“untouchable”….for a few years at least. (Photo from Pieter Van Hattem/NME)
This album, much to my surprise, flew under my radar quite a bit. Nevertheless, once I heard about it, I happily snapped up a copy of this latest outing from the self-effacing rock wunderkinds, the Strokes. With my ears still a stranger to the music inside, I wondered if this was going to be an Is This It, the seminal album that thrust these New Yorkers into the spotlight, or if it was going to be like Angles, a complete about-face from their traditional style of effortless garage-rock. After hearing this particular 11-track outing, I can safely say that Is This It can breathe safe, knowing that it still is the best Strokes album, while Comedown Machine in itself may very well be the best post-Is This It album they have ever put out.
Comedown Machine is a good example of an artist continuing to redefine itself, and continues to defy fans clamoring for their older brand of music. It is different from their past albums but their influences are unmistakable. The opening track, Tap Out and Welcome to Japan, reminds one of the synthesizer-laden Angles, with the same playful and rambunctious lyrics like “What kind of asshole drives a Lotus?” that provide reminders of their earlier albums. All the Time harkens back to the more traditional garage rock of Is this It and Room on Fire, while tracks like Chances and One Way Trigger, definitely sound new, well for them at least. As a whole, the track order is discrete, as it was in previous Strokes albums and very much unlike what you’d see in a rap album, for obvious reasons. Most Stokes albums end with up-tempo and upbeat songs, but it’s different this time around. Call it Fate, Call it Karma ends the album on a solemn note, and to me, is the album’s best track. Lead vocalist Julian Casablancas’ falsetto absolutely takes you to a bygone era: the 1930’s and cleverly ties the album to it’s minimalist album cover, a cover that resembles demo tape covers of RCA records during the aforementioned time.
The Verdict: How far have they come. Comedown Machine is a chameleon, shapeshifting from track to track, keeping the listener guessing. As an album it falters to create a cohesive mood and atmosphere and lacks that standout song, but each track in its individuality succeeds, and has enough eclectic-sounding songs to make it the best, at least for now, post-Is this It album. For anyone looking for a recent and good rock record, this is it.
Comedown Machine by the Strokes, RCA Records:
01 “Tap Out”
02 “All the Time”
03 “One Way Trigger”
04 “Welcome to Japan”
05 “80′s Comedown Machine”
06 “50/50″
07 “Slow Animals”
08 “Partners In Crime”
09 “Chances”
10 “Happy Endings”
11 “Call It Fate, Call It Karma”
Typos and Inkstains 