“Comedown Machine”: Happy Ending?
Alex Matthew
“Comedown Machine”, The Strokes’ fifth LP launched to a middling critical and commercial response when it was released to little interest in March of 2013. Five years on, it’s time to take a look back at the New York Rocker’s most underrated album.
Low Fi Genius. Saviours of Rock. Skinny Jeans.
All phrases synonymous with New York Legends “The Strokes” after they released their garage rock masterpiece “Is This It” to rapturous critical applause back in 2001 and subsequently cemented their place in rock history after only a single album.
Lounge Singer Falsetto. Avant Garde. Eighties Synth Pop.
All phrases which would never have been associated with the group when they casually stumbled into the spotlight in their charming and carefree manner and revitalised rock in the early two thousands. Yet they all serve as fitting descriptions of their last full length effort, “Comedown Machine” which debuted at ten in the US Chart (their weakest performance in this field since 2001) when it was released in 2013.
It’s difficult not to feel like “Comedown Machine” was a touch over-looked when it dropped, despite underwhelming commercial sales and a lukewarm critical response. It’s arrival felt oddly out of the blue when it came and went accompanied by a complete lack of press interviews, music videos and most importantly; a tour.
It’s peculiar enough then, despite the curious media black out which would hint toward a lack of care on the band’s part, that the album sounds like “The Strokes” are actually having a good time recording with various short snippets of cheeky dialogue exchanges or echoing laughter leaking into the record between tracks. Furthermore it appears that they could genuinely be trying here and the production troubles and fallouts which surrounded their previous release, “Angles”, have seemingly vanished.
The record smashes into being with an unhinged guitar solo before making way for the opening track “Tap Out”, an enjoyable, upbeat opening to the album. The aforementioned killer guitar makes a return throughout the song to punctuate it with nostalgic riffs, reminiscent of their earlier work.
The album’s second track is also a nod to their previous releases but is unfortunately a step down from the album’s opener as a result. There’s nothing wrong with “All the Time” and perhaps that’s part of the problem. It’s a painfully ‘okay’ tune from the long gone “Is This It” era and results tired and worn.
However we needn’t take notice of this slight blip because it soon gives way to the superb “One Way Trigger” and the introduction of Casablanca’s falsetto which appears time and again throughout the rest of the album’s almost forty minute runtime (39:55). It’s something we haven’t heard from the frontman before and is a welcome surprise. If there’s one thing which all can agree upon surrounding “Comedown Machine” it’s that Casablanca’s impressive vocal range is well showcased over the eleven contrasting tracks.
“One Way Trigger” marks the beginning of the album’s most impressive section. It is sharply followed by the eighties synth, pop-fuelled “Welcome to Japan” which offers up some of the band’s catchiest lyrics in the most upbeat tune on the record. It is succeeded contrastingly by a melancholic ode to a lost lover in the form of “80’s Comedown Machine” which intriguingly lends the album it’s title. It is quietly touching and reinforces the band’s aptitude for beautiful songwriting, interestingly it’s the only track to have been written by all five members. It then steps aside for “50/50", a powerful piece which bounds along to the beat of rapid guitars and frantic drumming. Casablanca’s punchy singing harks back to his youth once again but this time doing enough different so it doesn’t appear tired like “All the Time”.
Unsurprisingly enough “Slow Animals” brings about another change of pace as the record vastly decreases in tempo and Casablanca dishes out another dose from the higher end of his register. It’s an odd one, at times it comes across as pointlessly depressing and struggles to sustain your attention but at others it’s sombreness is strangely moving with the lyrics and tone contrasted by another signature guitar solo. It’s followed by the charmingly frenzied “Partners in Crime” which due to it’s energetic, chaotic vibe appears endlessly listenable on the surface but ultimately struggles to craft a memorable chorus or hook to make revisiting wholly worthwhile.
Next up is another one of the record’s highlights with “Chances”.
As the album begins to wrap up we are treated to “Happy Ending”, a song which yet again is flamboyantly dressed up in funky guitar riffs and makes up for the lack of hook two songs back in “Partners in Crime” down to its playful catchiness.
The record closes its doors with the aptly named “Call It Fate, Call It Karma”, a song unlike any other Strokes tune we’ve heard before or since. Casablancas’s Bee Gees-esque falsetto is removed from his wardrobe and dusted off for one last show. This time he’s placed within the framework of what appears to be a rock group masquerading as a thirties jazz crooner’s backing band. It’s a bold move to say the least, totally unconventional and quite honestly astounding that it works but yet you couldn’t imagine the record ending in a more effective manner. The dreaminess of the sound conjures up tangible imagery of a smoke-filled NYC bar in a bygone era, accompanied by meaningful and effective lyrics, The Strokes successfully create one of the best album-closers of the decade.
It’s beautiful.
At the time it could well have been The Strokes’ last ever song and if it had been it would have been a perfect touching note to end a fascinating but troubled career. It makes one wonder whether The Strokes themselves were perhaps having doubts about ever recording material together again.
Since the release of “Comedown Machine” Casablancas and Co reunited in 2016 for the release of an enjoyable and admirable three-track EP entitled “Future, Present, Past”. There seems to be little doubt the group will continue touring sporadically in the years to come as they have done so since their inception. But the prospect of jumping back into the studio to record new material, let alone a sixth album, remains unclear.
Casablancas is off making music with another of his side projects, “The Voidz” who’s second album dropped this year and proved as perplexing as ever but still entertaining in some places. Meanwhile Albert Hammond Jr also released a record in spring 2018 with “Francis Trouble”, his fantastic fourth solo album which took us on an intimate journey into a personal past surrounding the still-born death of a twin brother but still packing his trademark punchy and crisp guitar riffs. Like Casablancas, lead guitarist Valensi and bassist Fraiture have also formed other bands. Valensi’s entitled “CRX” who released their debut album “New Skin” back in 2016, produced by Josh Homme (Queens of the Stone Age). Whilst Fraiture’s new outfit “Summer Moon” let their first record, “With You Tonight”, loose in 2017. Lastly drummer Moretti has also collaborated on various side projects, the highlight of which came back in 2008 with Little Joy’s debut album (well worth checking out for fans of “Call It Fate, Call It Karma”).
Despite numerous flaws and the odd weaker track “Comedown Machine” still remains one of the most adventurous and intriguing albums made by a “rock band” this decade. “The Strokes” take us through a variety of different styles and genres ranging from the garage rock they burst onto the scene with in 2001 to the thirties style jazz crooner feels they serve up as the album closes. Its sheer ambition to craft a crazy and conflicting mixtape of 11 tracks results in the creation of some truly masterful songs which sit comfortably amongst their best. It can therefore stand proudly alongside The Stroke’s earlier superb releases whilst possessing the irresistible attribute of an album which feels like it will only continue to improve and grow in stature with time.
