Mon, 2011-03-21 08:46 | by Carles
It seems like we finally can say "The new Strokes album rlly, rlly sux and was a huge letdown and it might be EVEN WORSE than the MGMT Congratulations flop of 2k10." The popular alt blogzine Pitchfork magazine 'panned the eff out of it.' I think they still sell albums, so magazines like Rolling Stone and SPIN have to pretend the album/band still 'has it', but this is a CLEAR MESSAGE from the indiesphere that 'we are done with the Strokes, except might still post about them bc they generate traffic.'
It seems like maybe this album sux because Julian Casablancas didn't write the entire album himself and tell every1 what 2 play so he was all like 'eff this joint, I'm recording my vox Postal Service style':
The album attempts to rebuild the band from the ground up. Whereas Casablancas had previously written nearly every part of the group's songs including guitar solos and basslines, he steps back on Angles, which features songs from other members. And this revised process is evident in the credits: "All Music Written and Arranged by the Strokes." Casablancas called the new way "Operation Make Everyone Satisfied," which sounds condescending enough. And while the more democratic move may seem generous, the singer threw his clout around by separating himself from the rest of the recording process and sending his vocals to the band via electronic files. And the album's oddly collaborative origins are evidenced in both its scatter-shot diversity and its lurching fragmentation.
Seems like the Strokes don't rlly care and are just doing it for $$$ or something.
Also, he sort of got all emo on his lyrics and every1 hates him:
Throughout, the album is hobbled by disconnections-- between verse and chorus, lyrics and music, intent and execution. Casablancas' ambivalence about his own actions crops up often. On the ugly prog wannabe "Metabolism" he declares, "I wanna be outrageous/ But inside I know I'm plain." Disjointed closer "Life Is Simple in the Moonlight" has him confessing, "There's no one I disapprove of or root for more for than myself." And while the singer's singed self-loathing was present in the Strokes from the beginning, it was always tempered with music that provided some uplift. But on the sad-eyed and drum-less "Call Me Back", he's left to moan about how "no one has the time, someone's always late" against a single guitar and ethereal keyboard. Listening to the track, it's pretty easy to see why people may not be returning his calls.
Anyways, the review is 'hella brutal' [via blood bath], but they basically tell the Strokes that they should probably retire (like the White Stripes and LCD Soundsystem) so that ppl remember their legacy:
As news about the Strokes' shaky resurgence has continued to flow over the last few months, two of the group's contemporaries chose to bow out. The White Stripes-- who faced off against the Strokes in a friendly Coolest Band Alive competition for a few years in the early aughts-- officially broke up after a hiatus on February 2 in order to "preserve what is beautiful and special about the band and have it stay that way." Meanwhile, fellow wry New Yorkers LCD Soundsystem will wrap up their run April 2 at Madison Square Garden. As it happens, that's just one day after the Strokes will play the same venue to kick-start their second life. Everybody wants to quit while they're ahead. Some actually do it.
Should The Strokes 'retire'?
are they 'way past their prime'?
Have they ruined their brand/legacy?
Is this Strokes album 'good' or 'bad' or 'not that bad'?
Is the indiesphere 'done waiting' for the Strokes to re-discover their '2k0-2k2 swag'?
Have the Strokes gone 2 buzzband heaven or buzzband hell?
The Strokes
BuzzbandThe Strokes may have been the first buzzband of the 21st century.
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Pitchfork Media
Company, BlogPitchfork is a popular indie blogzine that does reviews and gets mad hits.
Lists: blogs and magazines
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