Comedown Machine
| Comedown Machine | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
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| Studio album by The Strokes | ||||
| Released | March 26, 2013 | |||
| Recorded | July – November 2012 at Electric Lady Studios in New York City; One Way Studios in Upstate New York |
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| Length | 39:55 | |||
| Label | ||||
| Producer | Gus Oberg | |||
| The Strokes chronology | ||||
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| Singles from Comedown Machine | ||||
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| Professional ratings | |
|---|---|
| Aggregate scores | |
| Source | Rating |
| Metacritic | 68/100 |
| Review scores | |
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   |
| The A.V. Club | B |
| BBC Music | favorable |
| Billboard | 68% |
| Consequence of Sound |  |
| Entertainment Weekly | C- |
| The Guardian | |
| The Independent | |
| NME | 8/10 |
| Pitchfork | 6.1/10 |
| PopMatters |   |
| Rolling Stone | |
| Spin | |
Comedown Machine is the fifth studio album by the American indie rock band The Strokes. It was released on March 26, 2013 in the US, and on March 25 in the UK.Comedown Machine was the final release in fulfilling the band's contract agreement with longtime label RCA Records. The band decided to pull a media blackout with the album: no promotion in the form of TV appearances, interviews, photos, shows, or tours.
The album artwork is designed to resemble an old RCA tape reel box. The cover lists the album length as 37:49; the actual length is 39:55. The vinyl LP edition of the album was pressed by United Record Pressing in Nashville, TN.
Comedown Machine received mostly positive reviews and was ranked number 41 in NME's 50 Best Albums of 2013.
Media response to Comedown Machine was generally favorable; the aggregating website Metacritic reports a weighted average rating of 68%, based on 44 reviews. "Whether you're in an Is This It vortex or not, this is The Strokes and they've returned with their most thought-provoking, strange and sexiest record yet," said Kieran Mayall of Clash magazine. James Skinner of BBC Music added, "Although plenty of the group’s signature sounds are present and correct, they form the backdrop to an unexpectedly wide range of styles and approaches." In contrast, Rob Sheffield of Rolling Stone questioned why the album was "an official Strokes album instead of another Casablancas solo album."
Without much promotional effort, Comedown Machine entered the UK Albums Chart at No. 10 and became the band's first album not to debut within the top three. The album did, however, give the band their fifth consecutive appearance in the top ten. Likewise, it reached No.10 in the US with an entry sales week of 41,000 units, the band's weakest performance since Is This It in 2001.
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