Customer Reviews

Room on Fire

5 star:		(182)
4 star:		(108)
3 star:		(49)
2 star:		(27)
1 star:		(30)

 

 

Look, I saw Television live in the seventies (as well as the nineties and in 2001), caught Iggy Pop, the Buzzcocks, the Feelies, Eleventh Dream Day, the Mekons, the Replacements, the Pixies, the dB's, Pere Ubu, Yo La Tenga, and a host of other indie, alternative, and punk acts at their peak. Although I didn't catch them live, I discovered Big Star a lot earlier than most, and the same with Richard Thompson (who I have seen often in the past twenty years). I think my indie credibility is intact. I am baffled by the negative reactions that these guys inexplicably generate. I personally consider them to be the best band to come out of New York since Television (qualification: on record; though they weren't a good studio band, the Feelies were as good live as anyone I have ever seen). No, they aren't as good and are definitely not as brilliant as Tom Verlaine and Co., but they are still one of the most gripping new bands of the past few years in my opinion.

So why do so many people hate the Strokes? I think the explanation is simple: they were overhyped. Or if not overhyped, hyped to a degree that many people found objectionable. I only gave their first album a listen after being put off by the absurd overreaction to their debut. Once I gave them a try, however, I was stunned and delighted at what a delightful and exciting band they were.

I liked this second album an awful lot even on first listen, but upon repeated listenings, I have come to like it as much as the first album. It starts off great with some enormously catchy songs in "What Ever Happened?" and "Reptilia," but then does something extraordinary: it gets better! "12:51" and "You Talk Way Too Much" are among the best songs they have ever done, and "Under Control" (with its Television-like guitar lines) and "The End Has No End" later on are just as good. I love the tightness of the band, and the delightful guitar work that adorns each cut. I have never seen the Strokes live, so I don't know who of the two guitarists is responsible for what, but there is some truly superb guitar work on this album, with the guitars often playing their own gorgeous melodies in contrast to the central vocals. No, the guitar work isn't as breathtaking as when Tom Verlaine and Richard Lloyd would battle it out in Television, but it is still quite superb.

I think it is great to be discriminating. And it is important to resist mere record company hype. But it is also important to give a band its due, and this is a crackerjack band, with great songs and tight musicianship. And now, after a great sophomore effort, I'm definitely looking forward to their third album.

Let me start off by saying I am a HUGE Strokes fan, so this is way biased. Also, if you hate The Strokes, than this album won't change your opinion, because it's vintage Strokes. The best way to review for me is to break it down, so here it is:

Whatever Happened?: Great opener, the short guitar riff sounds like an instant classic, it has that timeless quality that makes you think it's been around forever. You wonder why somebody didn't come up wit it earlier.

Reptilia: One of the best songs they've ever done. It's a pure energy track that will get you pumped. This is the Definition of rock and roll. 2nd favorite song.

Automatic Stop: The sleeper track. It is really an awesome track. This is the first track we hear Nick's synth-guitar sound, and luckily not the last. See next track.

12:51: The best song on here, and that's saying something. Nick's synth-guitar hook is the catchiest thing you'll ever hear. It stil hasn't left my head, and I'm glad.

You Talk Way Too Much: This sounds the most like something off their first album, and you can't go wrong there. Julian's vocals are really good.

Between Love and Hate: Upon first listen of this album, this track stood out. It doesn't have as much depth than the other songs, but it's catchy and fun. You won't find me skipping over this track. (or any of them for that matter)

Meet Me in the Bathroom: One of my favorite songs. The sad guitar hook is emotional, like a feeling of loneliness. Like I said, it's one of my favorite tracks.

Under Control: This song gets a lot of attention, and there's a reason. It has the best lyrics Julian's ever written. The words to this somewhat ballad reek of failure in a relationship, and simply put is one of the best/saddest songs they've ever done. Wow is all I can say.

