas on how to create a new
sound. They will still stay the pioneers
they always were, but won’t be pioneering anything new with Comedown
Machine.
3.5 out of 5
Hits
- Tap Out
- All the Time
- Call it Fate Call it Karma
Misses
- Slow Animals
- Partners in Crime
- Chances
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