The Strokes are without a doubt the pioneers of what Rolling Stone magazine justly calls the “modern-garage era” – combining jumpy punk rhythms, pop melodies, pulsing lead guitars and that now-famous vocal overdrive.

Having previously released three very successful albums, The Strokes are surely part of the mainstream contemporary musical landscape. This explains fans’ unrepressed excitement for the release of their fourth record, Angles.

It was revealed in interviews that the band had recorded the album under some awkward conditions. For one thing, Julian Casablancas recorded the vocals all the way in Los Angeles while the rest of the band recorded the instrumental parts in upstate New York. With such limited inter-band co-operation, it may seem unlikely that The Strokes would be capable of producing an album that is as awesome as their previous records were. But musically, Angles represents a step forward and out of the band’s comfort zone.

Overall, the album is musically complex and varied. The influence of a broader range of genres is seen in songs like “Two Kinds of Happiness” and “Games.” With the help of synthesizers, they sound like ‘80s pop.

The band also makes good use of their traditional lead guitar effects. In songs like “Taken For A Fool,” the vocals are used as a tool to mark rhythm, as well as to create a jumpy and overall upbeat sound.

The record also features some slower songs such as “Call Me Back” and “Life Is Simple In The Moonlight.” With these tunes, melancholic melodies are set over fast-paced guitars and beats, thanks to Casablancas’ gravelly yet nonchalant vocals.

In terms of style and structure, the diversity among songs is most probably due to the fact that each band member contributed to the songwriting process. The Strokes have chosen to bring in electronic elements, giving the record a futuristic touch. But fans be warned: the band does move away from their characteristic sound, which may cause true fans to look back nostalgically on The Strokes’ early days.

Trial Track: “You’re So Right”

the verdict:

8.0/10

Shortly after the world was treated to Thom Yorke’s oddly entrancing dance moves in the video for Radiohead’s new single, “Lotus Flower,” they shocked fans by announcing the imminent release of their new album.

The King of Limbs received mixed-to-positive reviews from critics and fans alike. While the BBC hailed it as “a fans-pleasing eighth album from Britain’s most consistently brilliant band,” NOW Magazine claimed Radiohead is “so invested in the idea of not being a pop band any more that they haven’t written many actual songs.”

The group initially released the album through its website – albeit not via the pay-what-you-want strategy that their previous effort, In Rainbows, had been promoted through – to accumulate hype over a month before its physical release on March 28. They did this all without the help of a major label. So is this a brilliant marketing tactic for the band to attract a more widespread audience, or does their lack of a big-name label hinder the accessibility of their new material to the masses? More importantly, how come the band isn’t taking full financial advantage of their new material by releasing it in stores simultaneously?

First of all, Radiohead has already achieved much success over the past two decades by doing things the traditional way. Their prior achievements carry a large enough monetary value that whether or not The King of Limbs goes multi-platinum may not be their biggest concern. Secondly, the album’s digital price of $9 is just under what it would usually be sold for physically – a smart move in an age where record sales are tanking at an alarming rate. With the Internet as today’s primary source of new music, the group’s sales strategies can help it reach the kind of audience that it can no longer attract at one’s local HMV.

Of course, that’s not to say they don’t care at all. You could also argue that the digital self-release of both The King of Limbs and In Rainbows is more financially beneficial for them, as more money would find its way into their bank accounts rather than into those of major labels.

With such tactics in mind, it’s obvious that Radiohead has chosen how they want to go about distributing their music, and they have already found a surprising degree of success as a result. But at the end of the day, Radiohead has been successful enough at this stage in their career that it barely matters how many people buy the record, rather how many people they reach.