New record review: The Strokes ‘Reality Awaits’

Six years after the release of The New Abnormal, The Strokes have returned with a new album that’s once again fitting for bizarre times, Reality Awaits (RCA/Cult).

The band’s previous LP, which won a Grammy Award for Best Rock Album, arrived when the world was shut down due to COVID-19. (Its title managed to come off like a timely play on the then-popular phrase ‘The new normal.’) Now things have been turned upside down again, this time on multiple fronts, so what better time for The Strokes to release a new album?

Reality Awaits, like any album (versus a collection of songs best streamed on Spotify), gets better with repeated listens. Upon first hearing the LP, the listener is struck by its unusual lyrics, delivered by a heavily autotuned Julian Casablancas. Yet the instrumentation is as solid as ever, and Casablancas’ talent for melody is undeniable, despite the choice to obscure his vocals with effects.

Amid at-times stream-of-consciousness rambling, Casablancas drops sarcastic, self-aware gems like ‘Only my ‘beloved’ songs will define me’ (‘Psycho Shit’) and ‘I’ve been thinking about what I want to say, but I’m an old man now, at least that’s what they tell me anyway’ (‘Going Shopping’). He even uses a song title as an apparent warning (‘Going To Babble On’) and hits a lyrical low point when he starts repeating ‘I'm a leech’ over and over (‘The Fruits Of Conquest’).

But the album has more highs than lows. The melancholic ‘Falling Out Of Love,’ though not as epic, gives The New Abnormal’s ‘At The Door’ a run for its money. ‘Going Shopping,’ the ultra-catchy lead single, is The Strokes at their classic best. What can one do during a time of unrelenting crises? The band offers as good an answer as any in the song’s video: Ham it up in a wacky, politically tinged clip, starring actor Walton Goggins.

The album has been in the works since at least 2022, when guitarist Albert Hammond Jr. described the ‘magical-ness’ of the experience of working in Costa Rica with producer Rick Rubin, who also produced The New Abnormal. Since then, the band has resumed touring regularly, this summer without fellow guitarist Nick Valensi, who is on a temporary break.

Whether the ‘magical-ness’ of those sessions has shone through on the final product isn’t yet clear. These are different times, when it’s easier to lose oneself in the comfort of time-worn yacht rock than listen to a challenging new album from a band that continues to prove their relevance.

It might take a few more listens, but I’m game.

At top: The cover of Reality Awaits, based on Untitled (Cowboy) by Richard Prince (1989)

The Power Station, The Damned look back

‘The Power Station DLX’

The Power Station, the commercially successful side project of Duran Duran’s Andy and John Taylor, gets a shiny new reissue with The Power Station DLX.

DLX is the latest deluxe edition of the supergroup’s 1985 debut, released to celebrate its 40th anniversary (now 41st in ‘Durantime’). The album is a true deluxe reissue, at least the CD box, which includes a liner notes interview with the Taylors, the band’s only surviving members, as well as the studio album, raw instrumentals, remixes and live performances. Buyers of the LP will have to shell out again on Record Store Day, when Power Mad: Live At The Spectrum drops on vinyl.

The funk-infused rock of The Power Station is on full display on the remastered studio album (the first disc), and the group’s performance at Live Aid and their contribution to the soundtrack of the movie Commando, ‘Somewhere Somehow Someone (We Fight For Love),’ are highlights of the second disc. By then, singer Robert Palmer had left to embark on the most commercially successful period of his solo career, and the Taylors and Chic drummer Tony Thompson soldiered on for a bit with new vocalist Michael Des Barres.

The live show features Des Barres, who sounds better than remembered but sorely lacks Palmer’s blue-eyed soul swagger. As on the album, ‘Harvest For The World,’ featuring co-lead vocals from Andy Taylor, is a highlight. And the Duran covers, ‘The Reflex’ (played with ‘Communication’) and a rocked-up version of ‘Hungry Like The Wolf’ are fun, though Des Barres is a no Simon Le Bon either.

