The Strokes talk new album, release tracklist

As expectation continues to mount at the forthcoming release of the long awaited fourth album from The Strokes, the band have come out recently and announced the tracklist for the album, to be titled Angles set for release on March 22nd via RCA. They’ve also announced that the album will be preceded by lead single Under Cover Of Darkness to arrive in February.

Speaking recently with Myspace Music, guitarist Nick Valensi also shed some light on the band’s experience of making the album. Speaking of the subsequently scrapped session undertaken with Joe Chiccarelli, Valensi explained that while those session may not have been used, the process was invaluable for the band to prepare to record in honest.

“We liked a lot of stuff from those sessions,” he said. “To be honest with you, I think we learned a lot from those sessions. He worked us really hard and we were probably very unrehearsed and unpolished going into those sessions. And he worked us fuckin 12 hours a day just doing takes all day. By the time we were by ourselves (remixing at guitarist Albert Hammond Jr.’s home studio), we were working more freely and more the way that we wanted to, but at the same time, we had all this kind of knowledge and practice under us, or behind us I should say, that we wouldn’t have had if we hadn’t have gone through (the Chiccarelli sessions). I’m really glad that we went through those two months with Joe.”

He also discussed how he feels the five years between album will affect fan reception, explaining that in his view such a break has left an insurmountable obstacle in terms of meeting the expectations of the fans. “I feel like it’s gonna be impossible for us to make music that’ll live up five years of nothing. It’s kind of that Chinese Democracy syndrome. You take that much time off.. no matter what you do it’s not gonna be as good as people want it to be. I feel like no matter what the record is, or how hard we worked on it, or how much we like it, it’s not gonna live up to people’s expectations only because of those five years between the last one and this one.”

Closing out the interview touching on where the band’s future may lay, he seemed to paint a picture of a band divided, no longer connected by their music as they were before, but a band that is also keen to regain their previous relationship. “I really want to just get in a room with the band and share ideas . We really haven’t done that yet. I’ve been trying to rally the troops again. I don’t know exactly when we’re gonna do that. I’ve got a lot of ideas and Julian was telling me he’s got a lot of ideas.. So hopefully we’ll do that soon and it won’t be another five years before the next album comes out.”

Having turned into a worldwide sensation so quickly it’s understandable that the band’s personal ties have been somewhat undone, in fact it’s pretty much a given in the music industry. It’s unremarkable, let’s face it. What will be interesting to see though is how the album comes out considering this apparent lack of relational cohesion within the band. With Julian Casablancas and Albert Hammond Jnr both having released solo material, with the other bands members seemingly content with their royalty cheques one can only hope that Angles is the product of a genuine desire to make music and not nothing more than a contractual obligation. Only time will tell and in the mean time you can check out the tracklist below.

Angles

01. Machu Picchu

02. Under Cover of Darkness

03. Two Kinds of Happiness

04. You’re So Right

05. Taken For A Fool

06. Games

07. Call Me Back

08. Gratisfaction

09. Metabolism

10. Life Is Simple In The Moonlight

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