The Strokes
Room On Fire
»
The Strokes
Room On Fire
RCA, 2003
RiYL: Spoon, Nirvana, the Dismemberment Plan |
Thankfully for Julian and thankfully for us, the listening public, the man is a hard worker. Listening to Room On Fire, it is hard not to hear the amount of detail-obsession, sweaty late nights, headaches, arguments and epiphanies that had to be wrenched out of these five musicians to balance the equation of creativity and excrete this record. Casablancas clearly didn't just bang out a few songs in one drunken evening of revelry, like his hero Bob Pollard might. The 11 tunes here have, for the most part, been meticulously constructed and envisioned, only to be reconsidered, re-reconsidered and pounded into working order during the recording process.
The album is arguably better than the group's much-heralded debut, if by "better" we just mean more sonically impressive overall. Room On Fire has 11 tracks too, but it's a couple minutes shorter, and leaner, than its predecessor. Few songs overstay their welcome. The band often doesn't bother repeating a killer part more than once or twice, secure in the knowledge that listeners have a rewind button. And despite Casablancas' trademark exhausted/sloppy vocals (tailored to give the impression of an elegantly wasted laziness), each song is woven from intricate, innovative patterns executed with precision using the oldest tools in the rock book: guitars, bass, drums and vocals.
Just 48 seconds into album opener "What Ever Happened?," the Strokes already tread into uncharted territory. A tantalizing guitar line by Nick Valensi pulls the upbeat rocker off its pedestal of machismo and gives it a crucial injection of melody. The section is never revisited, but it gives listeners a clue that the band is not just pounding out some generic "street rock." This music has depth and originality, further expressed by the song's restrained choral plateaus.
Second cut "Reptilia" starts off sounding like something we've heard before, but ends up as one of the band's darkest tracks, and certainly doesn't lack for imagination. A slinky, bass-heavy groove propels the song forward, but as we approach the bridge, Julian's decadently cracked vocals blurt an ominous entreaty: "please don't slow me down, if I'm going too fast / you're in a strange part of our town!" before the band abruptly cuts off and Albert Hammond kicks into a surprising angular riff that sounds more Pixies or Spoon than Television or Velvet Underground.
"Automatic Stop" is another departure, dancing around ska influences. Each instrument focuses on syncopation, coming together to form a polyrhythmic groove that sounds like it might break down at any point. Bassist Nikolai Fraiture elegantly shows off his chops on a juicy, harmonic bridge. Then it's on to "12:51," which you've probably already heard. It's the perfect lead-off single, in that it's a retread (albeit more of the Cars' catalog than the Strokes') and basically just a simple, dumb pop song. "We can go and get 40s, fuck going to that party." Yeah, really heavy stuff, right? Just the sort of tune to get dressed to before a night on the town. But the band does it right -- it's the kind of thing that'll stick in a listener's brain and rope 'em in.
Valensi fills out the Strokes' sound as well as any of the other players, but his predilection for little jabbing, angular riffs has grown, and it helps give Room On Fire a distinct personality. To wit, his sexy, concise lick 1.08 into the chugging "You Talk Way Too Much" proves an indelible calling card of the track, which is basically an '80s pop hook illustrated with Hammond's incessant rhythmic strumming and folded back onto itself like so much aural origami.
The most obviously radio-friendly song on the album is "Between Love & Hate." Its insistent beat is one of Fabrizio Moretti's most memorable, and the uplifting bass line supports Casablancas' playful vocals with a casual savoir-faire. The pop nugget stands out, sandwiched as it is between two of the disc's most straightforward rockers, and its chorus, an impish declaration of independence ("I never needed anybody / it won't change now") seems destined to be heard blasting out of car stereos.
"Meet Me In The Bathroom" and "The Way It Is" are both well-constructed bleating rockers, first aired live on the group's Is This It tour. Both have their moments, but Room On Fire's biggest revelation is nestled in between: "Under Control," the band's first real love song/soul ballad. It's tempo isn’t actually any slower than, say, "Is This It," but the delivery is totally different -- not a stolen moment in a tiny New York apartment, but more an inspired catcall to a pretty girl walking by on the street, with more than a hint of Motown in the warm melody. Moretti's stuttering intros are bursting with reverb and Casablancas takes the opportunity to branch out with his tender, yet bravura-laced delivery: "I don't want to change your mind / I don't want to change the world / I just wanna watch you go by."
The best example of the group's ability to combine elements of rock history into fresh pastiche compositions is "The End Has No End." The tune's insistent drum beat is nicked straight from "Billie Jean," while its tiny processed guitar lick is reminiscent of "Sweet Child Of Mine." The sound on the verses is meticulously compressed, in a nod to the lo-fi indie-rock aesthetic, but the lyrics themselves are full of classic rock cliches -- the ironic/nonsensical title phrase and the always handy "Two steps forward and three steps back," for instance. Somehow, it all comes together to sound great, and proves one of the album's highlights.
Finally, closer "I Can't Win" is a bit of a throwaway, but does its job perfectly. It could be viewed as one of the album's few missteps: why end it with a tossed-off party track, when a lot of the disc seemed to hint at serious, well-crafted rock? But lest we forget, it's all about having fun. Room On Fire gives good rock; it can make you feel good.
And that is what we’re left with. Does it live up to the hype? Enough so that no one will question the band’s dedication to its craft. Does it singlehandedly save rock and roll? Of course not, though I’m anxious to see what the British tabloids have to say about that. At its most basic level, Room On Fire is a solid step forward for a rock and roll band on its sophomore album. The group has been saddled with expectations, but it’s also been blessed with a heap of talent, so no one’s feeling sorry for them. The Strokes still have plenty of potential futures, but let’s just say that "one-hit wonders" is no longer among them.
TROY CARPENTER | Troy Carpenter founded NATN from a Chicago apartment during the ambitious winter of 1998 with co-conspirators Ben French and Jonathan Cohen. After a five-year stint in New York, he and wife Lourdes have recently relocated to Indianapolis, where he spends days listening to music and nights in the kitchen at Elements restaurant. Musical heroes: Jimi Hendrix, Bob Marley, Super Furry Animals. What else makes life worth living: Sushi, Phucty, runs in the park, and the Atlanta Braves.