The Strokes “Room On Fire”
RCA
It’s tempting to write this one off as disappointing. Two
years after the much lauded and hyped “Is This It,”
it’s clear The Strokes are more responsible for the quickly
tiring garbage ““ er, garage ““ rock revival than any
messianic saving of rock souls. The sound of the highly anticipated
follow-up seems to be a mere retread of the first album, but with
half the irresistible pop hooks and none of the initial surprise.
If only it were only that easy. “Room on Fire” instead
shows itself to be a fine-tuning of The Strokes formula, and a
better ““ albeit less immediately arresting ““ half-hour
collection of 3-minute tunes than its predecessor. Singer Julian
Casablancas and company hint at new musical depths. Though no one
would accuse them of making an experimental record, they seamlessly
incorporate a number of interesting ideas with their signature
sound ““ a tinge of reggae on “Automatic Stop,”
some new wave guitar synth on the single “12:51,” and
most striking, the Sam Cooke soul of “Under
Control””“ that expand considerably upon their debut. Of
course with The Strokes, it all comes back to the straight-ahead
rock and indifferent cool (both to be found in spades) that put
them on the map in the first place, but behind the carefully
cultivated image lies the real significance of this album. Only
because The Strokes aren’t a one-trick pony can they manage
to pull the same trick twice. – Alfred Lee
Ryan Adams “Rock N Roll” Lost
Highway
From the opening chords of “This Is It,” “Rock
N Roll” is clearly not your standard Ryan Adams album. Far
from the delicate folk and mid-tempo country of most of his work,
reverb-laden guitars chop at the backbeat like, well, The Strokes.
He tears into a full Oasis yowl on the rocking “1974,”
complete with a trademark Gallagher piano-and-acoustic outro. The
influence of ’80s artists is huge here, with traces of the
Smiths and early Brit-pop like the Stone Roses appearing
throughout. Nowhere is this more evident than in the stunning
“So Alive,” where intricate guitar lines and a falsetto
chorus echo the Cure’s “Love Song.” Adams wanted
“Rock N Roll” to be an album of guitar rock rather than
another disc of “confessional folk music,” and the
songs are decidedly based on riffs and volume rather than softly
sung lyrics. The interplay between two rhythm guitars on
“She’s Lost Total Control” creates a driving
sense of urgency, and “Note To Self: Don’t Die”
is one of his rawest tracks. Adams at times is a product of his
influences, but here he seems to mold them together into a cohesive
style. It may not necessarily be his style, but it remains a
distinctly Ryan Adams album nonetheless. His longtime lyrical
themes ““ loneliness, desperation, loss ““ are all
present. His soaring one-line choruses and emotional vocals are
unmistakable, and his traditional forefathers ““ the Rolling
Stones, Neil Young, Gram Parsons ““ are still evident,
especially in the album’s highlight, “Anybody Wanna
Take Me Home?” Though sometimes missing the lyrical intimacy
of his earlier work, “Rock N Roll” is an impressive
effort from a seasoned songwriter with unlimited potential. Along
with the simultaneous release of the darker, more acoustic
“Love Is Hell,” this album should be the final piece of
the puzzle that reveals Ryan Adams as one of the most important
artists of his generation. – David Greenwald