But DLX is worth it, especially on CD, and especially considering that the forthcoming Duran Duran reissues look to be bare-bones versions. But it’s still good that the brilliant The Wedding Album and the not-bad Thank You will finally be back in print.

The Damned ‘Not Like Everybody Else’

The Damned are also looking back these days in the wake of founding guitarist Brian James’ death last year. They pay tribute to him with their latest album, Not Like Everybody Else, a collection of covers that inspired James himself.

The Damned hammered out the LP in just five days following a tour last fall. It’s a bit rough around the edges at times, but that may be the point, as the band’s debut album with James, the opening salvo of English punk rock, was recorded in a similar spirit.

‘I know a lot of music these days can be done remotely, with participants sometimes on different continents,’ the band’s Captain Sensible told ClassicRockHistory.com. ‘But The Damned still do it in an old-school style in a big, old noisy room, all together. I think you can hear the excitement and fun of the sessions on the record.’

Captain Sensible moved from bass to guitar after James departed and hasn’t looked back. (James went on to form goth rockers Lords Of The New Church.) Here, Sensible delivers an album highlight with a cover of Pink Floyd’s ‘See Emily Play,’ taking on lead vocals. Elsewhere, Dave Vanian’s gothic drama takes center stage, particularly on the album’s strong second half, including The Lollipop Shoppe’s ‘You Must Be A Witch,’ The Animals’ ‘When I Was Young’ and The Stones’ ‘The Last Time,’ featuring James’ guitar from his last live shows with the band in 2022.

After James left The Damned in 1977, the band reformed and were never better, delivering the one-two punch of Machine Gun Etiquette and The Black Album, the latter with current members Vanian, Sensible, drummer Rat Scabies and bassist Paul Gray. Now with the addition of keyboardist Monty Oxymoron (who regretfully doesn’t appear in the new LP’s cover art), they’re a force, both live and on record.

New record review: Duran Duran 'Future Past'

Forty years passed: It's a time to reflect, and Duran Duran's anniversary effort, "Future Past," finds the ever forward-looking band willing to embrace just a bit of nostalgia.

Duran Duran means a lot to its fans. And it means different things to different Duranies, whether they prefer the original Fab Five and its first three studio masterstrokes, or the early '90s hitmakers propelled by a new guitarist and new energy.

But what does Duran Duran mean in 2021? Its music is definitely electronic. And the band is definitely still reaching for a hit, but perhaps not so obviously as in recent incarnations. 

The band's 15th studio album, "Future Past" (Tape Modern/BMG), boasts four of five original members, a pedigreed guitarist in Graham Coxon of Blur, and a curated selection of musical guests.

"Future Past" opens with "Invisible," the album's first release, a funk-pop jam that may be its strongest single. From there, the lyrical love letter "All Of You" gives way to the album's best track featuring a guest artist, "Give It All Up," with its swirling synths and singer Tove Lo's voice melding seamlessly with Simon Le Bon's.

The celebratory mood of the album truly kicks in with "Anniversary," a musically infectious single befitting of a 40th-anniversary bash. Le Bon almost spoils the party by over-singing the chorus. While Le Bon has still got it vocally four decades in, he shines in a lower register, as on the title track, a ballad that warms like a fireplace on a cold winter day.

Despite some killer John Taylor bass lines, Roger Taylor's best drumming in years, and Coxon's contributions, the album is nearly as electronic as its predecessor. But "Future Past" has a welcome warmness that's missing from "Paper Gods," likely thanks to Nick Rhodes' analog synths and Le Bon's ever-recognizable vocals. 

The exception may be the tracks produced by Giorgio Moroder. "Beautiful Lies" and "Tonight United" have Moroder's fingerprints all over them. "Beautiful Lies" is the better effort; "Tonight United" is an unapologetic grab for the pop music masses with its basic but unifying lyrics, and not a lick of guitar. 