The Way it Is: Sounds like nothing else on the album. This is maybe the weakest track, but it is still awesome. This song should not be overlooked or taken lightly, it would be the best song on most other albums out there.

The End Has No End: They pick up where they left off here, what a great song. The hook during the chorus reminds me strongly of Sweet Child O' Mine. It's their third and final single off of the album, and no one can argue with that decision.

I Can't Win: Maybe the other sleeper. This is probably my 3rd favorite song behind "12:51" and "Reptilia". It's also the perfect way to end an incredible album. Everyday I am on the edge of my seat waiting for their third album, and I don't know how much longer I can stand it.

It makes me want to rip my hair out when this album is referred to as either a disappointment or not as good as their debut. "Room on Fire" is superior, in every imaginable way possible, to "Is This It?" Here's an overlong, irrefragable, and completely accurate explanation why:

To begin with, one needs to remember the musical landscape into which the Strokes' debut album was released. The years 1999, 2000 and 2001 comprise the absolute nadir for rock music in America in my lifetime, and quite possibly since the invention of rock itself. Too grand of a statement? Feel free to head over to rocklists.com and compare the year-end hit lists of KROQ, the nation's most powerful alternative/modern rock station, from these three years to ANY other year listed. (To save you a trip: the top three songs in 2000 were by Papa Roach, Incubus and Three Doors Down.) If you're older than 22, you'll probably remember these as the years your friends claimed they could no longer listen to the radio. It was into this post-apocalyptic rape-rock landscape that the Strokes' debut album was released. "Is This It?" sounds great on its own; against a backdrop of Limp Bizkit it sounded like manna from heaven. This is the reason the Strokes were the single most hyped indie band since, like, ever. You know how they claim there can never be another Beatles because there's simply too much music out there for any one band to dominate it so thoroughly? A slightly shifted analogy applies to the Strokes: there can never be another band as hyped because music will probably never be that bad again. And why did music get good again? Why are indie bands going platinum and dominating the airwaves? Because the Strokes made it that way. No, not on their own, but their importance in saving rock radio cannot be overstated. They, alongside the White Stripes, comprised the bulk of hope for fans of non-horrible rock only four years ago.

There were two things you could guarantee people would say about the new album when it came out: one was that it would not be considered as good as the debut. You could have bet the farm on that one. Hipsters tend to get embarrassed when anyone agrees with them, and the universal acclaim for "Is This It?" insured that the same people who loved it would over-correct for accidentally enjoying something that everyone else did by immediately turning their back on a band they championed as soon as the opportunity presented itself. The second criticism you knew would be levied against the follow-up was that it was too similar to its predecessor. If "Room on Fire" were free-form jazz produced by Aphex Twin, people would be complaining that the Strokes had simply copied the first album instead of writing a new one.

Let me refute both points. I have listened to "Is This It"? at least 200 times, and the most obvious criticism of the album is that it is divided into good and great songs. No one ever mentioned this when it came out because they were overjoyed to have anything good at all in their CD player and didn't want to look a gift horse in the mouth, but it's true. The great songs are "Is This It?," "The Modern Age," "Someday," "Last Night," "Hard to Explain," "Trying Your Luck," and "New York City Cops." Unfortunately, that last track was excised from the American version in favor of "When It Started," which is simply very good, alongside the remaining four songs. This does not mean "Is This It?" is only a half-good album. It means that "Is This It?" is a half very good, half truly great album. Most masterpiece albums follow similar divisions. This is one of them. It is still a masterpiece.

"Room on Fire" contains nine absolute gems and two songs that are slightly less so. Those songs are "Meet Me in the Bathroom" and "The Way It Is." Like their counterparts on the previous album, they are very good. The other nine songs - no need to type them all out - are all perfect. Any one of them could have functioned as a lead single. There's not much more to say beyond that. It will simply turn into effusive babbling. And as for the criticism of repeating themselves: anyone who says this has not listened to the very album they're criticizing. How can an album that contains "Reptilia" be accused of ripping off "Is This It?" The breadth of styles, complexity of guitar interplay, and quality of hook on any random song on this album outshines that of any on the first. Julian Casablancas once stated that the criterion for a song's admission into the Strokes' playlist was that it had to be better than anything they had previously written. That's exactly what these songs are. The Strokes grew immensely from the first album to the second. Growing isn't copying.

