Album shows repetition of same old Strokes

It was 12 years ago when The Strokes first made their way into the music scene with their first album, “Is This It.”

I still go back and listen to that first album because you cannot really tire of it.

With great songs such as “Is This It,” “Someday” and “Last Nite” there is always a song I cannot bring myself to skip.

Their first album was released to critical acclaim and even made it onto Rolling Stone’s 500 Greatest Albums of All Time.

Twelve years later, the band is still going strong. They just released their fifth studio album, “Comedown Machine,” with RCA Records.

The album itself is a wonderful collection of songs creatively put together to create a good album. The problem I find myself asking is, how is this different?

In the past 12 years, The Strokes have put out four other albums: “Is This It” in 2001, “Room on Fire” in 2003, “First Impressions of Earth” in 2006 and “Angles” in 2011, all exceptional albums. But now, with the release of their fifth album, as a Strokes fan myself, I cannot really see how the band has grown.

They still have the same sound, and as much as I love him, Julian Casablancas still has yet to learn how to sing the higher octaves of his own music.

But that sound is what makes The Strokes unique. All I want is for them to build upon that. Make an album that really stands out, just like how their first album set them aside from every other musician out there at the time.

There are a few songs on this record that make it worth listening to.

The second song, “All The Time,” sounds like something from their 2011 album, “Angles.” I?mean that in the best way possible.

Out of all the tracks on this album, this one, for sure, has their showcases their classic sound.

The lyrics during the chorus stand out the most to me. Casablancas shouts over and over again, “You’re living a lie, you’re living too fast.”

Another standout track on the album is “Welcome to Japan.”

Again, I?repeat, this song could easily blend in with the previous works the band has released.

In this song, you can hear the influences music from the ‘80s has on their work today.

The Strokes have been making music for more than 12 years. In that time they have released five albums, three solo albums, collectively, won several music awards and have appeared on numerous talk shows across the world.

While this album doesn’t stand out from their others, it is one their fans will not want to miss.

3.5/5 Stars

Review by Savannah Sawyer, Assistant Features Editor.