Strokes guitarist Albert Hammond Jr. (far right) says he'd rather work on new music than think about how the band is perceived and portrayed.

As one of the most heralded bands to arrive on the Rock scene over the past three years, The Strokes haven't had many occasions to deal with criticisms for their music.

But if there's been one complaint lodged by some over the group's sophomore effort, Room On Fire, it's that the album sounds too much like The Strokes' 2001 debut, Is This It.

Guitarist Albert Hammond Jr. can't understand that viewpoint. What's more, he says there were good reasons for The Strokes to want continuity between their two albums.

"I don't think we had established ourselves enough as us to really (change the sound)," Hammond says. "I always wonder why people would say that. It's like, I don't know, if we change, what exactly would they want us to change to so drastically that it doesn't even sound like us anymore. I couldn't imagine doing that."

So Room On Fire very much retains many of the characteristics that created such a buzz about The Strokes to begin with. As with Is This It, the band still features a cool, tightly wound sound that recalls a slightly poppier Velvet Underground with its angular melodies and minimalistic mix of guitars, bass and drums.

But there's no denying the quality of Room On Fire. If anything the songs pack a bit more punch and are hookier than the ones on the debut. The band's sense of sonic adventure has also grown more pronounced over time. Featuring production that is brighter and bolder overall, Room is filled with intriguing guitar tones (note the Moog-like lead guitar on "12:51" or the multiple guitar sounds employed on "Automatic Stop"), inventive drum sounds (such as the machine gun-like opening beat on "Under Control") and plenty of vocals from frontman Julian Casablancas that are manipulated into a condensed, almost monotone setting that brings an appealing tension to the music.

The attention to detail that shows up in the finished songs suggests that The Strokes put plenty of work into Room On Fire. Hammond says that was exactly the case.

Originally, the band, which includes Casablancas, Hammond, guitarist Nick Valensi, bassist Nikolai Fraiture and drummer Fabrizio Moretti, hoped to record with Nigel Godrich, best known for producing the ever-adventurous Radiohead. But after a week-long test run of working with Godrich, it was clear that he wasn't right for the band, according to Hammond.

"We got along with him," Hammond says. "It was too much of a producer/band feel. We don't really work well under that. We like a more family-like (situation), where you're just all trying to get a better end result and everyone's creativity (works together) to get a better end result. In the end, that's better."

The band turned to Gordon Raphael, who produced Is This It.

"It was probably more intense," Hammond said, comparing the recording sessions for Room On Fire to the debut. "As much as we had deadlines on the first record, it was different. Deadlines for the second one were a little more serious. In the studio we just kind of closed the door and kind of got stuck in there for hours, two months of 15-hour days of recording. I mean, it was a great experience because we learned a lot about how to get things done ... everyone did. So I think it made us stronger for the next record coming up."

How The Strokes' career will have progressed by the time of a third album is anyone's guess. While they have certainly had success -- Is This It sold nearly 900,000 copies in the United States and about 2 million overall -- the band's popularity has yet to match the critical buzz surrounding it. RCA's efforts have yet to turn Room On Fire into a commercial blockbuster. But the fact that The Strokes have yet to enjoy the massive success many predicted for the band does raise the question of whether the hype surrounding the group has worked for or against the band.

"You know, I try not to think about it in good or bad," Hammond says. "It's like what's happened to us is how we got put out, what we have to deal with. It's definitely not something we created. It's (something) the media has created. But the longer I sit there and try to think about it, the more time that's wasting to actually do something creative. You know, it happened. People heard about us. That's a good thing. And whatever else that might have come bad, hopefully we can change through just getting better and actually just writing better songs and making better records."

Without question, the band members have gotten plenty of attention for things that have nothing to do with their music -- their good looks, their casual yet cool sense of style, and even their colorful names. But The Strokes have also fought to maintain an image where no single member stands out over the others and to emphasize that this is a group of longtime friends, not a band assembled by a manager or record label.

"We really try to do that," Hammond says of the band's efforts to forge a collective identity. "It's so hard because I don't think people want bands anymore as a whole, of five people. They just want one dude they can look at and four fuzzy guys. With us, in our inner circle and us as being friends, that's how we really are. Like how other people perceive us may be different, but we always like the idea of, like, it's a band. It's five guys make this band. It's like this unit thing. I think, it might sound cheesy, but just like people getting along together and doing something creatively is a cool thing at a time where it seems like people don't get along so well. It's cool to show that it can work."