CD Review: The Strokes, "Room on Fire" (RCA)

What separates a great song from a good one? The Strokes know. The New York City band writes great rock 'n' roll that gets pinned to the back of your brain like peanut butter struck to the roof of your mouth.

Like its predecessor, the band's new album features 11 tracks juiced with spine tingling dual guitars, a flashy rhythm section and Julian Casablanca's distinctive, if occasionally annoying, beehive vocals.

No doubt, some will argue the band has simply regurgitated its 2001 debut, "Is This It?" It's an understandable assessment. This album is about as catchy as the first, only it's somehow more mature, this time focusing on broken relationships rather than big-city boredom.

"The End has No End," with Casablancas' wry, laid-back delivery, reveals a penchant for The Kinks' sardonic worldliness that suits The Strokes well. Even the song's chorus, "He wants it easy/He want it relaxed/I can do a lot of things but I can't do that," recalls classic Ray Davies. On "The Way it Is" Casablancas pulls a Johnny Rotten, wailing mightily, "That's Not My Prawbluum!!!" at the song's climax. Then there's the prom-night worthy, "Under Control," a sincere mid-tempo break-up ballad that is The Strokes' equivalent to U2's "One," and possibly their best song to date.

The entire affair has an unabashed feeling of languid cool. Indeed, from the single "12:51" to its other gems, the mess of tunes that is "Room on Fire" casts The Strokes as rock's saviors. "Room on Fire" has a raw sound that is the direct result of odd studio hours and the return of the debut's producer, Gordon Raphael. His ability to capture The Strokes' sound is a boon to each track's eloquent arrangements.

Sure, the final track sounds like a mirror image of the band's hit, "Last Nite." At least the boys were smart enough to bury it as the last track.

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