Albums of the Week
The Strokes
“Comedown Machine”
★★ 1/2
The Strokes are not likely to make another album that strikes as many sparks as their debut, “Is This It,” did in 2001. That album did one thing very well; this one, the band’s fifth, does several things proficiently — enough of them to end up one of their most likable, even if only about half of it is very memorable.
The best stuff here is the most obviously new wave-y: “Happy Ending” and “All the Time” could have come from vintage Blondie albums, while the distorted vocal and grinding guitars of “50/50” recall — hey! — the first Strokes album.
Depeche Mode
“Delta Machine”
★★
HEAVY drama over machine music has always been Depeche Mode’s calling. Weirdly for a band that was derided early on for their electronic instruments, on their 13th album that drama often resembles old-fashioned blues, as on “Heaven” and “Slow” — but not much of it is convincing.
The production is deft, though, with the contrasting tonalities of the mix giving songs like “Broken” and “Alone” their buzz; it gleams even as a low-res stream. Unfortunately, the songs are DM’s usual silly bombast: “I was your father, your son, your holy ghost and priest,” sings Dave Gahan on “Alone” — whatever you say, Dave.
Downloads of the Week
Kendrick Lamar Feat. Jay-Z
“Bitch, Don’t Kill My Vibe (Remix)”
★★★ 1/2
HERE’S a rare thing — an already good rap song made even better by a new stand-alone remix, issued as a stand-alone single. Lamar’s new verses match the ones from the original, and Jay-Z, who often sleepwalks on his guest spots, is taut and confident, delivering a stagger-timed opening followed by double-time phrasing.
OneRepublic
“If I Lose Myself”
★★ 1/2
FOR once, Ryan Tedder, pop’s leading gloop merchant of the past few years — as a writer and producer for Beyoncé and Timbaland, as well as with his own band, OneRepublic — actually turns out a song worth hearing twice. This lead single from the band’s third album, “Native,” sounds like a bid for dance crossover — and is genuinely winsome rather than silly.
Dido
“No Freedom”
★★
THE British singer-songwriter isn’t likely to provide any rappers with source material — as she did for Eminem, whose “Stan” utilized Dido’s “Thank You” — with this stately ballad, from her fourth album, “Girl Who Got Away.” Sade or Everything But the Girl might want to cover it, though. It’s a snooze, but a pretty one.
Rihanna Feat. Young Jeezy, Rick Ross, Juicy J and T.I.
“Pour It Up (Remix)”
★★
RIRI’S original was a so-so mid-tempo brooder, seemingly ripe for a remix, but a gaggle of name rappers doesn’t improve it any. T.I. is quick and likable if you don’t pay too much attention to the words, but, payday aside, the others might as well not have bothered.
Blake Shelton
“Sure Be Cool If You Did”
★★
NBC’S “The Voice” has benefited its pop-star judges more than any contestant, none more than country hunk Shelton, who’s a wily TV personality. Too bad, then, that this ballad from his seventh album, “Based on a True Story,” is less exciting than watching him lock horns with Adam Levine.
Vampire Weekend
“Diane Young”
★★
THE title of this teaser from the herky-jerky New York quartet’s third album, out in May, isn’t a woman’s name but a sound-alike for “dying young.” Cute. The track is less so, with rivet-gun drum fills and an oddly rockabilly-ish feel — like Talking Heads pretending to be Elvis Presley.
Will.i.am Feat. Justin Bieber
“#thatPOWER”
★★
A BIG, dumb stomp — what did you expect from the Black Eyed Peas mastermind’s fourth album, “#willpower” (besides a stupid hashtag)?
Bieber’s robo-vocal is rather charming, and the tune isn’t terrible either — just annoying, which isn’t necessarily the same thing. Enough radio play and it might be, though.
Lil Wayne Feat. Drake and Future
“Love Me”
Half a star
EVERYONE’S glad Wayne didn’t die, as was erroneously reported recently, but this horrible single from “I Am Not a Human Being II” lives up to the record’s title, treating women as servile minions expected to give him an orgasm and then shut up. Yuck.