The Strokes - Angles

The Strokes have a lot to answer for. Back in 2001 it was them who really kick-started the rock revivalist bandwagon, and as such they are at least partly responsible for the slew of second rate indie bands that have somehow found success in the ensuing ten years. They’ve inspired some pretty great stuff too, but for every charmingly ramshackle band of Libertines the New Yorkers have paved the way for, a group of substanceless bores like Razorlight have sneaked their way through the door too. Nevertheless, this doesn’t take away from what the group achieved on Is This It and its criminally underrated follow-up, Room On Fire.

We now find ourselves five years from the band’s last record, the slightly disappointing but nevertheless solid First Impressions of Earth, and with the dust well and truly settled on the members’ debut solo efforts, anticipation for their fourth long-player is high. This has only been heightened by the tremulous relationship that Julian Casablancas, Nick Valensi et al are said to have endured during the recording process, with Casablancas being so wound up by the whole affair as to have submitted his vocals to the rest of the band via computer, rather than collaborating with the rest of the group in the studio. No matter, plenty of masterful works of art have been completed under tortuous circumstances; Fleetwood Mac, My Bloody Valentine, The Smashing Pumpkins and The Rolling Stones are just a few of the groups to have completed their magnum opuses whilst at each others’ throats and in each others’ beds.

The sound of opener “Macchu Picchu” does little to suggest any trying circumstances in the band’s camp, bouncing along quite happily with a cod-reggae melody. But listen a little closer. What’s that Casablancas is singing? “I'm putting your patience to the test, I'm putting your body on the line, for less.” Hardly the words of a contented man. Similar lyrical themes are found throughout the album, Casablancas expressing a nagging frustration whilst the band stamps out a high-pitched, jangly sound beneath. This is essentially what they’ve been doing since 2003, but back then they did it far better. Sonically, there’s little to tell between this and Room on Fire, perhaps the drumming is a little more ‘motorik’ and there’s a tad more synth here and there, but these songs could quite easily be cast-offs from those sessions eight years ago. This is entirely the problem; the songs seem to lack any of the inspiration The Strokes tapped into previously. It’s almost as if the band worked on the album whilst their minds were elsewhere, perhaps on the next solo record. It’s surprising then that they have already stated that work on even more new material has begun, and that there is plenty more music left over from the sessions that gave a difficult birth to this record.

Apart from opening single “Under Cover of Darkness”, the main highlight is the spiralling “Metabolism”, which possesses a yearning riff and keyboards that sound like a choir. The sentiment of the vocal matches that of the riff, Casablancas confessing that he’s “searching for the perfect life.” You begin to almost feel sorry for the guy, but then the track ends and you’re left bored once again.

There’s nothing particularly terrible or annoying about any these songs (and you’ll probably have a better time listening to it than it sounds like they had making it), but then again there’s almost absolutely nothing interesting either. There’s maybe two or three great moments on this album, but you’re left wanting when you contrast this with the band’s debut, which consisted of 36 minutes of unrelenting brilliance. Sadly it seems that the reverse to that old adage “no great art was ever created without suffering” does not hold here, and that, in The Strokes case, suffering does not necessarily beget great art.

2.5/5

Download: Metabolism

James Blake - James Blake

James Blake – James Blake 2.5/5

It’s only February and James Blake has already released what will probably shape up to be the most frustrating album of the year. The record continues on the trajectory set by his first three EPs, moving away from the thick, sample-heavy dubstep of his first two releases towards a very minimal, piano and vocal based sound. The transition has been kind to Blake’s commercial prospects, earning him a high placing on the influential BBC “Sound of” poll. The problem is that he has left himself too little to work with, resulting in a record that is so sparse it almost disappears.

His approach works well on tracks like “Measurements” and his brilliant cover of Feist’s Limit to Your Love, but too often it just comes off flat. Take the two track mini-suite of Lindisfarne I & II, for example; the two songs sound like a particularly poor cast-off from Kanye’s 808s and Heartbreak sessions. Album highlight is undoubtedly recent single Wilhelm’s Scream, which builds to a triumphant murky climax, with Blake’s voice retaining a beautiful vulnerability despite its obvious strength.

As a long time fan (as much as you can be a long time fan of someone who has been releasing records for less than 18 months), I was really hoping that the finished record would not be the same as the version that leaked onto the net in early December. Unfortunately it seems that the final product is exactly as it was two months ago, an album possessing moments of real beauty but somehow not sounding quite finished.

Download: “Wilhelm’s Scream”.

Mogwai - Hardcore Will Never Die, But You Will

Mogwai - Hardcore Will Never Die, But You Will 3.5/5


With the band sixteen years and seven studio albums into their career, it’s fair to say that we know largely what a new Mogwai release will sound like - searing guitars, repeating rhythms and, on most songs, a complete lack of vocals are all par for the course. That’s not to say that the band have been making the same record for the best part of the last two decades; every successive album has seen the group tweak and adjust their formula, giving each one its own distinctive sound.
This latest effort sees them using more electronic instrumentation than most previous efforts, as well as utilising the keyboard more often than might be expected of a group like Mogwai. Case in point is “Mexican Grand Prix”, which is driven by a high-tempo krautrock-esque pulse, but unfortunately includes superfluous vocoder-treated vocals that fail to sit well with the track. The rest of the album fares better, with “How To Be A Werewolf” in particular soaring as beautifully as anything they’ve ever done. Other highlights include slow lament “Letters To The Metro” and “George Square Thatcher Death Party”, which recalls the lofty tones of Young Team’s “Mogwai Fear Satan”, and serves as a more appropriate home for those computerised vocals.
The rest is standard Mogwai fare; solid post-rock played by men with their guitar pedals set to ‘epic’. Hardcore Will Never Die, But You Will probably won’t win the band many new fans, but it will almost certainly satisfy those that they already have.

Download: How To Be A Werewolf

J Mascis - Several Shades of Why

J Mascis - Several Shades of Why 3/5


J Mascis has always been know as more of an axe-wielder than an acoustic troubadour, his guitar chops more than making up for the lack of power in his mumbled vocals. So it comes as some surprise to see the Dinosaur Jr frontman picking up the acoustic for his third “official” solo effort. I say “official” because Mascis pretty much kicked everyone else out of Dinosaur Jr in 1991, and didn’t reunite with them for almost fifteen years. During that time, the “band” continued to produce loud tunes with reams of distortion, a world away from the folky string-embellished songs found here.
This change might lead some to question whether Mascis has finally come to feel more comfortable in his own skin, perhaps finally leaving behind the angst that has always seemed to permeate his records. One look at the lyrics sheet proves otherwise: “Hope has left me here” he sings/mumbles on ‘Very Nervous and Love’. We also find him addressing his relationship with his mother, and elsewhere pleading for someone to “make things right”. Unplugged, but still the same Mascis then.
All of the work on this album is competent, as would be expected from a virtuoso such as J, but it’s telling that the best moments come on the occasions when he cracks out the electric guitar and throws out a solo. The record certainly has its moments, but leaves you yearning for the excellence of Dinosaur Jr’s post-reunion collaborative efforts. A nice detour perhaps, but hopefully not an indicator of another acrimonious split in the Dinosaur camp.

Download: Is It Done