This one was anticipated. Two years have passed since the tornado "Is This It," two years during which Hot Hot Heat, Rapture, Liars, Radio 4, Libertines, Kills, Interpol, Black Rebel Motorcycle Club, Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Kings Of Leon, but especially the formidable White Stripes have largely encroached on the territory of the Strokes, the great initiators of these groups in "The," mostly from New York or Detroit, and the first to gracefully revisit the old adage "less is more" while drawing inspiration from the Velvet, Blondie, the Modern Lovers, or Television.
So? Were the Strokes finished? Would they manage to at least match the excellent albums of all these previously mentioned potential heirs? The answer is a resounding yes and beyond expectations. To be honest, "Room On Fire" is twice as good as "Is This It." More varied, better written but not completely different either. The sound is still as energetic and devoid of fat (Nigel Goodrich, Radiohead's producer, was quickly fired from the studio), Julian Casablanca still sings in that beautifully detached and distant manner, the band behind, dry and galvanized, supports it all with wild grace. For a second album, it's a true masterpiece.