The Strokes

Somehow the Strokes managed to "bottle lightning" when they released their 2001 debut album Is This It? Now, The New York quintet has brought back producer Gordon Raphael for their new album Room on Fire. However listeners need not ask themselves "Is This It, Again?"

This new record showcases the band experimenting with their sound and incorporating new sonic textures within the song structures, though it ultimately yields some mixed results. In "Automatic Stop," they brilliantly manage to utilize searing dissonance juxtaposed against sublime melodies. But other songs like "Reptilia," use hooks that would probably best be left sunk in the water.

Still it's The Strokes willingness to experiment that makes Room on Fire worth the sticker price. The band explores the depth of their own stylistic creations in "12:51" with a new wave synth reminiscent of The Cars, and the entire work is replete with clever puns. (Taking a cue from The Beatles Rubber Soul, singer Casablancas pleads, "Gimme some time, I just need a little time" and the band slows down to accommodate. Clever, right?)

Room on Fire is not "bottled lightning," but more akin to diesel fuel refined from Texas crude. And while the backbone of The Strokes continues to be their multifaceted driving rhythm section and the powerful voice of Casablancas, attentive listeners will find all the subtle changes truly mark the growth of a great rock &roll band.

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