A lot of Amazon reviews end with "If you like ______ , then get _______." I'll do that right now. If you like good songs, get "Room on Fire." You will get an album of exactly that. Better yet, you won't get any bad songs. Even better that than, the good songs aren't the type of good song that only has a "good part" - the whole song itself is the "good part." If it were possible, I would get even less articulate to make this point. Perhaps you can picture me pointing at the album and smiling.

Get "Room on Fire."

I'm not going to tell you how much I loved the song Reptilia because a lot of people have already done that, even know it's a great song. I have had this CD for a long time, infact this was my first Strokes CD. Now that I have listened to FIRST IMPRESSIONS OF EARTH and IS THIS IT a whole bunch, I find myself going back and listening to this one the most even know I own all three.

I absolutely love the part in Between Love & Hate when "Never needed anybody" is sung along with catchy yet mellow twang guitar follow through.

12:51 is one of the most styled songs on this CD. I wish the strokes would go back to writing a couple more songs that sound more similar to 12:51.

This CD makes me look forward to the next Strokes album more than any of the others.

When I heard "Is This It?" for the first time, I knew that The Strokes were something special. What I didn't know, is that their second offering, "Room On Fire," could be so much better. The new CD has all of the great elements of the old one: great lyrics, catchy guitar riffs, and songs that are short, sweet, and get to the point without boring the listener. Each song is around three minutes which is a perfect length, compared to all the other bands these days that drag all of their songs out. Another great thing about the CD, is that all of the instruments sound great together.

Because there are no standouts on this CD, I will rate each individual song in my opinion...

1. What Ever Happened? (10/10)- This song could easily be the best Strokes song of all time. Has great lyrics and a catchy tempo to it. Great song!
2. Reptilia (8.5/10)- Good song, but gets a little repetative towards the end. Still better than most songs out there right now.
3. Automatic Stop (9.5/10)- Catchiest lyrics on the whole CD. Guitars have a reggae feel to them.
4. 12:51 (7/10)- This song is the first single off of the CD and is easily the worst song. Very boring and repetative.
5. You talk way too much (8.5/10)- The lyrics are repetative throughout the whole song, but a strong chorus and a great solo make this song a winner.
6. Between Love and Hate (8/10)- This song used to be called "Ze Newie" when The Strokes were touring, but they changed the name for the album. They also changed a lot of the lyrics as well as the pace of the song. I preferred the live version.
7. Meet Me in the Bathroom (10/10)- This was the other song that the Strokes performed quite often on tour last year, and is one of their best songs. Great guitar and great lyrics by Julian. I also love the synthetic drums. If you liked the track "Hard to Explain" on the old album, you'll love this song.
8. Under Control (7.5/10)- This was The Strokes attempt at a ballad, but in my opinion they failed. Stick to what you know guys.
9. The Way It Is (9/10)- This song is the most radio friendly song next to "12:51," and will probably be the next single. It's faster paced than the rest of the songs and has great distorted vocals by Mr. Casablancas.
10. The End Has No End (10/10)- This song is simply amazing! It would crush the rest of the CD if it weren't for "What Ever Happened." Best chorus on the CD and easily the best guitar on the CD.
11. I Can't Win (9/10)- Great way to end the CD. Lyrics are amusing and creative, and the instruments sound great together. A final approval stamp on the rest of the CD.

Overall, this CD is easily the best release of 2003, and no one should be deprived of hearing it. If you liked "Is This It," then you will love this album. If you've never listened to The Strokes before, please give them a shot. I promise you won't be dissapointed.

