Comedown Machine＜完全生産限定盤/Yellow and Red Marbled Vinyl＞

フジロックフェスティヴァル'23 ヘッドライナー!
ザ・ストロークス 5th アルバム『カムダウン・マシン』(イエロー・アンド・レッド・マーブル・ヴァイナル)

2001年のデビュー・アルバム『イズ・ディス・イット』によって"ロックンロール・リヴァイヴァル"ムーブメントを象徴する存在として新たな「基準」と「時代」("モダン・エイジ")とを造り上げ、デビュー以降にリリースした3作全てが日本でも10万枚を超える実績と強固かつ大きなファンベースを誇るザ・ストロークスの5枚目のアルバム『カムダウン・マシーン』。
プロデューサーには初めてジョー・チカレリ(U2、べック、ビヨーク、ホワイト・ストライプス他)を迎え、さらにタイトでアグレッシブなサウンドになっている。「2000年代のロックシーン最大の事件=ザ・ストロークス」は象徴・伝説だけでは終わらない。
ジュリアンのみならず他のメンバーそれぞれもソロ活動も経たことで引き起こされた化学反応によって到達した新たなる世界=第二章の始まり! (2013年作品)

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 quintessential rocker, "50/50," Casablancas snarls "Don't judge me" over artfully mussed guitars in a way that feels more defensive than defiant. For most of Comedown Machine, the band uses some of its prettiest melodies -- and some impressive falsetto vocals -- to craft a vulnerable, quietly confrontational mood on songs like "Tap Out" and "Slow Animals," which has an almost soulful roundness to its melody as Casablancas wonders, "Is it gone?" They venture deeper into this softer territory on the album's title track, which rivals First Impressions of Earth's "Ask Me Anything" in its dreamy introspection, and on "Chances," which boasts soft-focus keyboards that flirt with chillwave. At times, the band's precise playing and Oberg's pristine production border on airless and only emphasize the fact that the Strokes left the reckless charm of Is This It behind years ago. However, their flair for hooks and melodies is as strong as ever, particularly on "Partners in Crime," "Welcome to Japan," and "One Way Trigger," which sets pre-life crisis laments to a perky keyboard riff reminiscent of a-ha's "Take on Me." The Strokes' most mature music yet, Comedown Machine is a solidly enjoyable album, even if it lacks some of the band's previous spark. ~ Heather Phares

エレクトロニックな要素を押し出した前作から約2年ぶりのアルバムは、彼ら史上もっとも革命的な一枚になるかもしれない。ジュリアンのソロ作でも垣間見せた〈80s音楽へのイマっぽいアプローチ〉がより顕著になっていて、チルウェイヴっぽい曲も、ファンクっぽい曲も確認できる。十八番のガレージ・ロックがここではちょっと浮いている印象すらあり!? 戸惑う人も多いかもしれないが、これが現在のストロークス!
bounce (C)柴田かずえ