Lead singer Julian Casablanca's voice drawls in a slow, twisting way in the second track off of the seventh track of the Strokes' sophomore album, "Room on Fire." The dawning melodies of "Under Control" burn and wind through the mesmerizing background drone of weighted drums, ringing guitars, and the overall beautiful and different tone. "I don't want to waste your time," sings Casablanca, "I don't want to change the world." With the rushing pop of the last album, "Is This It," many thought differently of the New York band. The Strokes' distant, self-assured image of the last album inferred world domination by disillusionment, grunge guitars, and agitated howls devoted to daily city life.

"Room on Fire" gives the same familiarity of their sound mixed in with heart-stopping moments of some really excellent music. They still uphold their reputation for fuzzy, broken-microphone-style tunes. So what's changed this time? Their sound expands much more than in the first album. The best aspect of this musical growth is that it allows for much more creativity. Casablanca says, "We were just trying to keep moving on. Hopefully it doesn't sound like we're copying ourselves. That's the most important thing, I guess."

Songs like the new "The End Has No End" play with the melody of light, bouncy synthesizers and tight, fresh guitar riffs, while more familiar songs like "Meet Me in the Bathroom" and "Between Love and Hate" sound like something from the previous album with the rhythmic pound of drums and perfect interlock of Nick Valensi and Albert Hammond's playing. "Reptilia" blisters and surges with ragged energy, followed by the rubber push-and-pull tide of "Automatic Stop," while "Whatever Happened" drives forward with weary, beautiful abandon.

Basically, the Strokes continue to rock in the best way possible.
4.9/5 stars.