My first exposure to The Strokes was on the pathetic wasteland that is hard rock radio. While I normally pay no attention to what is playing (mostly due to the fact that 98% of these bands aren't worth hearing), one band that constantly catches my interest is The Strokes. "Last Nite" and "Someday" were infectious, irresistably snappy tunes with a comfortably straightforward, though hardly simplistic, approach to songwriting, and "Hard To Explain", decidedly one of the best singles of recent memory, reveals a particular nostalgic sound that - in spite of the recent barrage of basic, low-grade cash-cows of "lo-fi" (here I am thinking specifically of Jet) - is still distinctively their own. This meat-and-potatoes approach continues with the excellent Room On Fire, a terse and consistently winning collection of 11 songs spanning 33 minutes. While there is nothing that quite recaptures the genius of "Hard To Explain", the majority of these songs obtain a remarkably high level of quality. While I must admit I have not heard Is This It in its entirety, the overall sound on this one is a wee bit slower and slightly more complex than the aforementioned singles from their debut. The vocals are still distorted and somewhat non-chalant, the guitars alternate between propulsive and jangly, and the bass guitar is laid on nice and thick. It doesn't just sound good, it FEELS just right.

The many criticisms around media circles stating that the Strokes "ouevre" lacks variety from track to track are, in my humble opinion, unfounded. There is a hint of reggae on "Automatic Stop", a strong new-wave sensibility on first single "12:51", some unconventional yet still effective song structure on "Between Love and Hate" and even a ballad in the form of "Under Control", which in my opinion is the strongest track on this disc. Despite these many little touches, all 11 songs are all clearly and distinctively "Strokes". This isn't so much experimentation as it is minor tweaking of their unmistakable sound. The ultimate consequence of this is that despite it's immediate ability to grab you, Room On Fire holds surprisingly well to repeat listens.

Quality-wise, Room On Fire is remarkably consistent. I don't think this band is capable of writing a song that isn't immediately endearing. You can pick any song at random and there's the possibility it will be your favourite. I feel that the uber-catchy "Reptilia", the aforementioned "Automatic Stop" and "Under Control", the more prototypical "Meet Me In The Bathroom" and the closing "I Can't Win" are the strongest tracks, but they don't stand out as they would if the rest of the tunes were filler. I never find myself skipping forward to these tracks.

Overall, this is an especially addictive and enjoyable work, and I suspect that their debut is just as good. I'm not going to put Room On Fire on the same shelf as the true classics any time soon, but if you like what you hear on the radio (and really, what's not to like?), this is as foolproof a purchase as you'll find.

Hell, I seem to hand out five-star ratings like candy! No, today only five-star quality music is worth reviewing. I don't care what the critics say about the Strokes alleged inability to find a fifth guitar chord, "Room on Fire" proves that, ultimately, you don't need to to make superb music.

For some, the simplicity of the tracks on the album might make it less music and something more akin to, I don't know, jingle rock. Each track works and the seamlessness of the overall album makes for relatively easy listening. An excellent record to play whilst getting wasted, second only to Oasis' "Definately Maybe". It is what the Strokes would have had in mind while making "Room on Fire" and it is an indulgence even whilst sober. Simple guitar riffs are the Strokes' specialty and in "Reptilia" and "12:51" they flaunt their wares terrifically. If anything, the album celebrates the Rock 'n' Roll ethos echoed by Radiohead, "Anyone can play guitar".

As a guy who listened to a great deal of The Strokes' debut Is This It?, I can safely say that band's new LP Room on Fire marks a natural, but significant growth. Although there is quite a bit of carry over from their last effort (see "The Way It Is", "I Can't Win", "You Talk Way Too Much"), the Strokes reveal more of the talent that had critics in 2001 hailing them as the "saviors of rock."