The album veers back into pop-rock territory with "Wing," a darkly gorgeous ballad featuring Mark Ronson on guitar. Ronson's production talents are sadly missing from the album. But Erol Alkan competently steers the ship, even encouraging the band to take chances without alienating its core fanbase.

The album winds down with a couple such surprises. "Hammerhead" includes a brief and subtle rap by Ivorian Doll; "More Joy" features Japanese punk group Chai adding a dash of chanting to a piece of pure Duran pop. The album closes in classic Duran fashion with a dreamy ballad, "Falling," featuring Bowie keyboardist Mike Garson on piano and some funky bass.

"Future Past" is a consistent and pleasing effort, and like its singles, is sure to pay off in repeated listens. Years in the making, the album may have benefited from a pandemic-induced break in recording. Rhodes recently discussed how the band revisited the material with fresh ears after that time away. The album then seemed to materialize quickly, at least in the scope of Durantime. 

Whether all Duranies will enjoy "Future Past" will be a matter for debate. But as Le Bon sings on "All Of You": "We are music lovers, this much we've learnt." And for most Duranies, there should be a lot to love on "Future Past."

New record review: The Psychedelic Furs ‘Made of Rain’

It’s been 29 years since the Psychedelic Furs released its last studio album. Not only is “Made of Rain” (Cooking Vinyl) most definitely worth the wait, but it has the classic sound and energy of the band’s epic live shows, too. 

As a fan who has reviewed quite a few Furs shows over the years, I was excited when guitarist Rich Good told me last year that the Furs were preparing to release the long-awaited new album. An early 2020 release turned into spring and then, delayed by the coronavirus, summer. But it’s finally here. 

The album comes roaring out of the gate with “The Boy That Invented Rock & Roll,” bringing to mind the opening of the band’s first self-titled album that helped usher in the post-punk era of the early ’80s. 

A classic album is better than the sum of its parts, and on that count, "Made of Rain" delivers.

Some of the singles that the band released leading up to the album belie the greatness of the album as a whole. Heard in the context of the rest of “Made of Rain,” songs like “Don’t Believe” and “Come All Ye Faithful” have added punch. When sprinkled among aching ballads like “Wrong Train” and “This’ll Never Be Like Love,” higher-energy tracks like “No-One” get the chance to shine. 

The album, as much as the Furs’ live show, provides the perfect showcase for all the band has to offer. Richard Butler's vocals soar, his ever-acerbic lyrics backed by Good, bassist (and brother) Tim Butler, keyboardist Amanda Kramer, drummer Paul Garisto and Mars Williams on sax. It’s also a guitarist's album; Guns N' Roses guitarist Richard Fortus serves as producer, and the album ends with "Stars," which closes with a guitar solo.

The only letdown that comes with the release of “Made of Rain” is that the Furs, like most touring acts, won’t be able to play new music in concert until next year. But until fans can see the band live again, they can enjoy an album 29 years in the making. What’s a few more months of waiting to hear the songs live?

New record review: The Strokes 'The New Abnormal'

The Strokes are back to bring some much-needed chill to the chaos of the world with the band’s first album in seven years, the somewhat prophetically titled “The New Abnormal.”

It’s appropriate that the Strokes, a band that rose in the shadow of one of the country’s most chaotic times, have returned today. The New York band’s first album, “Is This It,” surfaced on CD in the U.S. after the Sept. 11 attacks. The CD, the preferred format of the time, was delayed for release due to its “sexually explicit” cover, and the song “New York City Cops” was scrubbed from the post-9/11 track list. 

Of course, the delay didn’t stop the Strokes’ trajectory. Over the course of five albums, the band perfected its sound when so many other bands of the late '90s/early 2000s garage rock/post-punk revival stalled or faded away.

In 2020, the Strokes have released an album that sounds like the Strokes at their catchiest, produced by Rick Rubin, to boot. It’s a shame that the band members are quarantined like the rest of us, promoting the album via a Zoom listening session instead of onstage.

