THE STROKES - Room On Fire | LP

It would be truly wrong to deny oneself pleasure simply because this album was one of the most anticipated of 2003. And if you fell for its predecessor, Room On Fire will equally win you over. The Strokes have found their language, which isn't tied to any single component of their sound. The urban and elegant rock of the New York band progresses with a total sense of tempo. The bass lines climb to meet the guitar riffs, and the tension follows ("12:51", "You Talk Too Much"), while the songs coalesce around the essential idea. Short, direct, solidly electric ("The Way It Is"), they occasionally allow a flurry of notes from the two six-string wielders. Otherwise, these two guitars, a true double backbone of Julian Casablancas' compositions, perform first-rate rhythmic work. It can rightly be compared to that of Lloyd and Verlaine in the late Television, also from New York City ("Under Control"). Gordon Raphael's production avoids the pitfalls of muffled power, and he notably gives Fabrizio Moretti's drums a dry and elastic effectiveness. The type of real rock'n'roll album that we will listen to for a long time to come.