Comedown Machine
by The Strokes
  • Record Label: RCA
  • Release Date: Mar 26, 2013
User Score
7.9

Generally favorable reviews- based on 276 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 227 out of 276
  2. Mixed: 35 out of 276
  3. Negative: 14 out of 276
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  1. WadeVS
    Sep 25, 2013
    3
    They're The Strokes. Of course everyone is going to give 9's and 10's without even listening to the album. I love them, but this is awful. The worst part of it is that is is just boring. It starts out decent, although you know it is not even a shade on anything they've done previously. After the likeable 50/50, it just fizzles out and fades away. This made 'Angles' sound epic. That'sThey're The Strokes. Of course everyone is going to give 9's and 10's without even listening to the album. I love them, but this is awful. The worst part of it is that is is just boring. It starts out decent, although you know it is not even a shade on anything they've done previously. After the likeable 50/50, it just fizzles out and fades away. This made 'Angles' sound epic. That's saying something.… Expand
  2. StrawberryBlond
    Apr 17, 2013
    1
    I've heard a lot about this band and their supposedly amazing debut, but I haven't got around to listening to it yet. But I decided to give their latest release a try, seeing as it could well be the group's last album. Well, if that's the case, they're not going out with a bang. This is one of the weirdest albums I've ever heard barely audible voices, awful vocals, lyrics I can't makeI've heard a lot about this band and their supposedly amazing debut, but I haven't got around to listening to it yet. But I decided to give their latest release a try, seeing as it could well be the group's last album. Well, if that's the case, they're not going out with a bang. This is one of the weirdest albums I've ever heard barely audible voices, awful vocals, lyrics I can't make head or tail of, and a bunch of odd noises that send me reeling. It seems like something thrown together for a joke. The lead single, All The Time, is practically a crime against music. The only decent song is closing track, Call It Fate, Call It Karma, which is a beautiful ballad and a glimpse into what the album could have been. I've heard a lot of fans say that their debut was their opus and they slowly declined from there, so I'm surprised that most of them seem satisfied with this. I expected more effort from a final album.… Expand

Awards & Rankings

26
#26 Most Discussed Album of 2013
59
#59 Most Shared Album of 2013

Critic Reviews

All reviews »
Metascore
68

Generally favorable reviews - based on 45 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 23 out of 45
  2. Mixed: 22 out of 45
  3. Negative: 0 out of 45
  1. Classic Rock Magazine
    Jun 21, 2013
    40
    For all the loving homages to past recording techniques, they sound laboured and bored. [May 2013, p.84]
  2. Record Collector
    Jun 4, 2013
    40
    It’s wilful experimentation with no pay-off, sounding lonely, old, with only the occasional, tempting flicker of a genius that once burnt bright.
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  3. Magnet
    May 10, 2013
    75
    Comedown Machine may not quite hit the heights of the band's masterpiece-to-date, but it continues the band's healthy trend of finding curious new ways to twist and complicate its by-now instinctively recognizable sound. [No. 98, p.60]
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