But as Julian Casablancas sings, “life is such a funny journey.” The song in question, "Eternal Summer," is perhaps the album’s best and most adventurous track, with Casablancas choosing to use his falsetto instead of his trademark croon. (It also samples the Psychedelic Furs’ '80s gem “Ghost in You.”) "At the Door" is reminiscent of "80s Comedown Machine," the best and most experimental song on the band's previous full-length album, "Comedown Machine."

Still, it’s comforting to hear that Casablancas croon alongside an Albert Hammond Jr. riff, and “The New Abnormal” delivers plenty of those moments. “Why Are Sundays So Depressing” and “Not the Same Anymore” are perhaps the most classic-sounding Strokes tracks here. 

The new wave side of the Strokes is apparent on “The New Abnormal,” too, and it’s as appealing as ever. The chorus of “Bad Decisions” sounds so much like “Dancing With Myself” that ’80s icon Billy Idol gets a writing credit. On “Brooklyn Bridge to Chorus,” Casblancas even asks: “And the eighties bands? Oh, where did they go?” 

The album closes with “Ode to the Mets,” a sad tribute to the baseball team, or perhaps anything that lets one down. “The New Abnormal” is not one of those things.

There are so many cool elements on the album, perhaps none more so than in “Ode to the Mets” when Casablancas interjects mid-song, “Drums please, Fab.” 

Moments like those make it seem like the Strokes have never been more content to just be the Strokes. Hopefully, when this is all over, they still are, because the world still really needs them.

At top, the album cover features the Jean-Michel Basquiat painting "Bird on Money" circa 1981. (Cult and RCA Records)

New record review: The Buttertones deliver soothing anthems for our time on 'Jazzhound'

2020: It was a year that started out with promise.

For the Buttertones, and for the rest of the world, this year was supposed to be so much better than 2019. For the band, last year held the departure of one member, a health scare for another, and a canceled tour. 

But as 2020 began, the Buttertones had emerged from all of that to open a tour for the veteran act the Reverend Horton Heat, and then had a headlining tour lined up in support of the band’s first album in more than two years. 

Well, we all know what has happened now. 

A pandemic has postponed the Buttertones’ tour and countless others. Albums have been shelved, and musicians’ and fans’ lives have been turned upside down. 

But thankfully, we still have the Buttertones, and the band’s new album, “Jazzhound” (Innovative Leisure) may be just what the world needs now. Music can heal, and Richard Arazia with his buttery-smooth baritone and his band are here to soothe us.

The band recorded the album last November at Electro-Vox and Jazzcats studios, with producer Jonny Bell once again at the helm. Araiza has described the album as poppy, saying it's titled “Jazzhound” because “Pophound” just didn’t have the same ring to it. 

As the singles dropped, fans could tell this album was going to be one of the Buttertones’ best. The title track is a glorious realization of the band’s foray into post-punk started on “Midnight in a Moonless Dream” and continued on the standalone single "Madame Supreme." “Fade Away Gently” is an anthem for our time, culminating with Araiza singing, “Loneliness. Fuck loneliness.”

The latest single, “Phantom Eyes,” gets the album off to a cracking start. It’s irresistible, along with much of “Jazzhound.” Sean Redman’s bass lines are catchier than ever. Longtime drummer Modeste Cobian makes the seamless transition to guitar, lending jangly riffs throughout. London Guzman provides the link to the band’s past with his saxophone, and the future, with his keyboards. His sax is in the spotlight on songs like “Bebop” and “Velour,” which perhaps sound the most like the Buttertones of old, with added punch.

Although much of the music is upbeat, there is an air of sadness throughout Araiza’s lyrics. He sings of dreams fading away (“Fade Away Gently”), and of crying “out alone in the night” (“Rise and Shine”). On “Denial, You Win Again,” with resignation he proclaims, “I’ll happily lose to you.”

The Buttertones may just be taking up the “happy-sad” mantle of post-punk icons the Cure. It’s a future worth being excited about.

