[somecleric]

I'm fairly sure the next Strokes album won't be any great step forward for the band. Why would it be, given the acclaim their debut received? I expect it will show some growth, since they definitely showed a ton of growth between the Arlene Grocery bootlegs (where they sounded like a Television cover band) and Is This It?, but I'm expecting more of The Bends -> OK Computer than an OK Computer -> Kid A type progression. Not that there's anything wrong with that.

I'm of the opinion that people put too much weight on a band's overall output, and not nearly enough on individual albums. The Replacements released two of the finest albums ever with Tim and Let It Be, but other than those two albums, their only notable effort was the incredible Within Your Reach, off the otherwise mediocre Hootenany. Taken as a whole, The Replacements kinda suck, but that shouldn't diminish the individual albums. Unfortunately, people hear the post-Bob Stinson material, conclude The Replacements 'sold out' and write them off completely, ignoring two of the greatest punk influenced albums ever.

Similarly, a lot of people can't listen to Kid A and Amnesiac, and if they weren't around when OK Computer and The Bends were making the rounds on radio and mtv, they'll probably never give Radiohead a chance, assuming that since some albums by Radiohead suck, all of them must suck.

Back to the point, regardless of whether or not The Strokes next album is amazing or terrible, Is This It? is still going to be one of the best albums released in recent memory.