Once I got the full release, I feel as if my love for "Under Cover of Darkness" put the album on a pedestal (to quote 40 Year Old Virgin) that the remainder of the album could not reach. While the Strokes again went ambitious on this album, thankfully this is not First Impressions of Earth Part Deux. Along with the first single, Angles features a couple of the band's strongest tracks to date. Immediately following "Darkness" is "Two Kinds of Happiness". The song is almost two different songs in one: the verse sounds like a lost Cars' track that would have fit in perfectly in a great 80s comedy, but once they hit the chorus, the soaring vocals are matched with an incredible guitar solo that reminded me of My Morning Jacket's "Gideon". Later in the album, "Gratisfaction" is pure Thin Lizzy esque power pop. These songs show that the band can still put out a great song that captures the youthful exuberance of their debut release.
While the rest of the album does not quite measure up with the three aformentioned tracks, there are some other gems. Album opener "Machu Picchu" features reggae tinged riffs, while "You're So Right"s buzz saw guitars seem to cut right through singe Julian Casablancas low vocals. Other tracks like "Games" and "Metabolism" rely heavily on their 80's influence, sometimes to varied results.
As a big Strokes fan, I am happy to see that Angles was worth the wait. Bands spend their entire career's trying to make an album as good as Is This It, which came out during the garage rock revival at the beginning of the new millennium. Fortunately for us, and maybe unfortunately for the band, the that album was their debut album. You never want to peak right away, but the promise that Angles shows makes me think that the band has plenty more left in the tank.
~mm
Loving this album and loving the new video for Taken For A Fool!! http://www.vevo.com/watch/the-strokes/taken-for-a-fool/USRV81100040