songoftheweek

The Strokes - Machu Picchu
Angles (2011)

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.