The Strokes: Room On Fire (Rough Trade)

SOON AFTER HEARING it for the first time, I decided that The Modern Age EP was perfect, a marvel of compressed energy, three thrilling songs, their taut simplicity taken to unexpected places by crafty shifts and subtle lyrical invention. An awesome beginning. As it turned out, many felt the same, The Strokes became the classic private discovery made by millions. Once myth began to billow around them, the deification of this basement band who only wanted to be Guided By Voices seemed inevitable.