The Strokes - Under Cover Of Darkness (Rough Trade)
3/5
By: Stan Morgan
The return of The Strokes will no doubt be the cause for much anticipation over the coming months, it coming five years after the release of their last album. In the meantime we’ve had side-projects (of differing quality) to keep our Strokes-lust at bay, and the first five seconds of ‘Under Cover Of Darkness’ will reassure anyone who was petrified of a departure from their signature sound.
Yes, this is unmistakably The Strokes, albeit The Strokes who seem to have listened to a few Thin Lizzy records in their wilderness years. The guitars shuffle through the verses with a pseudo-funk rhythm, the bass meanders along nicely, and the drums are…definitely there.
Unfortunately, despite the strength of the songwriting, it seems the band have failed to correct some of the mistakes they made on First Impressions of Earth. The song (especially the chorus) draws far too much attention to Casablancas’ vocals, singing in a style that far from flatters him. The whole production, in fact, is slightly suspect, with questionable backing vocals and guitars that overpower absolutely everything, including the vocals.
Definitely room for improvement, then, but fans certainly won’t be disappointed, you just get the feeling that if ‘Under The Cover Of Darkness’ was by an unknown band it would be infinitely ignorable.
Artists in this article: The Strokes
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