If you liked the first album, you'll like the new one. That's because the new one almost sounds like outtakes from the first album.

I wondered how the Strokes could follow up on their debut dose of furiously played melodic punk, with its perfect balance of rawness and musicality. I wondered if it might be best to just break up like the Sex Pistols did. Well, the Strokes figured out how to follow up their first album. They repeated it!

Everyone who enjoyed "Is This It?" will enjoy this album, but you might find yourself asking . . . . well, is this it? Did they need two years to make what sounds like something they could have rattled off six to eight months after the last record?

This is truly a fun record, but the Strokes will have to figure out what to do next before album three.