The Strokes - Room On Fire

For now, we have The Strokes. It is a breath of fresh air. The album seems to depend on reductionist theory. That is, incorporating nothing in any degree of excess.

There are many rarities nowadays such as honest politicians, nice guys, fully clothed pop stars and alarm clocks that can get me up in the morning. Among the rarest are “up and coming” bands who live up to their mainstream hype and expectations. Thankfully, this breed has not become extinct yet. For now, we have The Strokes. It is a breath of fresh air. The album seems to depend on reductionist theory. That is, incorporating nothing in any degree of excess. The result is a short, thirty-three minute, album that blows you away. Perhaps, “blows you away” is too cliché, dramatic and is an exaggeration but it pulls your mind in the right direction. The album is surprisingly good. The drum patterns and guitar riffs are not as harsh, repetitive and annoying as those of The White Stripes. Yet, they are not as unique, progressive, and schizophrenic-like as those of The Mars Volta.

I know there are those of you, don’t try to deny it because I know all, who want to hate The Strokes just because they are The Strokes. There is an innate aversion for the Rolling Stone cover boys. You decided to dislike them and avoid any contact with them for the sake of going against the new wave of mainstream music crashing into the shores of the twenty-first century. Perhaps, you thought that this wave would merely wash up at your feet like those before. Leaving you, unlike others, standing on the shore with the sun glaring down, making your skin glow, the wind in your soft, disheveled hair, a smirk on your face watching in amusement as others drown in the wave of over hyped music. Although this is the case much of the time for other “upcoming bands”, those music listeners who have been swept up by the water are far from drowning. In fact, they are floating in ecstasy and delight, while you watch on with your feet dug in the coarse sand. Soon enough, my friend, The Strokes will pull you in as well. Believe me, it is all for the better. Who would have thought that five boys could keep a promise?

(RCA Records)