In 2001 when The Strokes released debut album Is This It? they set the music underground alight. This stylish five-piece from New York was what music had badly needed for nearly a decade. The band were neither brashly arrogant like Oasis nor plain and invisible a la Travis, or Suede. Instead with their close knkit and savvy demeanour - here was a band it was cool to like.
Like innovators of the previos decade - Radiohead, Oasis and Nirvana - The Strokes set the standard for 21st century music, and a myriad of fellow indie acte followed their debut release. But, to stamp any real mark on the industry, their second album had to both embrace the verve and guile of their first, as well as provide a diverse and measured improvement.
Room on Fire does exactly that. Is This It's? elaborate guitar riffs and crunching bass lines reminiscent of 1980s garage rock are cut back to provide a rawer and more exposed sound. The album is just over three minutes less than it's equally brief predecessor giving it a length of just 33 minutes. Despite this conciseness, Julian Casablancas, Fab Moretti, Albert Hammond Jr, Nick Valenski and Nikolai Fraiture create a rugged and crisp sound.
The guitar noise created by Hammond Jr and Valenski is snappy, agile and dynamic while the bullish, dynamic resonance of Morreti's drums create a blunt tone upon which the sleek, scraggy Casablancas places his distorted, inter-com style vocals.
"12:51," the albums first single is a glorious new wave, rock 'n' roll dance classic with keyboard-like guitar sounds and eclectic drum beat. Whereas the melodic "Under Control" is a bit of a "Strokes do soul," with ragged vocals and swinging drums it evokes thoughts of 60s motown.
The album shows the clear contrasts in Casablancas emotion with the slow downbeat "What Ever Happened" and the fiery pop-beat "I Can't Win." Though in "The End Has No End," "The Way It Is" and "Between Love And Hate" the discorded singer talks about his failed relationships with women and his inability to settle down.
While "Is This It" provided a complex, ferocious and riotous debut, "Room on Fire" is more defined, consistent and deliberative. It gives a raw edge to the band and a new-found sharpness to their musical image. This is music your mom and your milkman could equally enjoy, with keen riffs and relatable lyrics. This is music for the masses and provides The Strokes with an audience that they have deservedly warranted since their conception in 1998.
The flashy New Yorkers have resisted the temptations of the "difficult" second album, and have kept their music short, simple and to the point. As well as a strong album, these five hipsters have provided us with the alluring promise of far more quality to come.
Prices Vary but the best i found was at bangcd.com for £7.99
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very informative report thank you, im more interested in the actual sound than who's in the band, i already know that hahahahaha
But thank you
PS. I found it for £5 on play.com which is the best aroudn i beleive, just so you know....
Nick90
Rarely has the burden of expectation weighed so heavily as it does on the Strokes' second ... more
album.Room on Fireis an overwhelmingly anxious record, where the band's dilemmas are there for everyone to hear: should they make another record as concise asIs T...
Postage & Packaging: £1.21 Availability: Usually dispatched within 1-2 business days...
Rarely has the burden of expectation weighed so heavily as it does on the Strokes' second ... more
album. Room on Fire is an overwhelmingly anxious record, where the band's dilemmas are there for everyone to hear: should they make another record as concise as I...
Postage & Packaging: Free! Availability: Usually dispatched within 24 hours...
Advantages: The same brilliant music as the fantastic debut; great vocals, melodies, background - all superb Disadvantages: Not inventive enough to please critics, but this doesn't harm the album.
Advantages: A few moments of Strokes genius amongst the rubbish.Nice cover art Disadvantages: Awful production,mindless lyrics and a huge step down form the debut
Jun 16th, 2008
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