After the hype–and subsequent backlash–over the Strokes’ debut album, IS THIS IT, many fans and skeptics alike came to realize that the band’s catchy, punk-pillaging rock ditties were, ultimately, very difficult to resist. Their eagerly anticipated follow-up, ROOM ON FIRE, is cut from the same vintage 1970s cloth, but added flourishes keep the album from sounding like a mere redux.

“What Ever Happened?” opens ROOM ON FIRE with a chiming, staccato guitar riff and kicks into the immediately identifiable Strokes swagger. However, while listening to Julian Casablancas’s melancholy lyrics and the song’s carefully crafted changes, it’s clear that this is a maturing band that knows its strengths. This notion is further supported by the hard-charging “Reptilia,” one of the group’s finest tunes to date. And though the Strokes opted out of working with Radiohead producer Nigel Godrich, the concept of expanding their palette (even if only slightly) stuck, given the presence of keyboard sounds (on the gleefully Cars-like “12:51″ and “The End Has No End”) and reggae-influenced guitars (on “Automatic Stop” and “Between Love & Hate”). Although ROOM ON FIRE doesn’t mark a radical musical departure for the band, the concise and consistently engaging album solidifies their status as skilled rock revivalists.

Tracklisting
1. What Ever Happened?
2. Reptilia
3. Automatic Stop
4. 12:51
5. You Talk Way Too Much
6. Between Love & Hate
7. Meet Me In The Bathroom
8. Under Control
9. The End Has No End
10. The Way It Is
11. I Can’t Win

Professional Reviews
Rolling Stone (12/25/03, p.110) – Included in Rolling Stone’s “50 Best Albums of 2003″

Rolling Stone (10/30/03, p.86) – 4 stars out of 5 – “…[One] of the best things about ROOM ON FIRE is that…the Strokes have resisted the temptation to hit the brakes, grow up and screw around with a sound that doesn’t need fixing….This record was built for thrills and speed.”

Spin (12/03, pp.121-2) – “…The gambit pays off: ROOM ON FIRE is the rare album you could imagine rocking college radio and storming Clear Channel’s barricades…” – Grade: A-

Entertainment Weekly (10/31/03, pp.71-72) – “…There’s still something undeniably appealing about the Strokes. They’re raw and corrosive, yet surprisingly intimate…” – Rating: B

Q (01/01/04, p.83) – Ranked #7 in Q’s “The 50 Best Albums of 2003″

Q (11/03, p.102) – 5 stars out of 5 – “…Everything a second album needs to be, it’s like IS THIS IT but more emotional, more colourful, slightly better…”

Uncut (01/04, pp.84-7) – Ranked #45 in Uncut’s “Albums Of The Year 2003″

Uncut (11/03, p.108) – 4 stars out of 5 – “…Once again 11 concise, usually thrilling songs filled with bewilderment, romance and a sense of climactic payback…”

CMJ (11/17/03, p.8) – “…[Repaints] its predecessor as a promising first release, with potential to grow into something truly formidable….[the opening track] is arguably the Strokes’ finest moment to date…”

Mojo (Publisher) (01/01/04, p.60) – Ranked #4 in Mojo’s “The Best of 2003″

Mojo (Publisher) (11/03, p.124) – 4 stars out of 5 – “…This record is good. Thirty-three minutes and 13 seconds of bruised pop music. Tough, intense, no slack…”

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Julian Casablancas – Phrazes For The Young

Julian Casablancas is known all around the world for his unique alternative rock sounds with his band the Strokes, and he is one of today’s most innovate (and certainly unique) artists. For nearly three years, Casablanca has been remaining outside of the public arena while recording a new album for release. It will be his debut solo album. Fans have long been waiting for his newest album to come out since its initial announcement back in July of 2009. His album is called “Phrazes for the Young”, and it is well over three years in the making of work. Only until just recently was the actual release date announced, and it will be hitting stores on October 20th through RCA. This particular album will be filled with music that reminds you of the Ramones and Strokes’ Television (which is done deliberately). This lends the album with a unique garage rock sound, and it will undoubtedly appeal to your ears. Casablanca’s primary inspiration for the album was derived from Oscar Wilde’s essay called, “Phrases and Philosophies for the Use of the Young”. Julian Casablanca’s “Phrazes for the Young” contains eight tracks total. Some of the songs in this album are to include “Glass”, “Ludlow St” and “River of Brake Lights”. This solo debut is bound to make some waves in music.

Tracklisting
1. Out Of The Blue
2. River Of Brake Lights
3. 4 Chords Of The Apocalypse
4. 11Th Dimension
5. Ludlow St.
6. Glass
7. Left & Right In The Dark
8. Tourist

Professional Reviews
Q (Magazine) (p.98) – 3 stars out of 5 — “['River Of Brake Lights' is] a cyber-punk fuzz of vocoder, drum machine and malfunctioning-computer solo, for Casablancas it’s exciting unchartered territory.”