It’s tough playing in a band. One day you’re international industry darlings, the next you’ve been replaced by a new bunch of slim good-looking types who are taking all of your glowing-with-praise articles and magazine front-cover positions and who the hell is this Franz Ferdinand bloke anyway?!?! Take heart Strokes fans, as the New Yorkers’ third album is the sound of a band loosening their skinny ties. From Fabrizio Moretti’s fluid grooves (as opposed to his rigid staccato beats on their previous albums) to ‘Vision of Division’s guitar wig-out, The Strokes maintain their signature sound but with a more relaxed feel. Buy this album.