While drummer Fab Moretti and Nikolai Fraiture remain unspectacular but steady, the rest of the band, especially lead guitarist Nick Valensi and frontman Julian Casablancas only continue to improve. Valensi's ringing, synth-like guitar is a highlight throughout the album. His sound lends a unique feel to tracks such as "Reptilia" and the single "12:51," while Casablancas's effortless croon makes "Under Control" truly special. I firmly believe that this album proves deeper and more rewarding than even their smash debut and I eagerly await their next effort.

Needless to say, I saw other people was obsessed with The Strokes way back when, and I poked fun at that, saying such things as "The Strokes are garbage! They suck! Last Night is such a crappy song! They're going to crash and burn and their not even going to get to a second album!" With the teasing came no actual listening to any of their songs, except of course the incredibly overplayed Last Night at random places. It was just the "cool thing to do" at the time. Hating The Strokes, that is. They were viewed as the Rock version of the degenerated Boy Band, and were hated for being "unoriginal", stupid, talentless, gimmicky, and all that stuff.

When Room on Fire came out, I heard some reviews and they said it was mediocre, so I started teasing again saying that they are losing whatever they once had and will be forgotten ina few years time. The teasing wasn't an obsession or anything, but it was just included in the "bands I did not like". But fans such as my sister continued to play the songs ever-so-loud from her room, and little did I know that I had Soma and You Talk Way Too Much memorized by the time I got around to listening to them.

Then, months passed, and I listened to Reptilia. Over and over and over again. I still do. I didn't even like any rock songs at all back then, and yet this song was just fanatstic in every way!

A few months after, I was fantasically bored and saw a big list of The Strokes songs in the music folder. I listened to Reptilia again, but then decided "Well hell, why not Someday or something?" I listened to that to. I went through all their songs, just wondering what excellence the next song will sound like. My brother came in, said he wanted to go on, but I insisted that I listen to Under Control and Automatic Stop. By then I was just hooked! I regret not getting interested in them sooner, when people that lived around me actually liked them (now the only people I actually know that like them are my own brother and sister).

So after a while, I got familiar with them and knew which song was on which album, after I listened to all of their songs. Though I loved NYC Cops, Soma, When It Started, Someday, and Trying Your Luck (not Last Night, it's pretty "meh"), I loved Room on Fire just so much more. Maybe you had to be there in the time Is This It came out, I don't know. But I just like RoF that much more.

>>>

>1

It starts out with What Ever Happened, a great song with stressed, exasperated vocals and straining guitars, and set into a slightly mellow atmosphere.

>2

Reptilia just blows you away with powerful, driving... everything. Raspy yet relieved and very memorable vocals ("The room is on fire, as she's fixing her hair!" send chills down your spine) and with chaotic yet constrained music. The drum is blunt and strong, the bridge sets up energy with a powerfully amped riff and then the great bassline settles in, and then the whole place explodes after the drums kills off the bridge. The chorus is just great, with the bass and guitar riffs still in place but now with the second guitarist wailing with a fuller and more fantastic version of the melody, unfortunately slightly in the background. And the vocals rasp even more during the chorus ("Our lives are changing lanes, yeah, you rammed me off the road!"). A work of musical genius.

>3

The next song (of course, I never listened to the songs in order, but to hell with that) is Automatic Stop. Brilliance. With a distinctive, odd (almost eerie) little guitar riff, and very nice vocals during the verse. The bridge has a memorable, simple guitar solo, which then the chorus comes into play after, with a great "synthy" guitar effect and just perfect vocals. Another one of my favourites.

>4

And then there's the 12:51 song. Surely the most "pop"ish song they came out with, this song sports the infamous super-compressed "keyboard" guitar melody that drives the song forward. But the guitar wouldn't do much if it wasn't for the highly rhythmic and melodic vocals that will most likely stick in your head, pushing you for just one more listen. The bridge in the middle is also very good, and the more heavier strumming of the other guitars in the background is a good addition. Nice short song that's an easy listen and still is very well made.

