The Doors - Strange Days (1967), 7/10

The Doors proved they could assemble and record an album without a single weak song in Strange Days while simultaneously approaching a more interesting and topical subject matter. This combined with a more complete sound make it an arguably equal or better record compared to their debut. The songs of Strange Days range from introspective psych pop to the sprawling eleven minute closer “When the Music’s Over” that combines brilliant psychedelic abstraction with the band’s knack for infectious songwriting. As the album progresses its strength only builds; there is hardly a moment lacking in interesting musicality or lyricism, building on the sound established by their self-titled debut. Even the chaotic and dark “Horse Latitudes” breathes anarchic life into the record just as the energy of its exploration of established musical ideas begins to wane. It is no surprise that despite its decline in popularity, the band saw the album as a step up in creativity. While their debut indulges itself in its own thematic and sonic sensibilities, Strange Days covers much more creative ground with equal grace. While the expansion of recording techniques can be argued as premature, their execution is outstanding and the inclusion of sounds like marimba and Moog synth are new but match wonderfully well with the band’s existing sound and songwriting techniques. The minimal experimentation with musique concrète is just another layer of interest that adds to the album’s creative appeal. The psychedelic sound is suppressed with this second record in favor of surreal darkness, a refreshing shift that shows signs of maturity and a necessary shift in musical perspective. Its success in relation to The Doors’ powerful debut is arguable but its artistic triumph is absolute.