NO digital copy included
Audio Quality: 3.5/5
Song Quality: 4.5/5
Packaging: 3/5
Man, I miss The Strokes. According to Wikipedia (my definitive source for everything), the band was slated to go into the studio this past February to start recording their 4th album. It's been over three years since the release of First Impressions of Earth, and now with Albert Hammond Jr. releasing solo records and Julian Casablancas doing Converse commercials
with Pharrell, it was beginning to look like the guys might have gone their separate ways. Hopefully Wikipedia is being honest with me this time... I've been burned so many times before.Room On Fire, their 2nd album, is probably my favorite. I loved Is This It? and though it was a mixed bag, I really loved
a lot of First Impressions of Earth, but I think this one is probably their best full album. While Is This It? was a relatively straightforward throwback to old-fashioned rock and roll, this album manages to maintain that spirit while establishing a more unique, forward-thinking sound for the band. Just about all the tracks here are great, though I do think that Side B is a little less consistently impressive than Side A. Guitarist Nick Valensi really shines throughout this record, and his lead guitar lines in "Reptilia," "12:51," and "The End Has No End" absolutely make the songs and demonstrate a player with a truly unique voice. The whole album is a terrifically fun pop/rock statement that you'll find yourself wanting to repeat over and over again. Again, I love most of The Strokes' output, but when I hear a song from any of their records on the radio or when my computer is on shuffle, I always think to myself, "I should really listen to Room On Fire."This is not a great sounding LP. It's a bit bright, especially on sections with lots of crash cymbals, and the drums sound pretty weak and in the background. In the plus column, Julian's trademark overdriven vocal sound sits around everything pretty nicely, blending into the mix without stepping on anything. The guitars also sound loud and fuzzy without overdriving the mix. There are moments when the overall mix is more clean and separated, but for the most part, this record is a bit cluttered. And you know what, I like that. I've said before that not every record is meant to sound ultra-clean, separated, and hi-fi. You can get just as much emotional response from a record's mix as you get from the songs themselves. If the Fugazi record I recently reviewed was mixed by Mobile Fidelity Sound Lab so the instruments were all super clear and separated, and then it was released as a 200-gram half-speed vinyl, then you would lose SO MUCH of the listening experience. Some records are meant to sound raw and imperfect, and I'm
gonna go ahead and lump this record in with that bunch. I realize it may seem like I'm picking and choosing here, criticizing some records for bad sound while others I claim sound bad in a good way. Perhaps some personal bias towards music I prefer does come into play, but I really do try to make those calls based on sound quality and listening experience only. I suppose
you're just gonna have to take my word for it. Or go listen to some of these records and comment here with your take on it. Anyways, back to the album, the cluttered and aggressive sound is also pretty similar to the way the CD sounds, so it's clearly the way this album was meant to be heard. I wouldn't advise anyone to run out and pick up this vinyl, as it's not a tremendously different listening experience from the CD. Probably slightly better if anything, but nothing life-changing.The package is a very basic one. 150-gram record is in a printed sleeve with lyrics and a band photograph on one side, and individual band portraits on the other. It sits in a single slipcase. No digital copy is included, lame. Not much else to discuss here. I need to review a record with great packaging again... these paragraphs are getting super repetitive, arent' they?
I hope The Strokes really are in the studio right now. And I hope they're being produced by Gordon Raphael again. And I hope they're recording live to 2-inch tape. And I hope it'll be released on vinyl exclusively. And I hope it'll come with a digital download, and a great package, and it'll be available for under $20. I think I'm being pretty reasonable here, Strokes.
Buy the LP from Amazon.com
Buy the LP from InSound.com
Monday will have a new kind of review... a pressing comparison.
Radiohead - In Rainbows (Standard single LP release vs. Half-speed double LP box release)
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