Angles
by The Strokes
  • Record Label: RCA
  • Release Date: Mar 22, 2011
Metascore
71

Generally favorable reviews - based on 41 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 25 out of 41
  2. Mixed: 15 out of 41
  3. Negative: 1 out of 41
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  1. Filter
    May 10, 2011
    60
    The result is mixed and at times strained, but a spark still lies within.
  2. American Songwriter
    May 2, 2011
    60
    When all is said and done, Angles could make for an exciting introduction to a new chapter for The Strokes, or it could be a disappointing swan song.
  3. Mojo
    Apr 22, 2011
    60
    Angles homespun demeanour is key to its appeal. There are flaws. [Apr 2011, p.95]
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  5. Under The Radar
    Apr 18, 2011
    60
    They're maturing gracelessly, still in love with the fool's gold myth of rock and roll, which is precisely why Angles succeeds as a record.
  6. Boston Globe
    Mar 22, 2011
    60
    Is this it? Don't feel ashamed if that's your initial reaction to the Strokes' new album, the natty New York rockers' first in five years. Stick with it, and you'll be rewarded with a record that's completely oblivious to expectations and past glories.
  7. No Ripcord
    Mar 22, 2011
    60
    The Strokes have managed to culture a great sense of the schizophrenic on Angles, mapping polar tones in tandem to produce a record that feels both confused and entirely deliberate.
  8. PopMatters
    Mar 21, 2011
    60
    If the Strokes keep their word that better things are yet to come, Angles could be seen in a different light in due time, the album where they worked through their late-in-coming growing pains and found themselves at a fork in the road, not the end of it.
  9. Slant Magazine
    Mar 21, 2011
    60
    Angles is a document of the Strokes operating more as a task force than a real band; even though the album's allegedly fractured recording sessions resulted in the first Strokes LP to feature writing credits from every member of the band, this is more of a show of individuals tinkering with each track rather than any true cooperative effort.
  10. The Independent (UK)
    Mar 18, 2011
    60
    Comeback albums, it seems, are not just for other bands to do.
  11. Sputnikmusic
    Mar 16, 2011
    60
    Angles ends in a horribly frustrating manner, with none of the assurance of "Take it or Leave It" or "Red Light." No, Angles, even in ending with its strongest song, dies the way it lived: in sheer ambiguity.
  12. Pitchfork
    Mar 21, 2011
    59
    Though this band was routinely slapped with claims of 1970s plagiarism upon their arrival, it's unlikely that many people have ever mistaken a Strokes song for one by Lou Reed or Television. So it's ironic that their mimicry can be uncanny on Angles.
  13. Prefix Magazine
    Mar 28, 2011
    45
    Most of Angles finds The Strokes trying as hard as possible not to sound like The Strokes. This is done, in part, by recycling the least palatable parts of their last LP, and interpolating them with weird, near-atonal choruses.
  14. The Independent on Sunday (UK)
    Mar 22, 2011
    40
    Coming from a band who blatantly don't want to be a band any more, Angles is inevitably disjointed. But it's not disastrous.
  15. Dot Music
    Mar 21, 2011
    40
    These songs don't sound anxious, or troubled, just lacklustre.
  16. The Guardian
    Mar 17, 2011
    40
    Plenty of great records have been made in an atmosphere of terrible acrimony. But Angles just sounds like an album made by people who really didn't want to make an album.

Awards & Rankings

20
#20 Most Discussed Album of 2011
62
#62 Most Shared Album of 2011

User Reviews

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User Score
7.8

Generally favorable reviews- based on 266 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 216 out of 266
  2. Mixed: 41 out of 266
  3. Negative: 9 out of 266
  1. Philip
    Mar 23, 2011
    10
    I was disappointed with this album when I first listened to it. Now it's grown on me with a vengeance. I absolutely love it. Taken for a FoolI was disappointed with this album when I first listened to it. Now it's grown on me with a vengeance. I absolutely love it. Taken for a Fool is easily one of the best songs, with it's fantastic chorus. Games, the most unnerving departure from The Strokes' norm, is now one of my favourite songs. Life is Simple in the Moonlight has a unique atmosphere of distant sincerity and regret. Not to mention Under Cover of Darkness, easily the best individual Strokes song since the Is This It era.… Full Review »
  2. JawsPapi87
    Oct 3, 2011
    7
    Angles has grown on me, going from a B- to a straight A. It was such a great decision to change their style a little bit after the somewhatAngles has grown on me, going from a B- to a straight A. It was such a great decision to change their style a little bit after the somewhat disappointing First Impressions of Earth. Overall, Angles comes together beautifully and is one of the most underrated and unfairly overlooked albums of the past few years… Full Review »
  3. dittodelbalzo
    Mar 28, 2011
    10
    Best album in 5 years by the best band of all time. More of a grower than the previous, but that's a very cool thing. All of their musicBest album in 5 years by the best band of all time. More of a grower than the previous, but that's a very cool thing. All of their music lasts, and they've never made a bad song. Check it out.… Full Review »
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