After all of this is over, bands will tour again. As for the Buttertones, they're hoping they can be back out on the road in the summer. 

But until we emerge from the darkness, music like “Jazzhound” will be there, to soothe us and show us the promise of a better future.

New record reviews: Duran Duran, the Buttertones, the Damned

Duran Duran: "Budokan"

Duran Duran spent most of the past few years touring behind its last album, "Paper Gods.” "Budokan" (Warner Brothers) captures the band live at the iconic Tokyo venue at the end of the tour last September.

The nine-track album was an exclusive release for April's Record Store Day. Although the tour's core setlist was well-worn by this point, there still is plenty on the record to please the average Duranie.

As a relatively late addition to the setlist, the blistering "Hold Back the Rain" is a highlight. "Paper Gods" closer "The Universe Alone" is also welcome here.

But one can't argue with the classics. "A View to a Kill" sounds fresh, and "Save a Prayer" is always beautiful.

And the crowd at Nippon Budokan also couldn't argue. Their excitement is right there in the mix. It will be nice to see as well as hear the full experience in the hinted-at upcoming Blu-ray release of the show.

Until then, Duranies will have this album, and the memories, of course.

The Buttertones: "Midnight in a Moonless Dream"

It's another year, but not just another album for the Buttertones.

Fresh off Coachella, the Los Angeles five-piece has released its fourth album, "Midnight in a Moonless Dream" (Innovative Leisure), which signals that the band has definitely arrived.

Through 11 thrilling tracks, the Buttertones' songwriting is more sophisticated, its playing even tighter. At one moment, singer Richard Araiza sounds like he's channeling the manic energy of the Cramps' Lux Interior. At the next, his voice is deeper and sultrier than ever before.

The band uses London Guzman's saxophone to full effect. The instrument wails on lead single "Baby C4," and even lends an '80s touch to a trio of tracks further into the album.

On those deep tracks, the band delves into a new wave side that it hasn't shown before. The divine "Darling, I Need Time but Don't Really Know Why" hints at Spandau Ballet at its best moment. "You and Your Knife" slinks along, while "Brickhead" comes out of the gate sounding a bit like Blondie, with Dakota Böttcher’s guitar positively '80s-inflected.

Still, the band hasn't turned its back on its roots. "Old Nick's Still Got It" and "Winks and Smiles" sound like they'd be at home on the Buttertones' previous release, "Gravedigging."

But mostly, "Midnight in the Moonless Dream" is a leap forward for the Buttertones. It's the sound of a young band at a peak, fully enjoying the moment.

The Damned: "Evil Spirits"

The Damned is more than 40 years and 11 studio albums into its career. But the recent release of "Evil Spirits" marked the punk/goth band's first visit to the top 10 of the U.K. albums charts.

"Evil Spirits" (Spinefarm Records) made its debut at No. 7, thanks to a successful Pledge campaign, Bowie producer Tony Visconti's deft touch, and the band's most infectious collection of tunes since 1979's "Machine Gun Etiquette."

The album's 10 tracks are also possibly the most upbeat songs about the state of the world today. On "Standing on the Edge of Tomorrow," Dave Vanian, the song's writer, sings about leaving that world entirely behind. It's one of the only songs on the album not to mention lying, whether it's by heads of state or by the media. By the album's second track, "Devil in Disguise" ("You build your walls / And empires fall"), it's clear just who the main target is.

But the underlying message that the album sends, whether it's on the gorgeous ballad "Look Left" or the Motown-flavored "Daily Liar," is not to be complacent.

Complacency certainly doesn't have a place in the Damned. Vanian's voice is better than ever, Captain Sensible's guitar is blazing, and the playing of '80s-era bassist Paul Gray is good to have back in the fold. The album is also a showcase for the songwriting chops of newer members, keyboardist Monty Oxymoron and drummer Pinch.

"Evil Spirits" proves that a creative rejuvenation is possible at any point in a band's career, even a legendary one like the Damned.