When The Strokes released their first album, everyone said that this was it — that these guys were the saviors of rock ‘n’ roll music. With the album’s melodic take on ’70s garage rock, 2001’s Is This It generated the template for 21st century guitar music and engendered a surge of interest in “indie” rock as a sound, rather than a designation of contra-mainstream status. Because of this hype, the general populace has held its tongue about the steadily decreasing quality of The Strokes’ records in the hopes that the next record will herald a return to their classic form. Sadly, now with their most recent Comedown Machine, it seems clear that all hope for a comeback is lost.
The chief problem with the record is a lack of cohesion. Unlike its predecessor, Angles, Comedown Machine was actually recorded with all the members in the same room. Unfortunately, this fact doesn’t do much to overcome the glaring disconnect between lead-singer and songwriter Julian Casablancas and the rest of the band. Throughout the record, Casablancas’ songwriting — inspired by ‘80s new wave and electro pop — vies for superiority with the consistently fresh rock guitar playing of Albert Hammond Jr. and Nick Valensi, but rather than reaching an agreement between the opposing sounds, The Strokes seem to have divided the record into opposing territories, exemplified by comparing the tracks “One Way Trigger” and the unimaginative “50/50.”
A more pressing issue is the constant lack of originality. On lead single “All The Time,” The Strokes engage in some mediocre self-impersonation, while “Partners In Crime” seems to be taken straight from Is This It without the collected coolness that made the album, well, cool. While Strokes fans want the band to get back to making some good old-fashioned early 2000’s rock ‘n’ roll, the thought that they could try and fail so clumsily is disappointing. The band has little wish to play with each other, so why push the envelope if they have so few novel ideas?
There are only a few ways that bands can die. The best groups go out at the top of their game in a blaze of glory, while others fade slowly and silently into the darkness of obscurity. It is tragic that The Strokes must go out in a third, less graceful manner, of floundering in the spotlight, pathetically trying to grasp at the hype that formerly followed them. Comedown Machine is merely a reminder that The Strokes are still here and can still get together to make an album.
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