Room on Fire
An acclaimed debut prompts one of two kinds of follow-ups: either the band strives to broaden their palate or they attempt to deepen the colors they splashed all over that heralded first effort. The Strokes' second outing falls in the latter camp. In the tradition of the Ramones'Leave HomeandOasis'(What's the Story) Morning Glory, the Strokes largely stay the course with their second full-length release, producing an album that won't cause the stir that itspredecessordid, but has a sneaky appeal all its own. Thanks to the quintet's Lower East Side roots,Velvet UndergroundandTelevisionreferences abound with these guys, but Boston new wavers theCars, and in particular their hit-heavy second album, 1979'sCandy-O, provide a more suitable point of reference forRoom on Fire. As with Ric Ocasek and company, Strokes frontman Julian Casablancas and his cohorts have a Cars-like knack for sly riffs that creep deeper into ones consciousness with each listen. Not much longer than a half hour from start to finish, this 11-song is modest in intent and execution, and succeeds quite nicely on its own terms.--Steven Stolder