>5

And then there's You Talk Way Too Much. Sporting super lo-fi quality, memorable vocals, a highly odd guitar solo, and the main chorus, it's a good listen and surely worth it.

>6

Then there's Between Love & Hate. With good vocal work ("Don't worry about it, honey!") and a good solo, I don't really have much else to say about this one...

>7

Now onto Meet Me In The Bathroom. Sporting an excellent, simple bassline, good vocals (And we were just two ****s in lust/ Oh baby that just don't mean much), but the real focal point of the song is the two cooperative guitars, and together they create an impressive, catchy melody. Great song.

>8

And now on to that Under Control ballad you may have heard about! Starting with a few rythmic drum hits, the song continues with retro slow rock melody and vocals. The bass gets the job done, but the melody and the vocals are just fantastic. Sure enough this isn't exactly an energetic song, but that's not the point. The secondary verse is a main attraction, with still a very good melody and vocals. It ends off with "But I don't want to know..." which then everything stops with a powerful note from all instruments, which then the drum hits show up again, adn the song continues. The solo is something to keep the song going, too. Very, very good song, one of the highlights.

>9

Then here it comes with the hard-hitting The Way It Is. With an excellent drum effect reminiscent of Is This It, the guitars rock on with a simple riff. The vocals jump in a bit after with the riff finishing, and then afterwards the chorus wants to jump in too ("It's not your fault/ That's the way it is!"). A very energetic song, but not in the way Reptilia is. Think of Hard To Explain, that should do it.

>10

Now with The End Has No End. Tricking you into thinking that it's going to be another The Way It Is in the intro, the song immediately relaxes with good guitar work and the vocals being the main centre of it all, as well as throughout the entire song. The verse ends with a very short break accompanied by drums, and then the chorus is introduced with the recognizable, great melody, and even more great, rythmic vocals, and then the chorus ends off with "The end has no end...". The solo is also nicely done, and the almost chaotic ending just makes an epic finish to the song.

>11

Then the album ends off with I Can't Win. Yet another one of my favourites, and becoming more and more so. With a good "Is This It" melody throughout the verses, and excellent, super-rhythmic vocals too that will keep you listening throughout the entire first verse. By the time it ends the seond verse comes in with more louder vocal work, and is still very good. The chorus then rolls in with a good guitar, good bass, and a little vocal effect at the end. This repeats again, but this time after the chorus ends off with one of the best sounding solo's they've ever done, right up there with NYC Cops.

>>>

And so it all wraps up in a neat little package called Room on Fire, and it certainly is. There is no real highlights ot the album because if I've listed them I would just list the enture album, as there is no real filler to be seen (if The Strokes thought a song they worked months on to be too meaningless, they would take it off immediately). But my current favourites has to be Reptilia, Under Control, and Automatic Stop.

The Strokes know how to make good music. Though many complain about Julian's raspy singing voice, it just comes with the band. You can't listen to Rammstein without the shrieking. The lyrics are a wonder to hear and most of the time impossible to fully decipher, yet still most of the time tell a definite story that can be changing from person to person yet not manipulated. The actual instrumental work is mostly flawless, which comes from their perfectionist attitude. It just all comes together in a fantastic musical band.

So if you're still holding a grudge of some sort from years back, then stop being a stubborn ass.

-"Run Run Run! As fast as you can run while you can walk..."

I TRIED to like this band, really. The rock critics kept telling me how great they were, so I bought the first album and found it pleasant enough, but spent little time in my CD player. Then the follow-up and more hysterical orgasmic moans from the music press, so I caved in and discovered... ROOM ON FIRE. Yawn. Another reviewer mentioned the vocal distortion device, which left me wondering, "can this guy really sing?" The band sounds mechanical and devoid of passion. The best word I can use is "underwhelming"... not really bad, just competent. Do not buy this album... if you want to steal or burn a copy, it might function okay as background music, but don't believe the hype. This band will not be remembered in ten years, except as a footnote.