The Strokes: Comedown Machine

From their effortlessly cool garage rock beginnings to the well-documented in-band squabbling that has overshadowed the past seven years, it's a miracle The Strokes ever reached album No 5. The good news is that Comedown Machine is their strongest release since Room on Fire. It's an energetic, taut record notable not only for a decent slew of rock tunes but more so for some well executed curveballs. Standouts are the Phoenix-with-attitude Tap Out and Slow Animals and lovely the Joe Meek-style finale, Call It Fate, Call It Karma . Even Julian Casablancas sounds remarkably committed to the cause, expanding his agitated holler to include more laidback crooning and employing an impressive falsetto on One Way Trigger and Chances. Perhaps the party isn't over quite yet. Download: Tap Out, Chances