The Strokes - Comedown Machine (LP)

Arriving a relatively quick two years after Angles, Comedown Machine reunites the Strokes with producer Gus Oberg, but the results sound a lot less slick and overwrought. Instead, Oberg provides a clean, intimate sound that feels like a natural progression for the band, with a mix of chugging guitars and synths that feels more organic and less like blatant '80s worship (and also bears a striking similarity to Julian Casablancas' solo album Phrazes for the Young). Likewise, most of Angles' uneven but entertaining tangents are smoothed away, making it one of the Strokes' more consistent albums in some time. True to its name, however, Comedown Machine is also some of the band's most subdued music: there are fewer uptempo songs than might be expected, and even when their amps are cranked, the Strokes aren't exactly carefree. "All the Time"'s refrain of "You're livin' too fast" is a far cry from "Room on Fire"'s "Please don't slow me down if I'm going too fast," and on the album's most quin