March 10, 2011 10:05

The Strokes' Nick Valensi: 'Making 'Angles' was awful'

Guitarist speaks about 'fractured' recording process

Photo Gallery: The Strokes
Photo: Pieter M Van Hattem/NME

The Strokes' Nick Valensi has described the recording process for the band's new album 'Angles' as "awful".

The returning New York five-piece have made no secret of the tension during sessions for their long-awaited fourth album. Now Valensi has said he is refusing to record their next one in a similar way.

"I won't do the next album we make like this," he told Pitchfork.com. "No way. It was awful – just awful. Working in a fractured way, not having a singer there."

Valensi was referring to band sessions at which singer Julian Casablancas was absent, instead recording his vocals alone away from the rest of the group.

"I'd show up certain days and do guitar takes by myself, just me and the engineer," the guitarist added. "Some of the third album [2006's 'First Impressions Of Earth'] was done that way, but at least we were on the same page about what the arrangements and parts were.

"75 per cent of this album felt like it was done together and the rest of it was left hanging, like some of us were picking up the scraps and trying to finish a puzzle together."

He added that the follow-up to 'Angles' wouldn't be long in the pipeline. "I feel like we have a better album in us," he said, "and it's going to come out soon."

'Angles' is out on March 21. The band recently debuted 'Life Is Simple In The Moonlight', a song from the record, on US TV.