It would be a real mistake to deny yourself the pleasure simply because this album was one of the most anticipated of 2003. And if you fell for its predecessor, Room Of Fire will captivate you just as much. The Strokes have found their language, which isn't tied to any single component. The urban and elegant rock of the New York band moves with a perfect sense of rhythm. The bass lines climb to meet the guitar riffs, and the tension builds ("12:51", "You Talk Too Much"), while the songs condense 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 a first-rate rhythmic job. One can rightly compare it 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 muted power, and he gives Fabrizio Moretti's drums a dry and elastic efficiency. The type of real rock'n'roll album that we will still be listening to for a long time.
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