With the various crises ongoing in the Middle East, now isn’t the best time for a rock band to talk about giving democracy a test drive. But it’s an unavoidable discussion point: “Angles” is the Strokes’ first album where lead singer Julian Casablancas has ceded dictatorial control, and the growing pains show up all over. Casablancas has repeatedly told the press there’s a lot on the album he wouldn’t have normally wanted, and he pretty much tells listeners directly. “You’re So Right” seems to be Casablancas’ sarcastic message to his bandmates. He repeats “I don’t want to argue” plaintively, warbling a boring vocal melody and seeming more interested in playing with vocal distortion knobs in the studio than putting together a full song.

Elsewhere, Casablancas continues his whining, chanting about “living in an empty world” in the phoned-in “Games.” (No surprise he sounds so disconnected: Casablancas recorded his vocals in a separate studio and e-mailed his tracks to the band.)