Tyranny

As the Strokes' music became more regimented, Julian Casablancas' work outside the band became more unpredictable. His solo debut Phrazes for the Young -- which arrived shortly before the Strokes' polished comeback Angles -- was fascinating in its freewheeling disregard for stylistic boundaries, pop song lengths, and anything that came too close to the work of his main band. Tyranny follows the Strokes' meticulously crafted 2013 album Comedown Machine, and working with his new band the Voidz, Casablancas pushed himself to make something even more uncompromising than Phrazes. For better or worse, he succeeded: drawing inspiration from his love of classic hardcore punk like Black Flag and his frustration with 21st century politics, he avoids the common pitfall of protest music -- heavy-handed singer/songwriter fare -- in favor of songs that veer between sludgy thrashing and murky synth noodling. Tyranny's willfully noisy production blunts the impact of Casablancas' anger: while "Crunch Punch" mentions "evangelicals" and "the creepiest god in the sky," it's often hard to tell exactly who his targets are. The lo-fi affectations become wearying on the album's more expansive songs -- of which there are plenty, since Tyranny is over an hour long. However, it's even more frustrating that there are flashes of brilliance on almost every track, like "Father Electricity"'s wild percussion and tropical guitar, the Middle Eastern leanings of "Dare I Care"'s melody and rhythms, or "Xerox"'s loping hip-hop beat and keyboards. It's just that these flashes don't always ignite into something that matches Casablancas' ambitions. When things do come together, the results are oddly powerful. Casablancas remains a remarkably charismatic singer and gifted melodicist, and these assets shine on "Nintendo Blood"'s gritty synth pop and the punky "Where No Eagles Fly." Then there's the 11-minute "Human Sadness," which, despite its massive length, is the album's most accessible, memorable song thanks to the emotion in Casablancas' processed vocalizing, which bridges the track's shifts from retro synths to glistening riffs. Intriguing but muddled, Tyranny puts plenty of musical distance between Casablancas and the Strokes, but too often it lacks the clarity to be anything but challenging in the wrong ways. [Tyranny was also released on LP.] ~ Heather Phares